The Atlanta Falcons Drafted Four Defensive Linemen Last Year, Too. Where’s The Love? originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Releasing the beloved Grady Jarrett was tough for Atlanta Falcons fans to handle. He was a fan favorite and the most consistent defensive lineman in Atlanta for years. But, with the talk about newly drafted Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., where’s the love for the defensive linemen drafted during the 2024 NFL Draft?

Given the financial crisis that Atlanta has found itself in recently, moving Grady Jarrett saved the team $16.25 million in cap space. Was it a Necessity? Yes. Was it smart for the foreseeable future of the defense? We’ll see. Either way, it was time. Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. were both first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Falcons knew who they wanted and went and got them.

They gave up a lot to get back into the first round to select James Pearce Jr., including a 2026 first-round draft pick. But that’s neither here nor there. Both of those athletes will see plenty of playing time, and rightly so. Atlanta will devise packages to get both on the field at once to see if they can mesh and make life very difficult for opposing quarterbacks by pressuring them.

In case you forgot, three of the Falcons’ four defensive draft picks from 2024 are still on the roster. Ruke Orhorhoro, Bralen Trice, and Brandon Dorlus will all be looking at increased roles, but will have to battle it out during camp, especially since Orhorhoro and Dorlus do not have any starts under their belts.

According to Falcons writer Will McFadden, Orhorhoro will be the one who is better suited to step into the void left by Grady Jarrett. Meanwhile, Dorlus can be used on the outside or inside in different packages. Atlanta will rely heavily on Bralen Trice, who missed his entire rookie season due to injury. Competing for any position is never easy, and when you have big-name players drafted like the Falcons did in this most recent draft, some names could be forgotten about.

Atlanta is hoping to see improvement from a combination of all three of the 2024 draftees mentioned above. Training camp starts on Thursday, July 24, in Flowery Branch, Georgia.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.