2025 Summer Scouting: Tennessee EDGE James Pearce, Jr.

Saivion Mixson

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2025 Summer Scouting: Tennessee EDGE James Pearce, Jr. image

Background

Name: James Pearce, Jr.

Height: 6’5”

Weight: 242 lbs.

Year: True Junior

College: Tennessee

Stats: 33 tackles (21 solo), 16.5 TFLs, 12 sacks, 1 INT, 2 PBUs, 2 FFs, 

Accolades/Accomplishments: 2023 All-SEC 1st Team, Two-time SEC Defensive lineman of the week

Positives

Versatility

Pearce shows comfortability in rushing the quarterback with his hand in the dirt and standing up, giving him a versatility that can work in several schemes, as well as the ability to match him up along the defensive line.

Instincts

Pearce is instinctive to get his hands up and disrupt passing lanes when the ball is thrown and has a knack for finding the football in the run game.

Strength

He is a brutally strong pass-rusher for his size. He can be found bench-pressing tackles by converting his speed into power on the way to the quarterback.

Fluidity

While explosive, he shows a fluidity that gives a feeling of controlled chaos in his pass rush. There doesn’t seem to be wasted movement as he makes his way to the backfield.

Negatives

Raw

Sometimes can be found without a plan when the initial move does not work and doesn’t have a counter to go along with the initial pass-rush move.

Hand Usage

Along with his raw nature, Pearce can sometimes be too static with his hands, allowing offensive linemen to get inside and stuff his momentum.

Conclusion

Pearce is a problem. His mixture of strength, speed, length and flexibility around the edge make him a dangerous weapon for any offensive lineman. He can become more polished as a pass-rusher, but he has all the tools to be a potential game-wrecker off the edge.

If the Atlanta Falcons are in range to get him, something catastrophic has happened. Pearce is going in the first five picks, if not number one overall.

Saivion Mixson

Saivion Mixson Photo

Saivion Mixson is a graduate of the University of North Florida’s Sports Management program. He was previously a staff writer/content creator for LastWordonSports, Around The Block Network, Fansided’s Blogging Dirty and USA Today’s Vikings Wire. Mixson resides in the Charlotte Metro area and is an avid Atlanta Falcons fan. You can find him on Twitter/X @MixsonS_NFL.