Tennessee Volunteers edge rusher James Pearce Jr. is a two-time first-team All-SEC player who has proven himself against some of the top offensive lines in college football.
Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, Pearce projects as one of the top defenders in the class. Could he end up as Tennessee’s first defensive player selected in Round 1 since Derek Barnett in 2017?
James Pearce Jr.’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’5″
- Weight: 243 pounds
- Position: Edge Rusher
- School: Tennessee
- Current Year: Junior
Pearce’s Scouting Report
Coming out of high school, Pearce was a four-star recruit out of Julius L. Chambers High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. He finished his senior year with 14.5 sacks and eventually committed to play college football at Tennessee.
Pearce spent most of his true freshman season on the bench, playing in just 61 defensive snaps in 2022. Despite a limited sample size of snaps, he was able to contribute with two sacks and five total tackles. He generated pressures on 12.5% of his pass-rushing snaps.
The 2023 season opened up a big opportunity for Pearce, as he was able to cement a starting spot as an edge rusher on the Volunteers’ defense. He certainly took advantage of his increased playing time, as he ended up leading the SEC with 10.0 sacks as a true sophomore.
In addition to the sack numbers, Pearce also had 28 total tackles, including 15 for loss, and an interception he returned for a 52-yard touchdown. He garnered First-Team All-SEC honors for his performance.
Heading into his junior year, Pearce had generated significant buzz as an NFL prospect. With high expectations, he managed to put together another strong season. Though his sack total fell to 7.5, his quarterback hurries jumped from 28 to 43 in 2024. He also contributed 38 tackles, including 13 tackles for a loss, in another First-Team All-SEC season.
With 17.5 sacks in his last two seasons, Pearce decided to skip his senior year and enter the 2025 NFL Draft.
Strengths
- Put up big numbers against high-level competition.
- Explosive edge rusher with a dynamic first step and the get-off speed needed to give offensive tackles fits.
- Showcases ideal flexibility and weight distribution at the point of attack, helping him maintain ideal pad level.
- Rushes with quick and active hands, allowing him to prevent offensive linemen from entering his chest.
- Athleticism in space gives him tremendous value as a backside run defender.
- Has a deep arsenal of moves like swims, rips, jabs, and cross-chops to shed blocks and win at the line of scrimmage.
- Knows how and when to stack and shed blocks to free up his hands and make plays in the run game.
- High-motored player who competes hard through contact to get into opposing backfields.
- Long arms allow him to lock out offensive tackles from the inside of his frame.
Weaknesses
- Overall bend and flexibility turning the corner didn’t seem as good in 2024 as it did the year before.
- Looks a little light in the pants, which can hurt him as a run defender at times.
- Setting the edge with power and standing his ground at the point of attack isn’t necessarily amazing.
- Ability to convert speed to power is just okay, as he doesn’t have the sheer muscle mass needed to push the pocket against offensive tackles consistently.
- Plan of attack as a pass rusher can be significantly altered with effective power blocking.
- Can get pushed around sometimes by reach blockers on outside-zone runs.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Pearce is an explosive edge rusher with the athleticism and the motor to generate consistent pressure as a pass rusher.
He’s shown that his combination of hand usage, first-step acceleration, and effort allows him to beat NFL-caliber offensive linemen at the point of attack on a consistent basis. He knows what moves to use against certain offensive linemen, and he executes those moves with precise timing and placement.
Though he projects better as a stand-up edge rusher in a 3-4 base defense, Pearce can rush with his hand in the dirt and could fare well in a 4-3 base system, too. He’ll likely need to add a little bit more weight to his frame at the next level to do so, though.
Since he doesn’t have a tremendous power game yet, Pearce seems just a notch under past blue-chip edge rushing prospects the likes of Nick Bosa and Myles Garrett. That said, he still has the tools to be a solid starter and a high-end pass-rusher at the next level. He should be a first-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, and a likely top-20 pick.