Mel Kiper Jr. explains dip in draft stock for James Pearce Jr.
Mel Kiper Jr. posted some lengthy thoughts about James Pearce Jr., a former Tennessee edge rusher, this week. Pearce started the 2024 season as one of the favorites to be selected first overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, and even though he is still expected to be selected in the first round, he is not even close to being the top pick in this class.
What then took place? In 2024, Pearce’s output somewhat decreased. After recording 15 and 10 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, respectively, in 2023, he recorded 13 in this season. Furthermore, Kiper claimed that his junior season tape simply wasn’t as good as many had anticipated.
“I think the flashes we saw this year, we did see some production, it wasn’t like he didn’t do anything,” Kiper stated on this week’s First Draft podcast. “He was disruptive against the run. He hustled and chased, but you didn’t see what we thought we would see. We didn’t get it on a week-to-week basis, and when that happens, you wonder like, ‘Am I too high, am I too low, or should I just say I don’t understand this player at all?'” Kiper said.
“James Pearce Jr. is one of those few players that I believe we can all agree we simply don’t understand, we just don’t understand, and we can’t really be confident — hey, you can be confident and still be right or wrong on that, too, but with James Pearce Jr., I haven’t really had a good grasp on where he belongs in terms of the first round of this draft.”
The NFL Scouting Combine will start in Indianapolis later this month, and the 2025 NFL Draft won’t start until April 24 in Green Bay. Kiper made his remarks on the First Draft podcast while analyzing Pearce’s position in Field Yates’ most recent mock draft, which currently projects Pearce to go No. 19 overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Pearce does still have some time to impress NFL evaluators and possibly regain some of his draft stock.
Pearce would still make Tennessee history even if he ended up going in the first round. He would be just the second player since Josh Heupel took over in Knoxville to be selected in the first round of the Tennessee draft, and the 47th player overall. Since Derek Barnett was selected 14th overall in 2017, the Vols have failed to produce a first-round defensive pick.]
