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ESPN's NFL comparison, position ranking for James Pearce in the NFL Draft

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•04/07/25•

GrantRamey

James Pearce
Credit: UT Athletics

ESPN has James Pearce ranked as the sixth best edge rusher in the NFL Draft and projects the Tennessee standout to have 19.3 sacks over his first five seasons in the NFL.

The NFL comparison for Pearce, according to ESPN’s Aaron Schatz, is Clay Matthews and David Ojabo. Matthews had 91.5 sacks in 11 years in the league and Ojabo has four sacks through his first three seasons. 

ESPN on Sunday ranked Penn State’s Abdul Carter, Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart, Marshall’s Mike Green, Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku and Georgia’s Mykell Williams ahead of Pearce, respectively. 

“Pearce had the best 40 time of any edge rusher at the combine,” Schatz wrote, “4.47 seconds. That gives him a strong explosion index, although his 31-inch vertical jump was not great.

“Pearce led the SEC with 10 sacks in 2023, but he dropped off to 7.5 sacks in 2024. He’s an explosive speed rusher who also gets high marks against the run.”

James Pearce: 30 tackles for loss, 19.5 sacks at Tennessee

ESPN projected Carter to have 28.0 sacks through his first five NFL seasons and compared him to TJ Watt and Marcus Davenport. Stewart is projected to get 25.2 sacks and was compared to Danielle Hunter.

The projection for Green is 23.9 sacks and his comparisons were Aidan Hutchinson and Damontre Moore. Ezeiruaku was projected to get 19.9 sacks and Williams was projected to get 19.6.

Pearce last season had 7.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss in 13 games, despite having just 0.5 tackles for loss and no sacks through Tennessee’s first three games of the season. 

In three seasons at Tennessee he had 71 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 19.5 sacks and one interception returned for a touchdown. 

ESPN mock drafts split on James Pearce in the first round

ESPN’s Field Yates had Pearce off the board at No. 27 overall to the Baltimore Ravens in his two-round mock draft last week. 

“With the Ravens looking for more pass-rush juice, Pearce’s wait ends here,” Yates wrote. “He entered this past season as a potential top-10 pick and has some of the most effortless movement skills of any pass rusher in this class. 

“He ran a 4.47-second 40 and can really bend the edge, too. But his lack of consistency last season resulted in a stock drop. The Ravens could capitalize by landing Pearce and his considerable upside late in the first round.”

Matt Miller’s seven-round mock draft for ESPN had Pearce dropping to the second round, all the way to No. 49 overall. Miller had Dylan Sampson as a third-round pick, Omarr Norman-Lott in the fourth round and Dont’e Thornton and Bru McCoy as fifth-round picks. 

“Pearce was once considered a top-10 overall prospect,” Miller wrote, “but a lack of play strength and a pass-rush plan beyond speed rushes have caused concern around the league. But he has a high immediate ceiling as a pass-rush specialist.”

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