NFL Draft: Where ESPN projects James Pearce in Mel Kiper's final mock draft
Mel Kiper’s final two-round NFL mock draft has Tennessee’s James Pearce as a first-round pick … but just barely. Kiper on Tuesday had Pearce as the final pick in the first round, going at No. 32 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles.
“The defending Super Bowl champs lost some key parts of their defense in free agency, including edge rusher Josh Sweat,” Kiper wrote. “Being able to get after the quarterback is important for Vic Fangio’s defense, and there’s a glaring void now on the edge.
“There are mixed opinions around the league on whether Pearce is a first-rounder, but he has the traits to develop into a speedy disruptor in the right system. He had 17.5 sacks over the past two seasons and ranked second in the nation in pressure rate last season (19.0%).”
Mel Kiper ranks James Pearce as the No. 6 OLB in the NFL Draft
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.
Penn State’s Abdul Carter was the first edge rusher off the board in Kiper’s mock draft, going at No. 3 overall to the New York Giants. Other edge rushers projected ahead of Pearce were Marshall’s Mike Green at No. 15 to the Atlanta Falcons, Georgia’s Mykel Williams at No. 23 to the Green Bay Packers, Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku at No. 28 to the Detroit Lions and Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart at No. 29 to the Washington Commanders.
Pearce is ranked as the No. 6 outside linebacker on Kiper’s NFL Draft Big Board.
Other 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.
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“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.”
