James
Pearce Jr..
James
Pearce Jr..
Tennessee· 6'5"· 245 lb· 4.47s 40
"A pure get-off rusher whose first three steps decide most reps before a tackle can finish his set, Pearce entered the league in the Josh Sweat mold: a long, light edge who wins the arc immediately and has to grow into everything that happens after the corner."Pre-draft read
This rush end operates primarily from a wide-nine alignment, aiming to win with an explosive first step that forces the offensive tackle into an immediate footrace. He leverages his length to execute long-arm and cross-chop moves from a stalled position, rather than relying on raw power. His play-action sequence often defaults to speed-to-power when his initial arc is closed.
He demonstrates good ankle flexion, allowing him to flatten to the quarterback effectively instead of over-running the pocket. Against the run, he prioritizes penetration and disruption, often acting as a slasher in the backfield. While this can be effective, he can be displaced by tight ends or pulling guards who engage him directly.
Attacking four-man front with wide-9 alignments — a get-off-first defense that lets edges pin their ears back on early downs.
Designated speed rusher on obvious passing downs as a rookie, growing into a full-time left edge once the run-defense frame catches up. Best used with a two-gapping tackle beside him so he never has to hold the point.
A two-gap, read-and-react 3-4 that asks him to set a hard edge against down blocks and play with a wide base. Heavy-handed, gap-exchange defenses would neutralize the trait that makes him special.
Everything is built off the arc: give him a straight line to the quarterback and he is a double-digit sack threat; make him play blocks first and the value drops a full tier.
James Pearce Jr. 2024 Tennessee Highlights
Junior-year reel: the launch off the ball, the long-arm against slide protection and the flattening finish to the quarterback.
James Pearce Jr. - Tennessee | 2024 Highlights
Alternate 2024 cut with more full-play context, useful for tracking how offenses chipped and quick-gamed him out of rushes.
James Pearce Jr. Tennessee Highlights
Multi-season compilation including the 10-sack sophomore year and the Citrus Bowl interception return touchdown.
Pearce projects as a long-levered speed rusher, capable of providing immediate pressure from the edge in sub-package situations. His rare first-step explosiveness and length are his primary weapons, suggesting a team is investing in a designated pass-rush specialist with significant upside to develop into a three-down player.
After a modest true freshman season, he broke out as a sophomore, recording 14.5 tackles for loss and 10.0 sacks, which tied for the SEC lead. His junior production of 13.0 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks came despite facing constant double teams and quick-game schemes. He concluded his college career with 29.5 tackles for loss and 19.5 sacks in 39 games.
Evaluators consistently noted his elite length and rare launch quickness. However, concerns existed regarding his 245-pound frame and its ability to withstand downhill run schemes. Issues with off-field reporting also affected his draft stock, causing him to fall to the 26th overall pick, where Atlanta traded up to secure him.
- 01
Explosive first step
He operates from a wide-nine alignment, aiming to win with an explosive first step that forces the offensive tackle to react.
- 02
Uses length well
Leverages his long arms to execute long-arm and cross-chop moves from a stalled position effectively, controlling engagements.
- 03
Ankle flexion
He demonstrates good ankle flexion, allowing him to flatten to the quarterback effectively instead of over-running the pocket.
- 04
Run disruption
Against the run, he prioritizes penetration and disruption, often acting as a slasher in the backfield.
- 05
Sophomore production
Broke out as a sophomore, recording 14.5 tackles for loss and 10.0 sacks, which tied for the SEC lead.
- 01
Under-sized frame
His 245-pound frame can be displaced by physical tight ends or pulling guards who engage him directly.
- 02
Power deficiency
He lacks raw power, which means his play-action sequence often defaults to speed-to-power when his initial arc is closed.
- 03
Can be moved
Can be displaced by tight ends or pulling guards who engage him directly, struggling against downhill run schemes.
- 04
Rush plan limited
If initial arc is closed, he often defaults to speed-to-power rather than chaining counter moves against the offensive tackle.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.47sp50
- Vertical
- 31inp50
- Broad jump
- 123inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Tennessee | 13 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Tennessee | 13 | 27 | 9.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Tennessee | 13 | 38 | 7.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | — | 39 | 70 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Honors
- Two-time first-team All-SEC (2023, 2024)
- Tied for the SEC lead with 10.0 sacks in 2023
- 29.5 career tackles for loss and 19.5 career sacks in 39 games
- 52-yard interception return for a touchdown in the 2024 Citrus Bowl
- Three-year contributor from true freshman snaps through two All-SEC seasons
A high-snap-count speed rusher who wins the arc, gives you eight to eleven sacks and is schemed away from on early downs against power run teams.
The outcome if the frame carries weight: a long, explosive edge who adds functional strength without losing the corner and becomes a double-digit sack producer every year.
The risk if the play strength never arrives: a designated third-down rusher whose value evaporates when the pocket is quick or the game turns physical.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Atlanta paid a heavy toll to get him. The Falcons had already spent the fifteenth pick that night, then traded back into the first round with the Rams and surrendered a 2026 first-rounder along with a 2025 third and seventh to take Pearce at 26. That is franchise-altering capital for a rusher some boards had removed entirely, and by January the bet looked like the best one the team made all decade. He played all seventeen games as a rookie despite starting only three, recorded his first career sack in Week 2, and finished with 26 tackles, 10.5 sacks, sixteen quarterback hits, ten tackles for loss, five pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery he returned 27 yards. He led all rookies in sacks, set the franchise rookie sack record, was named Defensive Rookie of the Month for December and made the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
What is striking is how little the profile changed on the way up. The sack total came almost entirely off the trait that made him a first-round pick in the first place: the launch, the length, the corner. Only three starts and 10.5 sacks means he was deployed the way the pre-draft file suggested he would be, as a rush specialist turned loose on obvious passing downs rather than a base end asked to hold an edge against twelve personnel. The concerns did not disappear either. Run-down snaps still went to heavier bodies, and the frame is going to need weight before he is trusted on early downs in December football. But the counter development came faster than expected, the pass breakups suggest he keeps his eyes up when the rush dies, and the December surge indicates he handled a full professional season without the trait fading. The off-field questions that cost him twenty draft slots produced nothing in year one. If the strength arrives, Atlanta will not think twice about the price.