PFF grades Falcons' two first-round picks after Week 12

The Atlanta Falcons' five-game losing streak came to an end with Sunday's 24-10 win over the New Orleans Saints. Once again, the Falcons received major contributions from their rookie class. First-round picks Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. combined for 2.5 sacks, while third-round pick Xavier Watts recorded his third career interception.

After the first 12 weeks of the season, Walker leads all rookies with five sacks, Pearce ranks second among rookies with four sacks, and Watts is the NFL's rookie interception leader. Unfortunately for Atlanta, fourth-round pick Billy Bowman Jr. tore his Achilles last week and is out for the season.

Pro Football Focus graded all 32 first-round picks after Week 12. Here's what PFF's Dalton Wasserman had to say about Walker and Pearce's performances in Sunday's win over the Saints.

Jalon Walker Week 12 grade: 72.5

Walker recorded his fifth career sack amidst an excellent day for the Falcons' pass rush in Week 12. That was his only official pressure of the game, although he did have another negated via penalty and won three other pass-rush reps. Walker also continued his hot streak in run defense, logging two more positive grades in that department. He has now earned an outstanding 84.7 PFF run-defense grade over his past six contests dating back to Week 4. -- Dalton Wasserman

James Pearce Jr. Week 12 grade: 62.8

Pearce produced the first multi-sack performance of his career against the Saints and has now compiled four sacks in his past three games. He also leads the Falcons with 15 pressures since Week 9, continuing to use his supreme athleticism to his advantage. Three negative grades in run defense dragged down Pearce’s PFF overall grade this week, but opposing quarterbacks are consistently feeling his impact as a pass rusher. -- Dalton Wasserman

Watts received a PFF grade of 72.8 in Sunday's win. The former Notre Dame standout has been one of the biggest steals from the 2025 NFL draft thus far.

While the Falcons ended their losing streak, they still have their work cut out for them over the final six weeks. If they can win out, the playoffs are very much on the table, especially with both the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers losing in Week 12.

Next up for the Falcons is a road matchup against the New York Jets in Week 13. The team will again look to its dynamic rookie trio to carry the load on defense yet again.

This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Atlanta Falcons: Jalon Walker, James Pearce Week 12 PFF grades