Defensive End
6
James Pearce Jr.
2025 NFL Draft Prospect
- Height: 6-5
- Weight: 245
- School: Tennessee
- Class: Junior
| PRO | CON |
|---|---|
| Imposing first-step quickness and overall play strength. Fantastic bend around the edge and does a great job of establishing leverage. Lateral movement is ideal for the run game. | Fails to fight with his hands effectively. Struggles to diagnose run schemes and patterns as well as getting off blocks. Significant rumblings and concern around his character, some of which was dismissed at the NFL Scouting Combine. |
OVERVIEW: It is rare to see a player jump off the page with just pure size and athleticism in the SEC because of the level of talent around him. However, Pearce still looked like a man among boys in the nation's premier college football league. He became the first Tennessee defensive lineman to earn back-to-back first-team All-SEC honors since 2001, and he finished in the top 10 for sacks (19.5) in program history. With some technical elements still to fix and some off-the-field questions still to be answered, Pearce could become a steal for whoever turns in his card.
COMPARISON: Leonard Floyd
SCOUTING COMBINE STATS: 40: 4.47 B: –– VJ: 31" BJ: 10'3" 3CONE: –– 20SHTL: ––