Numerous mock drafts had the Cincinnati Bengals selecting Tennessee Vols edge rusher James Pearce in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. 

The Bengals, however, passed on Pearce in the first round and instead took Texas A&M Aggies pass rusher Shemar Stewart, a less proven player, at No. 17 overall (Pearce totaled 19.5 sacks in 39 games at Tennessee while Stewart totaled 4.5 sacks in 37 games at Texas A&M). 

Cincinnati hosted Pearce on a pre-draft visit, which indicates that they were serious about potentially selecting the former Vol in the first round. 

But the Bengals chose to pass on Pearce, in part, due to off-the-field character concerns (there were rumblings about Pearce's coachability). 

The Atlanta Falcons, clearly not scared away by those concerns, traded back into the first round to select Pearce at No. 26 overall (the Falcons gave up a lot in the deal with the Los Angeles Rams to make the selection, which shows their belief in Pearce as a player). 

So why were the Falcons willing to overlook the off-the-field concerns with Pearce but the Bengals weren't? 

That may be partially due to the Bengals' experience last season with former Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Jermaine Burton. 

The Bengals selected Burton in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft despite the former Alabama standout having some off-the-field concerns. 

And those off-the-field concerns proved to be valid, as Burton dealt with numerous off-the-field issues during his rookie season that have clouded his future in Cincinnati.

"The Bengals were an interesting decision that they made," explained VolQuest's Brent Hubbs during an appearance on 104.5 The Zone's Ramon, Kayla, and Will. "They were going pass rusher. And they had James in for a visit. They clearly were a little bit spooked. I believed they were spooked a little bit by some of the off-the-field things. So they went with a very unproven, on the field, player in the (Shemar) Stewart kid out of Texas A&M.

"Remember this about the Bengals — they took a risk last year in the third round when they took Jermaine Burton. Burton's a guy who had off-the-field concerns and that type of thing. I don't know how well that's gone for the Bengals. Now, he wasn't going to play a lot anyway with that receiver room, but I don't know that everything has gone great there in talking to some Bengals people. And there was a thought there that the Burton experience this past year might create some hesitancy in them taking a risk guy like James Pearce." 

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If not for the experience with Burton last season, maybe the Bengals select Pearce instead of Stewart. 

You can't blame the Bengals for their decision, even though the off-the-field concerns about Pearce seem to be much ado about nothing, after the disappointing experience with Burton last season. It's tough to take big risks in the first round of the draft — especially coming off a season in which the Bengals missed the playoffs. 

But unfortunately for Pearce, that decision likely cost the former Vol around $2 million in earnings (the estimated difference in rookie contracts from pick No. 17 to pick No. 26). 

Even in the NFL draft, Alabama continues to be a thorn in Tennessee's side. 

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