James Pearce Jr. responds to character criticism ahead of 2025 NFL Draft

Tennessee football edge rusher James Pearce Jr. is making final preparations for the 2025 NFL Draft after the Draft Combine last week. 

He showed up at the combine and ran a 40-yard dash time that some of the NFL's best players would be jealous of. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound edge rusher clocked a 4.47-second 40-time, the fastest of all defensive ends and edge rushers by more than a tenth of a second.

While Pearce checks many boxes on the field, anonymous NFL sources raised some concerns off the field. They accused Pearce of having severe character problems, which is why his draft stock was dropping across the league. 

Tennessee fans never saw those character concerns on campus during Pearce's three years at Rocky Top. It is also unlikely Rodney Garner would allow severe character problems in his position room.

Pearce joined NFL Network to address the concerns and tell viewers and NFL executives what they can expect from Pearce as an NFL edge rusher. 

He was asked about his game if he emulates his play style after NFL players, and what NFL teams can expect from Pearce on the field. 

"They're getting a great pass rusher, a great run defender," Pearce said on NFL Network. "A great overall defensive player. A dog on the defensive side.

Ian Rapoport asked Pearce what his message has been to teams and what he wants NFL teams to know about him as a person. 

"First of all, I'm just a great person, a great teammate, a great ballplayer," Pearce continued. "And then they're getting everything they need — a dominant edge, a dominant player."

It was unusual to hear about the phantom character concerns regarding Pearce leading up to the combine, but he did a great job promoting himself as a leader on and off the field throughout the Combine process and through various interviews, including with the NFL Network. 

We are a little over one month away from the 2025 NFL Draft, which will take place on April 24–26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.