HEIGHT: 6'5"

WEIGHT: 242

POSITIVES

— Good height, looks like he has long arms and room for growth on his frame.

— Impressive athlete who has good movement skills to develop as a pass-rusher.

— Accelerates off the line of scrimmage well to win with speed around the edge paired with a solid rip move and good bend to turn a tight corner at the top of the rush.

— Can win by turning speed to power as a pass-rusher.

— Has the agility and change of direction to be an effective looper on line games, he doesn't have to lose ground to move laterally.

— Occasionally flashed a solid inside spin move as a counter move.

NEGATIVES

— Needs to add size and strength to be an effective run defender at the next level.

— Block recognition against the run is sup-par, especially on the playside of gap runs he's often late to see and get underneath pulling players.

— Timing and accuracy with his hands as a pass-rusher is a work in progress, he's shown growth from last year to this year but is still learning how to effectively use his long limbs when working finesse moves.

— Struggles to break down in the backfield and will miss tackles and sacks against athletic quarterbacks.

NOTES

— Born Oct. 12, 2003

— 4-star recruit in the 2022 class, per 247Sports

— 2023 All-SEC First Team

OVERALL

James Pearce Jr. has a lot of natural gifts that give him a very high ceiling in the NFL.

He's a great athlete with very impressive movement skills, long arms and plenty of room for growth on his frame. That shows up the most as a pass-rusher, as he can win around the edge with speed, turn speed to power and effortlessly glide when moving laterally to be an effective looper when working line games or stunts.

However, Pearce is very reliant on his speed and athleticism to win when rushing the passer as his technique needs some fine-tuning. He's still learning how to use his hands to "defeat the hands and defeat the man" as the accuracy and timing with his hands are inconsistent when starting to work a move.

Against the run, the Volunteer has shown more aggressiveness and strength at the point of attack this season to be decent against tight ends, but he needs to add some size and strength to hold up against offensive tackles. Right now, he has a very wiry frame and lacks the sand in his pants to set the edge consistently and avoid getting washed inside.

Offensive linemen who can stay in front of Pearce and match his length will be able to push him around in the ground game. Also, his lack of block recognition will get him in trouble, especially against pullers, and Tennessee didn't trust him to be an every-down player until this season.

Overall, Pearce's natural talent is worth betting on, he's just not a complete product at the moment. Still, he can contribute as a pass rusher early in his career and has plenty of potential considering he'll only be 21 years old on draft day.

GRADE: 8.6 (Impact player — 1st Round)

OVERALL RANK: 9

POSITION RANK: EDGE1

PRO COMPARISON: Shades of Brian Burns

Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder

Prospect workout numbers, measurables (40-yard dash, hand size, etc.) and 2024 statistics will be added at a later date.