Not long ago, Tennessee Vols standout pass-rusher James Pearce Jr. was considered a lock to be a first-round pick and some analysts had him projected to land just outside of the Top 10. In recent weeks, however, the latest buzz surrounding Pearce hasn’t been positive.
New mocks have him falling to the 20s and there’s even debate that he might even not hear his name called until Day 2. Wait, what in the world? It turns out, several NFL teams have raised concerns over Pearce’s character, which is something new for UT fans to hear about.In an interview with WalterFootball.com, an anonymous AFC director of player personnel said Pearce’s character is indeed a reason why his squad in particular may not even consider selecting him no matter how much he falls.
‘Character concerns’ are why James Pearce Jr. is falling down some draft boards
“He’s in danger of getting dropped off our board,” the director of player personnel said via Walter Football. “Granted, we are a strict team in terms of character, but we have a lot of concerns, and I think he probably isn’t a fit for us.”
Pearce was a beast in the trenches for Tennessee and head man Josh Heupel over the past two seasons, recording 9.5 sacks in 2023 and then following that up with 7.5 more in 2024. Plenty of people in Knoxville were hoping he’d return in ’25, but the NFL came calling instead.
Now, however, it looks like Pearce is going to have to work overtime while meeting with NFL teams to clear his name up a bit. The outstanding edge-rusher ran into some trouble with the law in 2023 during a traffic stop, which led to him being arrested. However, the charges ended up getting dropped and Pearce played in Tennessee’s bowl game that winter.
Right after this most recent campaign came to a close, no one would have believed the thought of Pearce being a Day 2 pick. Again, it felt like it was a lock he’d be among the Top 15 guys taken off the board. Everything now feels totally up in the air, which will be on Pearce to figure out and get cleaned up.
