Tennessee EDGE rusher James Pearce Jr. announced he has declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, ending his career at Tennessee. The former four-star prospect blossomed into one of the best EDGE rushers in the country in his three years on Rocky Top and is ready to begin his professional career.
Mel Kiper Jr. has released his first NFL mock draft and he has Pearce dropping a ton in the draft, all the way to the 28th pick, where the Detroit Lions would select him.
This comes as a complete flip from where people thought he would be drafted this time last year. Pearce had recorded ten sacks and built a mountain of hype around his name heading into the 2024 season.
This time last year, Pearce was projected as a top-ten pick, with some outlets predicting he would be taken No. 1 overall in the draft. With Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders, and Cam Ward at the top of the board, that's not a realistic spot for Pearce, given the star power ahead of him.
Despite the big drop in the mock draft, Pearce and the Lions would be a perfect match. Detroit already has Aidan Hutchinson on the defensive line, so adding Pearce could be a lethal one-two combination if Pearce can adapt to the professional game in his first couple of seasons in the league.
The Lions ranked 23rd in the NFL in sacks this past season, so having another pass rusher to put pressure on opposing offenses would drastically help the front seven.
It would give Pearce the opportunity to get to the quarterback and free up Hutchinson on the other side of the line. This would give a veteran and elite pass rusher more one-on-one opportunities.
It also helps that the Lions have a foundation set that can help Pearce adapt to the speed of the professional game and develop with some of the best talent the NFL has to offer.
If Pearce is still on the board at No. 28, the Lions would have an opportunity to add another Vol to their roster. If given the opportunity and properly developed by the coaching staff, he could be a major impact player for Detroit.