Looking back at James Pearce's On3 ranking as a 'twitched-up edge prospect'
James Pearce will spend the next year being discussed as one of the top picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, if not the No. 1 pick, as Pro Football Focus already projects. That’s the kind of talent Tennessee’s star pass rusher displayed during his breakout sophomore season.
He had 10.0 sacks last year, leading the SEC. He had 14.5 tackles for loss. He had 16 quarterback hits. And another 28 tackles, including 18 solo. For good measure, he took an interception back 52 yards for a touchdown in the 35-0 win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.
But what Pearce has done so far, and what he’s projected to become, is exactly how he was ranked by On3 during his recruitment process.
The 6-foot-5, 242-pound Pearce was a four-star edge prospect out of Julius L. Chambers High School in Charlotte, N.C., committing to Tennessee in December 2021 after taking visits to Georgia, South Carolina and Missouri during his recruitment.
He was a four-star prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, ranked No. 137 overall, No. 16 among edge rushers and No. 3 overall in the state of North Carolina. He was a four-star in the 247Sports ratings, ranked No. 173 overall, a four-star in the Rivals rankings, ranked No. 160 overall, and a three-star in the ESPN rankings, not ranked nationally but ranked No. 40 at his position by ESPN.
The outlier was the On3 rating from director of scouting and rankings Charles Power.
Power had Pearce as a five-star prospect, ranked No. 11 overall, No. 2 among edge rushers and No. 1 overall in the state of North Carolina.
Here’s a look back at the On3 scout of Pearce as well as his player comparison:
On3 Scouting Summary: James Pearce
Charles Power: Twitched-up EDGE prospect who has an argument as the most gifted pass rusher in the 2022 cycle. Pairs a long, lean build with top notch first-step quickness. Screams off the edge both as a standing rusher and from a three-point stance. Shows curvilinear movement with his ability to bend around the edge. Has elite closing speed and is a high-level finisher in the backfield. Physical and embraces contact. Has a strong anchor relative to his current size (6-foot-5, 220 pounds) and converts speed to power as a pass rusher. Highly, highly disruptive in multiple ways. Disrupts passing lanes on a regular basis in addition to forcing fumbles, coming down with interceptions and scoring several defensive touchdowns. Plays with an outstanding effort level on a play-to-play basis. Tracks down plays in backside pursuit. Runs like a wide receiver, which should not be a surprise as he began his career as an offensive skill player. Has put together a phenomenal final two seasons at North Carolina’s top high school program, totaling over 30 sacks as a junior and senior.
Reminds Us Of: Randy Gregory
Both James Pearce and Randy Gregory are easily identifiable top talents as pass rushers. Pearce burst on the scene as a junior last spring and was the top defensive player in the state of North Carolina as a senior while putting up gaudy stats. Like Pearce, Gregory was a long, explosive and rangy pass rusher and was one of the nation’s top JUCO prospects coming out of Arizona Western College in the 2013 cycle. Gregory racked up 29 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks in two seasons at Nebraska before being picked in the first round by the Dallas Cowboys.
