After an elite career at Tennessee, James Pearce Jr. is likely off to the NFL draft.

Pearce is a near consensus first-round selection after going into the season with projections as high as the No. 1 overall pick.

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As a junior, Pearce played in all 13 games. He recorded 38 tackles with 23 coming as a solo effort. This resulted in 13 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, a forced fumble and recovered fumble.

These stats were slightly down from his breakout sophomore campaign. He played in 13 games while recording 28 tackles with 18 coming solo. He managed 14.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, a pick-six in the Citrus Bowl and two forced fumbles.

His PFF grade on his junior year was an 87.1. This was the second-best of all defenders for the Vols. His sophomore grade was a 90.4.

As a freshman, Pearce also appeared in all 13 games. He never missed a game in his three-year career beginning in 2022. He put up two sacks in his freshman year.

Pearce was a four-star prospect out of high school. He was the No. 160 player in the class, No. 5 out of North Carolina and the No. 10 weakside defensive end.

After a career that featured being named a 2024 semifinalist for the Bednarik, Ombardi and Walter Camp awards and two-year All-SEC First Team member, here's where Pearce is projected to be drafted.

Yahoo:

"The Bills look to constantly add to their defensive line and do so again with Pearce. While Pearce can be up and down against the run, he has upside as an impactful pass rusher. Pearce is long and can be a handful for offensive tackles right at the snap of the ball. He can be easily taken out of the play a bit too often, especially against the run. Pearce could continue to develop his consistency for a Bills franchise that prefers to have a deep rotational line under head coach Sean McDermott."

ESPN:

"Pick an area on defense and it could make sense here. Other than Trey Hendrickson's dominant season, this team has disappointed on that side of the ball, posting the second-worst defensive efficiency in the NFL ahead of only the Panthers. The pass rush has been especially poor, as Hendrickson's 12.5 sacks account for more than half of Cincinnati's total of 24 (tied for second worst).

"Pearce has an exceptional first step and the kind of acceleration off the edge that translates to the NFL. He leads the FBS in pressure rate at an incredible 19.8% this season and has piled up 17.5 sacks over the past two seasons."

CBS:

"Pearce looks like a top-15 pick, and the 49ers make him one here. He's long, explosive, deceptively powerful and put together two magnificent seasons in the SEC. He's the running mate Nick Bosa needs."

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