Tennessee Vols edge rusher James Pearce drops significantly in latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft
Prior to the start of the 2024 college football season, Tennessee Vols junior edge rusher James Pearce was projected by several media outlets as the potential No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. After the first month of the 2024 season, that no longer appears to be the consensus. Pro Football Focus draft […]
Prior to the start of the 2024 college football season, Tennessee Vols junior edge rusher James Pearce was projected by several media outlets as the potential No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
After the first month of the 2024 season, that no longer appears to be the consensus.
Pro Football Focus draft analyst Trevor Sikkema revealed his latest 2025 NFL mock draft on Wednesday and he has Pearce going to the Chicago Bears with the No. 15 overall selection.
From PFF: The Bears defense is one of the better units in the NFL, and their short-term outlook on that side of the ball is strong. However, they could still use another legitimate pass-rush threat opposite Montez Sweat. Pearce may be light at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, but he generated an impressive 21.9% pass-rush win rate and earned a 91.9 pass-rush grade in 2023.
Statistically, Pearce is off to a quiet start this season.
The North Carolina native has just three tackles, one tackle for loss, and a half sack through the first four games of the season.
Those aren't the numbers we were expecting to see from Pearce to start the season, but there's a reason why he hasn't been filling up the stat sheet.
For starters, Pearce didn't play a full game over the first three weeks of the season due to the Vols winning in blowout fashion.
Additionally, opposing offenses have utilized game plans that are designed to get the ball out of the quarterback's hands quickly, to help mitigate the damage that Tennessee's defensive line can cause.
Pearce may not be putting up gaudy numbers to start the season, but he's still impacting the game in an important way for the Vols. And that's something that NFL teams will notice more than the lack of stats.
It's still early in the season anyway. Pearce has the ability to go on a run where he racks up sacks at an impressive rate. And I suspect that he'll probably go on one (or two) of those runs at some point this season.
The mock drafts at the end of the 2024 season will almost certainly look like a lot different than they currently do.
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