Scouting Profile: James Pearce Jr. - EDGE - Tennessee
Sales Pitch: Tall bendy speed rusher with excellent production. A lighter frame will limit his scheme fits but his elite pass rush traits are to come by.
*Gold Numbers Indicate NCAA T-25 for 2024*
Scouting Report
James Pearce Jr. is a former 5-Star recruit from the state of North Carolina. He was a key contributor for the Volunteers defense the past two years, compiling at least 50 pressures and 8 sacks along with All-SEC honors in both campaigns.
Pearce is a long bendy speed rusher who excels in space. He has the burst to quickly dive into the B-gap and create disruption on slants and twists. He displays the change of direction skills to turn and chase ball carriers to the sideline or from the backside of formations. Pearce has a good motor and despite his thinner frame plays with solid toughness as a run defender. Where he really makes him money though is as a pass rusher. Pearce has a dynamic first step and long strides to quickly eat up tackle’s cushions. He uses a strong two-hand swipe and rip move to quickly turn his speed into a win. Pearce is quick to attack the upfield shoulder of tackles and has the bend to stay on his path around the corner. Counters come very naturally to him, using his agility to change lanes and win back inside. When he is aligned as a Wide-9 rusher he is able to convert his speed to power, using his long arms to push the pocket. Pearce’s movement skills make him an effective looper on stunts, his bend and quickness allow him to slide around interior lineman for pressures. He also has the athletic ability to drop into coverage as an OLB when asked.
Pearce is undersized for the position and has a very thin upright frame. Despite his efforts in the run game he lacks the strength to hold up at the point of attack. Offensive lineman are easily able to drive him out of the picture once they get ahold of him. Pearce also has trouble generating power as a pass rusher when he cannot build up his speed. He lacks the strength to bullrush tackles and is easily knocked off his rush path by redirect punches. Pearce was a highly productive pass rusher in terms of sacks but does miss a fair amount of tackles. He comes with too much speed and a lack of control at times, give his lighter frame he can end up bounding off thicker quarterbacks. Pearce’s lack of size and strength will limit his alignment versatility at the next level.
Pearce profiles best as a 3-4 on-ball OLB who slides down to DE in four man nickel fronts. The lack of size will limit his ability to play on early downs but with his pass rush juice he should be a quality 3rd down rotation piece from the jump. Pearce projects as a late first rounder on tape. His athletic ability and pass rush upside might get him bumped higher, especially if a 3-4 team in need of third down help falls in love with him.