The question during the offseason wasn’t if James Pearce Jr. would be a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The only question was how high Tennessee’s star pass-rusher would hear his name called at the top of the draft.

Pro Football Focus at one point even wondered if Pearce could be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft on the heels of his breakout sophomore season with the Vols, when he finished with 10.0 sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hits.

“Pearce was one of the most fearsome pass-rushers in the country as a sophomore,” PFF’s Max Chadwick wrote. “His 92.4 PFF pass-rushing grade and 21.3% pressure rate ranking third among FBS edge defenders.

“The scary part about those numbers is that he was winning almost exclusively off his athleticism last year, meaning he can become nearly unblockable with some added pass-rushing moves.”

James Pearce this season: 3.0 tackles, 1.0 TFLs, 0.5 sacks

It’s been a slow start to the new season for Pearce, who has played limited snaps given Tennessee’s lopsided wins over Chattanooga, Kent State and even North Carolina State.

Pearce through five games has 3.0 tackles on the season, including 1.0 tackle for loss and 0.5 sacks. 

In an updated NFL mock draft from Pro Football Focus on Wednesday, Pearce was dropped to the No. 15 overall pick, selected by the Chicago Bears.

“Pearce may be light at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds,” PFF’s Trevor Sikkema wrote, “but he generated an impressive 21.9% pass-rush win rate and earned a 91.9 pass-rush grade in 2023.”

James Pearce played 10 snaps vs. Chattanooga, 14 vs. Kent State

Pearce played just 10 total snaps against Chattanooga in the season-opening 69-3 win over Chattanooga, a game the Vols led 45-0 at halftime. He paled 29 snaps in the 51-10 win over NC State a week later in Charlotte, but just 14 against Kent State on September 14, with Tennessee up 65-0 at half. 

He played a season-high 54 snaps at Oklahoma two weeks ago, in the 25-15 win over the Sooners. 

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller also wrote in January that Pearce could have potentially been the first defensive player selected in this year’s NFL Draft.

“Pearce is a 6-5, 242-pound blur rushing off the edge,” Miller wrote.. “With 43 pressures and 9.5 sacks in 2023, Pearce established himself as one of the best pass-rushers in the SEC. 

“In fact, an AFC West scout who covers the conference told me Pearce would be the first defensive player drafted in the 2024 class if he were draft-eligible. Expectations are high for Pearce, but his speed and savvy pass-rush moves are worthy of the hype.”

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