James Pearce Jr. may've ran himself ahead of the Bengals' first round pick at the NFL Scouting Combine
The Cincinnati Bengals made sure to sit down with Tennessee defensive end James Pearce Jr. earlier this week at the NFL Scouting Combine. Pearce was one of several pass-rushing studs with first-round aspirations to meet with Cincinnati in Indianapolis. None of them managed to run as fast as Pearce in the 40-yard dash. Pearce turned […]
The Cincinnati Bengals made sure to sit down with Tennessee defensive end James Pearce Jr. earlier this week at the NFL Scouting Combine. Pearce was one of several pass-rushing studs with first-round aspirations to meet with Cincinnati in Indianapolis.
None of them managed to run as fast as Pearce in the 40-yard dash.
Pearce turned every head in Lucas Oil Stadium Thursday evening with an official 4.47 40 time after weighing in at 245 pounds.
Pearce originally blazed a clean 4.5 time before topping that mark by .03 seconds several minutes later. Both times were the fastest from a defensive linemen on the day.
It was a needed showing from the 21-year old after he underwhelmed with a 31" vertical jump. Usually explosion goes hand-in-hand with speed. Pearce showed he was an exception to the rule with plenty of long speed, as well as his top-tier fluidity.
As impressive his performance was, it also serves as a double-edged sword for the Bengals, who pick 17th overall in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Now that Pearce confirmed his elite athleticism, the chances of the Bengals being able to select him have to come into question.
Pearce is not just fast. He leaves the college level with two years of high-end production for an SEC program, and the tape backs it up. He currently ranks No. 12 in A to Z Sports' Mock Draft Database, and it's reasonable to project that number won't fall any time soon.
The combine serves as more than just a platform for athleticism testing, but guys like Pearce can confirm their draft positioning with marks like a sub-4.5 40 time. It's more likely than not that Thursday night sealed Pearce's fate as a first-round pick before the Bengals end up on the clock.
If the unlikely happens and he falls due to suspected character concerns, the Bengals figure to be one of the teams most interested in stopping that fall.