What Falcons’ Terry Fontenot, Raheem Morris had to say after first round of NFL draft

Fontenot: “Yeah different level, I know y’all know a lot about him (Walker) already, but coaches kid, and you see it on tape. He’s one of those guys that you put on the tape and you just watch him play football and you don’t even have to read the character or read the makeup because you see the way he plays down in and down out. The way you can move him around and do a lot of different things. He can play stack, he can play off the edge, he can rush inside. He can do so many different things. And again an unbelievable person. He’s one of those guys that when you know who he is as a person, he’s just one of those guys that won’t fail. You loved the makeup and love the character.”

Morris: “His father would be extremely happy to see possibly two games the same weekend.” (Walker’s brother plays for Georgia State.)

Fontenot: “Yeah, Pearce, I mean, as a pass rusher, just look at the, just look at the numbers even if you don’t watch tape, look at the numbers, highest pressure rate in football, and that’s great. It’s been consistent for two years. I mean this is a productive player. He can get off the ball, he’s explosive, he’s sudden, he’s twitchy, he plays with violence and so whether it’s in the run game or the pass game, he’s disruptive in that way, really flies around, love the way he plays, love the way he competes.”

Morris: “Really, I’m just going to reiterate the same things. I mean, a lot of great things we talked about with James, but we definitely have to increase our rush. We have definitely get our rush better and, and both of these players really make it better.”

Were you surprised that Walker was there at No. 15?

Morris: “I’m never surprised in the draft.”

Fontenot: “You just don’t know. The crazy thing is honestly, is how the first, I don’t know, was it like seven picks? There were chalk. It was just how all the mock said, that’s that was the weirdest thing even with Jacksonville going up and then. So that was the craziest part about how it came off like that, but we kind of predicted actually there’s going to be a run on offensive linemen. So many people needed offensive linemen, and that kind of pushed some of those good defensive players down a little bit further. So, we’re excited that he’s on the clock. Surprise isn’t the right word because you just never know how the draft’s going to go.”

Terry talked about the production with Pearce, but both these players are athletic, fast players. Was that a characteristic that you wanted to improve in this defense or wanted to add to this defense and how do they, generally, accentuate what you want the identity of the defense to be?

Morris: “When you talk about it, Terry did such a great job of having the ability to go up our profiles and what we’re looking for, from a rush standpoint, from an edge standpoint, from, creating some havoc on the passer. We got a chance to go over some of those profiles and be able to talk to those different things with different coaches that we got in the building and I really believe the scouts and Terry and his group all really sat down and put together a great list for us to go out there and evaluate. I couldn’t be more pleased with obviously the class and what was available to us and to be able to go out there and get that thing accomplished like that. I can’t say enough positive things about us.”

James’ off-field (activity) had questions. What made you all comfortable with him?

Fontenot: “Yeah, we spend a lot of time with these prospects. Our scouts do a good job, boots on the ground and they spend so much time really profiling the players and gathering all the information. And then we step in, we get the coaches involved, and we were about as thorough and detail as you can possibly be. We spent a lot of time with him personally, everybody that’s surrounded with him, it was truly an exhaustive process and that’s what makes us feel good about our culture and everything we are. But that’s important, we always talk about intangibles and we want to bring in guys that love ball and love to compete and as we build this roster the right way, and we spent a lot of time with him (Pearce) making sure that he was going to fit.”

There was a report that you guys met with him (Pearce) and his mom yesterday. Is that true?

Fontenot: “It’s like we always talk about, every exposure is important, every time, I know some people don’t do 30 visits. They don’t go out as much, but that’s not for us. We want to know who we’re bringing in this building, because they’re representing us to represent the Falcons and that’s important. So we want to know who we’re bringing in here and so we spend as much time as we possibly can with not just players but people that surround them.”

Terry, when you consider the commitment you’ve made to improving the edge and the pass rush and free agency at the No. 15 pick, you still made the commitment to give next year’s first rounder for more help, how difficult was that call?

Fontenot: “You know with trades it always gets to that point where you have to weigh out what you’re actually doing and what you’re doing it for and we look at the trade charts and all that stuff but at some point you have to look at who’s the player and what’s going to be, what are we really getting, and is it worth it? That’s what you really have to do at some point. When you have that kind of conviction and belief in the player, then that’s when you’re willing to do it and we do. We have that kind of belief in our staff. It’s not just about the actual drafting of players, it’s about getting them in the right environment and developing the right way, and we truly believe. So it’s not just believing in the players and the skill sets that we brought in here today, but it’s believing in our building. And that’s the coaches, that’s player performance, that’s everyone in this building and believing we’re going to surround these guys and make the absolute best of them. So I think there’s a lot of belief and conviction in the players and also what we have here.”

Typically, it’s difficult for pass rushers to be productive as rookies. With your experience, what’s the key there for a guy moving up on a level to still be a productive pass rusher?

Morris: “We’ve been talking about it just throughout the course of the offseason. And we talked about when we got Flo (Leonard Floyd) in free agency and when we got (Morgan) Fox in free agency, we got our two young guys coming up from next year. We talk about Ruke (Orhorhoro), we’re talking about (Brandon) Dorlus and talking about bringing the guys from tonight. We’ve been talking about this basketball team mentality, so it’s about learning how to rush as one, learning how to get out there and rush together and learning how to rush, as one individual process to be able to get to the quarterback. I believe we’ve got some coaches in the building that’s going to be able to talk about that constantly. We have people who will be able to help these guys figure out how to get that done. Obviously, we got some off the ball backers here. We talk about Kaden Elliss and some of the things that they’ve been able to do from rushing from off the ball and then having some pieces that we had to pick up tonight with the ultimate talent and have some of the handles that’s just mature beyond our means. I just can’t tell you how excited I am to get those guys out on the grass and let those guys get out there and get better together, but that’s the important part. And make no mistake about it, it is very hard to find pass rushers. It’s very hard to get out there in your first day and get out there and do it, but I’ve got so much confidence of people in the building to be able to go out there and help these guys be the best version of themselves every single time.”

How do you see Jalon as a pass rusher, just because he’s got such a unique skill set? He kind of plays all over the place. He can blitz from different places on the field. How do you see him incorporating into this defense?

Morris: “Basically the way you just explained him to me, being able to come off the edge, being able to move around. He’s very self-aware. You can talk to these young men, he’ll kind of tell you what he thinks he is, and he’s 30% off the edge, 30% blitz into a gap. He can do some different things in the back end. He can drop. He can do all kinds of different things, so he’s definitely a threat. He definitely provides a threat for us that will allow us to utilize him in the most captivating ways. We’ve got a lot of coaches up there that are just gunning to use him and gunning to find different ways to get it done. I just can’t say enough good things about him. “

At what point tonight did y’all start working earnestly on trading back up to get the (No.) 26 (pick)?

Fontenot: “So, honestly, we had already — we talked about making those calls, so we already had some teams that we knew were going to be looking to trade out, but then I think some of the teams at the bottom because of what happened, like it was kind of going chalk, then some players went that maybe some people didn’t expect and then there was a point where we felt like we had a better chance. But, to answer your question, as soon after we got off the phone at 15, we started working and started working on getting back in — not knowing when he was going to go or anything like that. We just started working the phones, but we kind of knew that was that sweet spot right in that area down there that we thought we could get back in.”

Get back in with the intention of getting another pass rusher or with the intention of getting Pearce? Was this a Pearce-dependent decision?

Fontenot: “We’re coming back in for Pearce, but you know how it is. There’s good players on the board, so it just depends. We’re working the phones to get back in and we’re looking at the board and all those things and trying to figure things out, but once we got to that point, we’re coming back in to get Pearce. “

Because of the way the board went for 15, were you guys considering trading out? Were you fielding calls too, or is it that you guys knew when Jalon was there, he was our guy?

Fontenot:“Yeah, we were excited to get Jalon. We had conviction and belief in Jalon and so when he’s there at 15 — again, we always make those calls. We’re just doing our due diligence, but we’re taking Jalon. We’re excited about it.”

What do you want to say to Georgia fans now that you finally picked a Bulldog in the first round?

Fontenot: “Look, we picked a hell of a football player and a hell of a person. You talk about the players, all the players being here for that Local Day, and we had already spent a lot of time with Jalon. We spent a lot of time with him throughout the whole process, but I might have spent the whole day. It was like the whole time we’re out there, it was me, Jalon and my son hanging out because he didn’t work out, but he’s watching all those other guys work out and cheering them on and going through that thing. He’s one of those guys that as I’m looking at him and looking at my son, I’m like that’s what you want your son to grow up to be like. He was about to leave there and go to Georgia State to meet his dad to watch his brother play. He’s a safety there, but just a different level guy. Again, I’m talking about the person — when you watch the tape and watch the player, you don’t even need to meet the person because you know what you get.”

Jalon surprised us by saying that he has a relationship with Micah Parsons who he said is like a mentor, like a brother, and when I asked him about the inevitable comparisons, he didn’t seem to mind at all. Do you see that comparison?

Morris: “I don’t know if anybody’s seen Micah Parsons before Micah Parsons became Micah Parsons. So, to compare him to that type of greatness, put that type of pressure on this young man would be unfair. I think you’ve got to let him come out and be the best version of himself, which I know he will because of who he is and the makeup that we just talked about. I’ve got so much respect for both of the players that you just mentioned, and I’m really excited about ours and what we can do with him and some of those dimensions. So, he’ll have some Micah Parsons-like features, and I’ll let him determine what he can be when he gets to this league and gets to this level. “

How much did (defensive coordinator) Jeff Ulbrich advocate for both of these guys?

Fontenot: “Again, I think I told you guys the other day how passionate, not just (Ulbrich), but really the whole defensive staff — we have a passionate group, period. So, going through the whole process with him the entire time is really, really cool because he’s going through exactly how he’s going to utilize them and how he’s going to get the most out of players and how he’s going to deploy all of them. Raheem was going through our players, and who we have here, and that’s all part of it — getting the most of our guys here and getting the most of the players we bring in and having a clear vision. So, he is one of those coaches that he’s going to have a clear vision. He’s going to know how he’s going to use them and how he’s going to continue to develop them. So, Ulbrich’s obviously excited today.”

Morris: “It’s actually funny, we talk about this all the time, but we make this decision making together. It’s really all of us. It was not just Ulbrich having a clear vision for him, but we had (offensive coordinator) Zac Robinson watch these guys, and Zac Robinson knows these guys — who he doesn’t want to play and the guys that he can absolutely grade and do some different things and a bunch of different guys on his coaching staff. So, we’re all in and our guys and our coaching staff and the amount of time that we put into the due diligence we put into both of these guys, I really am proud of, to be honest.”

If Jalon Walker had been off the board, would Pearce have been the pick at 15?

Fontenot: “I don’t know. I mean, I know, but I don’t have to tell you guys.”

Was Mike Green in consideration to come back in for him? Fontenot: “It’s interesting because we talk about that there’s 32 different boards I would say in the NFL and then the outsiders, everybody has their different boards and people value different traits and all those things. On our board, we’re excited about getting Pearce.”

So Mike Green wasn’t in consideration?

Fontenot: “We’re really excited about getting Pearce.”

Do you have Jalon’s 40 time?

Morris: “Call (Georgia coach) Kirby (Smart).”

For both of these players, what do they need to refine about their games in order to be the impact players I’m sure you guys want them to be?

Morris: “You never want to say you come in as this perfect set of anything, so the reason that you’re attracted to him is the obsession of football. When you’re talking to each one of these individual players, they can talk about different things that they want to do better and different things that they want to explore. I can vividly remember sitting in the office talking with Pearce about some of the things he wants to do with his hand usage and finding ways to get better and some of the moves that he wants to use and the obsession he has with rushing. No different than with Jalon, just talking about the versatility and some of the things that he’s able to do, and the reasons why. So, I don’t want to set any limitations on these guys and tell you what they need to get better at before you actually get your hands on them. I’m really fired up seeing these guys go out there and show what they could do naturally, watch them go out there and find ways to improve them, and really grow together. I think that’s part of it, like that’s part of the rush and rushing together and all those guys, so I just can’t wait to get these guys on our grass.”

How does this trade change your plans for tomorrow and how you go about it?

Fontenot: “We’re going to pick a little bit later, so, but look, we kind of talk about this draft and the fact that we do believe it’s a deep draft, so we’ll get a good player when we do pick. Again, I keep saying this, but it’s true there is an eighth round (signing undrafted free agents) this year, and we’re going to be aggressive there and get some good players when the seventh round ends.”