Tennessee Volunteers' James Pearce Jr. Lands Inside Top 15 in Latest NFL Mock Draft

Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. lands inside the top 15 in the latest NFL mock draft.

Tennessee defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. (27) celebrates Tennessee defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott’s (55) sack during an NCAA college football game between Tennessee and Mississippi State at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. | Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. lands inside the top 15 in the latest NFL mock draft.

The Tennessee Volunteers are going to lose some valuable contributors from the 2024 season to the NFL this offseason. One of those players is edge rusher James Pearce Jr. who was one of the biggest risers heading into the 2024 college football season. Many were mocking Pearce Jr. to be a potential first overall pick this offseason and some deemed him the best player in college football.

Pearce Jr. saw a downtick in production this past season but he was still a stellar player for the Vols. In 2024, he finished with 7.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and 38 total tackles. That's coming off of a season in which he posted 10 sacks, 15 tackles for loss and 28 total tackles.

There have been some conflicting beliefs of where Pearce Jr. currently stands in this year's class. Some believe he will be a late first-round pick, but the latest mock draft has him going inside of the top 15.

CBS's Chris Trapasso had Pearce Jr. going 11th overall to the San Fransisco 49ers in his latest first round mock draft. Here is what he had to say about the Volunteers' prospect.

"James Pearce Jr. is a long, bendy edge rusher with elite-level speed-to-power conversion and plenty of room to grow into his frame in the NFL. Running mate for Nick Bosa," Trapasso wrote.

This comes after ESPN's Mel Kiper had Pearce Jr. going 28th overall to the Detroit Lions. There appears to be a growing consensus that Pearce Jr. right now is labeled as a late first round pick, but others are pushing for him to go much earlier than that. 

Pearce Jr. will still have plenty of opportunity to raise his stock before the draft at the NFL combine, but it does seem like the chances of him being a top five overall pick are little to none now.

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