2025 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: DE James Pearce Jr., Tennessee

Patriots Football Now will provide continued coverage for the 2025 NFL Draft until the big event in April. This includes prospect profiles, mock drafts, positional rankings, coverage of the NFL Scouting Combine, and Top 30 visits. In last week’s Prospect Profile Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III was highlighted. This week’s spotlight goes back to the defensive side of the ball with James Pearce Jr.

Get to know the Tennessee Volunteers defensive end:

Background

James Pearce Jr.’s recruiting rankings were all over the map coming out of Chambers High School in Charlotte (N.C.).  247 Sports, ESPN, and Rivals all ranked Pearce outside of their Top 150 overall recruits in the Class of 2022. On3 had Pearce ranked as a five-star recruit, the top prospect in North Carolina, the second-best edge prospect in the country, and No. 11 in his class nationwide.

Pearce chose to play collegiately for Tennessee after his official visit to the school. He took an official visit to Missouri, in addition to unofficial gameday visits to Georgia and South Carolina, all of whom offered him scholarships.

Also Read – Bill Belichick Coaching Rumors Have Begun: Jaguars in 2025?