{"id":18172,"date":"2025-03-21T12:27:45","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T12:27:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=18172"},"modified":"2025-03-21T12:27:45","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T12:27:45","slug":"lions-news-meet-the-prospect-james-pearce-jr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=18172","title":{"rendered":"LIONS NEWS: Meet the Prospect – James Pearce Jr"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"Tennessee<\/p>\n

Name:<\/strong>\u00a0James Pearce Jr.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Position:<\/strong>\u00a0Edge rusher<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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School:<\/strong>\u00a0Tennessee<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ht\/Wt:<\/strong>\u00a06-5, 245<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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40-yard dash:<\/strong>\u00a04.47 seconds<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Bench:<\/strong>\u00a0Did not bench<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Vertical:<\/strong>\u00a031 inches<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Broad:<\/strong>\u00a010-foot-3<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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3-cone:<\/strong>\u00a0Did not run<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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20-yard shuttle:<\/strong>\u00a0Did not run<\/p>\n

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How he fits:<\/strong>\u00a0The Lions currently return\u00a0Aidan Hutchinson,\u00a0Marcus Davenport\u00a0and\u00a0Josh Paschal\u00a0as their top three edge rushers, but Davenport has to prove he can stay healthy and Pashcal is more of a power\/edge setter than a pure pass rusher (five career sacks).<\/p>\n

\"2025<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What Pearce would provide is immediate juice off the edge. He’s got amazing speed and first-step burst and would be a little different kind of a rusher than the Lions currently have on the roster. He’d give opposing tackles a bit of a curveball with his speed and quickness vs. the more power rush of Davenport and Paschal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Key observations:<\/strong>\u00a0Pearce’s 19 percent pressure rate was second in the FBS last season. He’s recorded 17.5 sacks and 28 tackles for loss against SEC competition the last two seasons combined.<\/p>\n

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What they had to say about him:<\/strong>\u00a0“<\/strong>Pearce is a tight-hipped, linear pass rusher with explosive take-offs and good speed-to-power but a lack of bend to flatten at the top. His high-pressure rate is partially derived from an instinctive feel for positioning, allowing him to work around protection for quick wins into the pocket.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“He’s very long but narrow through his hips, so the build-out of his frame might be limited. Pearce knows how to play around blocks and has the speed to close and tackle, but his base is naturally narrow and lacks bend. He’ll need to improve his strength and technique as an NFL run defender. Despite those concerns, Pearce’s length, twitch and rush production create a higher ceiling.”\u00a0\u2013 Lance Zierlein, NFL analyst<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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How he stacks up:<\/strong>\u00a0The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranks Pearce as his No. 21 overall prospect in his first\u00a0list\u00a0of the Top 100 players in the draft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“Long and athletic, Pearce is able to convert his speed to power, and he rushes from a low position to forklift blockers using his extended levers,” Brugler said. “There are some question marks about his ability in the run game, but he chases with terrific effort to make stops near the sidelines.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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NFL media analyst Daniel Jeremiah has a similar ranking for Pearce as he comes in at No. 22 in his\u00a0latest version\u00a0of his Top 50 players in the class.<\/p>\n

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NFL.com lead writer Eric Edholm puts Pearce at No. 25 on his\u00a0list\u00a0of the 100 Top Players in the class.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“He’s not a complete player yet but turn on the Alabama tape from last October and you can easily see just how disruptive Pearce can be as a pass rusher,” Edholm said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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ESPN’s Jordan Reid isn’t as high on Pearce as some others as Pearce comes in at No. 35 on Reid’s most recent\u00a0list\u00a0of the Top 50 players in the draft released this week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The top ranking for Pearce comes from ESPN’s Field Yates who\u00a0lists\u00a0him at No. 19.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What he had to say:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“Just keep showing that I’m the best edge and best defender in this draft and keep putting it out there that I’m one of the best players in the draft, if not the best,” Pearce said at Tennessee’s Pro Day when asked what he’s trying to prove to teams in team visits and interviews in the weeks leading up to the NFL Draft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Name:\u00a0James Pearce Jr. Position:\u00a0Edge rusher School:\u00a0Tennessee Ht\/Wt:\u00a06-5, 245 40-yard dash:\u00a04.47 seconds Bench:\u00a0Did not bench Vertical:\u00a031 inches Broad:\u00a010-foot-3 3-cone:\u00a0Did not run 20-yard shuttle:\u00a0Did not run How he fits:\u00a0The… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18173,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-detroit-lions"],"yoast_head":"\nLIONS NEWS: Meet the Prospect - James Pearce Jr - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=18172\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"LIONS NEWS: Meet the Prospect - 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