NFL insider reveals which teams Tennessee Vols edge rusher James Pearce has met with ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft
One of the biggest questions of the 2025 NFL Draft — outside of the questions surrounding the Tennessee Titans and the No. 1 overall pick — is where will Tennessee Vols edge rusher James Pearce be selected? A year ago, Pearce was viewed as a potential top five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Now, […]
One of the biggest questions of the 2025 NFL Draft — outside of the questions surrounding the Tennessee Titans and the No. 1 overall pick — is where will Tennessee Vols edge rusher James Pearce be selected?
A year ago, Pearce was viewed as a potential top five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Now, there's no guarantee that Pearce will even be selected in the first round, due to concerns about the Tennessee standout's "coachability" and his ability to defend the run.
The latest mock draft from The Athletic, for example, has Pearce falling to the Arizona Cardinals in the second round (No. 47 overall).
On Tuesday, longtime NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that Pearce met with the Cardinals on Monday. Additionally, Rapoport noted that Pearce visited with the Dallas Cowboys and the Atlanta Falcons last week. The former Vol is set to visit with the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals later this week.
Each of those teams have selections in the first round between pick No. 12 and pick No. 17.
"I think a lot of this is posturing," said Vols insider Austin Price last month in regards to the concerns about Pearce's character. "I think some teams want James Pearce to fall (in the draft). If he's falling to the third round, somebody is gonna look like a fool. James Pearce has got limitless talent. Now, was James Pearce a chore sometimes? Sure, I mean, but they all are…none of these kids are perfect.
"I thought James grew a lot. He matured a lot. James is much smarter than people realize. And again, when you go back, Jauan Jennings was a handful when he was here and he's doing just fine. Same thing with Shaun Ellis back in the 90s, or Raynoch Thompson. James Pearce, whoever drafts him, is going to get a steal — especially if they get him late in round one [or] early in round two. If he falls to the third round, that would be a travesty. Whoever's going to get him is going to get an angry, motivated kid. James Pearce is a really good football player…..he's still maturing, but James Pearce, again, I think grew a lot during his time [at Tennessee]."
A lot of the noise surrounding players during the pre-draft process is often nothing more than NFL teams trying to manipulate the draft. That's why I still think Pearce will be a top 20 pick when it's all said and done.
