FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. were driven separately to Charlotte just hours after the 2025 NFL draft.
The North Carolina natives didn't know each other despite their similar roots. They met for the first time right before they boarded the Atlanta Falcons team plane, en route to the city where they would be teammates. Two players from the same place who play the same position (edge rusher) were both drafted by the same team in the first round -- Walker at 15, Pearce at 26 -- a rarity in the NFL.