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Tennessee pass rusher James Pearce is widely considered a top talent in the upcoming NFL Draft. After spending three seasons in Knoxville, he could hear his name called on Day 1 of the event.
Where he winds up remains to be seen. Questions about his character have risen with his stock beginning to slide.
Pearce led the SEC in sacks as a sophomore, making him a potential No. 1 pick candidate ahead of the 2025 selection process. He followed it up with a junior year in which he tallied a career-high 38 tackles while adding another 7.5 sacks.
Pro Football Focus lists Pearce as the No. 2 edge rusher in the class. They give him Top 10 status regardless of position. Still, his standing in recent mock drafts varies greatly.
Some lists still have him going early on Day 1. Others have him slipping to the late first round.
Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network didn’t have James Pearce in his first-round projections at all this week. He spoke briefly of the omission while on his Move the Sticks podcast Tuesday.
“We’ll see what happens with Pearce. Teams get a chance to visit with him, and see how they are with him, but he’s somebody that’s definitely a dynamic talent…”
-Daniel Jeremiah
Rumors about character issues surfaced shortly after the draft slide. One particular report has since gone viral.
How much truth there is to those claims is still unknown. Former Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge did his part to shut the narrative down on social media Wednesday.
James Pearce doesn’t want to talk to the media. Or me. Or you. Dude just wants to play football and he’s elite at it. If I’m an NFL team, sign me up for the baller that just loves football. People calling that “character” issues.
-Erik Ainge on X
NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper chimed in on James Pearce’s slip in recent mock lists, blaming his tape more than the supposed off-the-field issues.
“I think every evaluator will admit this: There are some players that you just don’t know,” he said on a recent First Draft podcast. “James Pearce Jr. is one of those guys… Based on what we saw last year [I thought] he would be maybe the No. 1 pick…
“When you turned [the tape] on, 27 wasn’t always doing that… We didn’t get it on a week-to-week basis… James Pearce Jr., I don’t have a good handle on. He’ll be one of those handful of players I think we could all say we just don’t get, we just don’t understand, and we can’t really be confident… I have not really had a good grasp on where he belongs in terms of the first round of this draft.”
Kiper says the pass rusher was up and down as a junior despite a productive overall season. He’s struggled to project his NFL outlook, something that Daniel Jeremiah said could change after Pearce meets with teams individually.
Neither analyst hinted at character issues, though. Those close to the defender’s camp are looking to quiet those rumors and revive his draft stock.