The NFL Draft is two weeks away, and teams are doing their final due diligence before having to make a pick once the draft gets underway.
One Tennessee Vol who should hear his name called early on is DE James Pearce, Jr. Pearce, considered by some last offseason as a candidate to be the first overall pick taken in the 2025 draft, has been mocked anywhere from the middle of the first round to as late as the second round by some draft pundits.
However, the teams who are interested are starting to become clearer. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport revealed the teams who have met with Pearce, and they include the Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, and Cincinnati Bengals.
#Tennessee edge James Pearce Jr. spent yesterday with the #AZCardinals, then he also has visits to #Colts and #Bengals this week. He was with the #Cowboys and #Falcons last week.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 8, 2025
The Falcons and Bengals are two teams who have been routinely tied to Pearce in some recent mock drafts. The Bengals could be a team to watch, with their continuing dispute with 2024 NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson starting to become ugly – and public.
Arizona improved their pass rush recently with the addition of Eagles star OLB Josh Sweat and longtime NFL stalwart Calais Campbell. However, Campbell is likely in his last year, and no other player had more than 5 sacks (OLB Zaven Collins) in 2024. A boost there could certainly be used.
While some other prospects are getting more love, Pearce has the ultimate asset that teams should be valuing heavily – constant pressure. He led all FBS edge rushers with a ridiculous 21.7% pressure rate in 2024 per Pro Football Focus. That ability is something that can’t be taught, and it should see Pearce land in the first round unless the entire league very much outthinks themselves.
We’ll find out soon enough, as the NFL Draft gets underway on April 24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.