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When former Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot traded a future first-round pick and a second-round pick in 2025 to select James Pearce Jr.
last season, the collective draft media lost its mind.
Literally.
Almost without fail, they either forgot or simply failed to mention, because it didn't fit their narrative, that the Falcons were getting a third-rounder in return.
A first and second weren't too high a price to pay for a future first and a third.
Pearce's season in Atlanta was successful, second season and beyond pending, but the forgotten man in that deal may have been the steal of the draft.
The Falcons moved up five spots from No.
101 to No.
96 to get safety Xavier Watts out of Notre Dame.
Ironically, the fifth-round pick the Falcons sent the Eagles to move up just five spots at the bottom of the third round actually seemed like a bigger overpay than swapping a second and third at the time.
Regardless, Watts proved as a rookie to be well worth the trade.
He was an immediate starter beside All-Pro Jessie Bates III.
He led all rookies with five interceptions (Denzel Burke of the Cardinals finished second with three) and finished fourth in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
He had already caught the attention of NFL Network's Nick Shook before the draft.
Shook wasn't surprised and is expecting even bigger things from the second-year Falcon, and he calls his own shot on Watts' future.
"That's a high bar to exceed," Shook wrote of Watts' rookie season.
"But it's also indicative of how much faith I have in Watts, a player I could not believe was still available in the latter portion of the 2025 NFL Draft's third round.
Watts is an animal and the perfect fit for Jeff Ulbrich's defense, which he demonstrated as a rookie.
Now, he's poised to build upon that sparkling debut.
"Circle back to this nugget when he posts even better numbers in Year 2." Bates is in the final year of his contract in Atlanta, and they'll have a big decision on whether or not to extend the 29-year-old who carries the second-largest salary cap hit at his position at $24.8 million.
An extension before the season could save the Falcons up to $10.2 million on the cap this year, according to Over the Cap.
Having Watts learn from Bates last season certainly helped his ability to make an immediate impact on an improved 2025 defense.
Whether they get to form a partnership for an extended period of time is undecided, but either way, the safety position is in good hands with Watts.
Just ask Nick Shook.
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