It’s never too early for some speculatory NFL Draft talk, right?
The two players that will be most talked about from the Tennessee roster this offseason will be quarterback Nico Iamaleava and EDGE rusher James Pearce Jr.
Both players shined in the Citrus Bowl against Iowa and will look to carry that momentum through the offseason and into the 2024 season.
Pearce, though, is already getting attention from the 2025 NFL Draft experts and analysts. The rising junior turned heads throughout the 2023 season as Tennessee’s breakthrough player and dominated his way through the Southeastern Conference en route to a First Team All-SEC selection.
The 6-foot-5 EDGE rusher finished the season with 28 total tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, two passes deflected, two forced fumbles, and one interception for a touchdown. Pearce led Tennessee in tackles for loss, sacks, and quarterback hurries (16). Pearce also graded out as the second-highest EDGE rusher in the nation last season according to Pro Football Focus.
All of these traits and statistics have draft experts intrigued by the Tennessee product.
ESPN’s Matt Miller has Pearce as the top EDGE prospect in the 2025 draft class. Miller even heard from a scout who claimed that Pearce would be the top defensive player on the board if he was part of the 2024 draft coming up this spring.
“A legitimate top-five returning player for the 2025 draft class, Pearce is a 6-5, 242-pound blur rushing off the edge,” Miller wrote for ESPN. “With 43 pressures and 9.5 sacks in 2023, Pearce established himself as one of the best pass-rushers in the SEC. In fact, an AFC West scout who covers the conference told me Pearce would be the first defensive player drafted in the 2024 class if he were draft-eligible. Expectations are high for Pearce, but his speed and savvy pass-rush moves are worthy of the hype.”
More from RTI: Three Storylines For Tennessee Football’s Offseason
While Iamaleava won the Citrus Bowl MVP Award, James Pearce Jr. was likely the close runner-up with an unbelievable performance against the Hawkeyes’ offense. Pearce’s day was highlighted by a 52-yard pick-six in the second half of action. The interception wasn’t just a batted ball or tipped pass, but a play in which Pearce used defensive back-like instincts and anticipation to jump on a route and find the ball with open space ahead.
“James has got a great football future in front of him,” head coach Josh Heupel said after the conclusion of the Vols’ season. “He’s a great player right now, but he’s got a chance to be extremely special. And for him, just continuing to grow in his understanding of football IQ as we continue to move him around and put him in positions to win is gonna be extremely important as we go through this offseason. He’s dynamic, he’s got multiple moves to affect the quarterback. But there’s still growth in some of those fundamentals and continue to grow in how he defends the run. He’s going that well, but there’s still some growth there. I say all of that, he’s a dynamic playmaker for us. He’s really rare, got a really bright future in front of him.”
To view more of Matt Miller’s 2025 NFL Draft analysis from ESPN, click here.
