The Tennessee Titans passed up on Hendon Hooker in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Memphis Grizzlies passed up on Dalton Knecht in the 2024 NBA Draft.
For crossover fans of the University of Tennessee and the Volunteer State’s professional teams, the 2025 NFL Draft might finally be the time when both link up hand-in-hand as a top-end former Volunteer stays in-state at the professional level.
Tennessee EDGE rusher James Pearce Jr. broke out during the 2023 football season and easily projects as one of the nation’s top players at any position for the upcoming 2024 season. Pearce was recently named a preseason First Team All-American and a preseason First Team All-SEC selection from Walter Camp, Phil Steele, and Athlon Sports, and only projects to see his stock continue to rise over the course of the year.
When the 2024 draft concluded back in April, many outlets quickly jumped over to a way-too-early 2025 draft. Tennessee’s James Pearce was a trendy pick to go No. 1 overall in many of those projections.
But with the NFL being a quarterback league, it makes sense that the most likely answer is for teams to target the quarterback position first. In Matt Miller’s latest 2025 mock draft for ESPN on Tuesday, the draft expert has the Giants taking Carson Beck at No. 1 and the Las Vegas Raiders taking Shedeur Sanders at No. 2 overall.
Miller then projects the Tennessee Titans to take Pearce at No. 4 overall in this year’s draft.
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“This is a prove-it season for quarterback Will Levis as a second-year starter, but the early returns were good enough that we can forget about quarterbacks at the top of the draft for now,” Miller wrote for ESPN. “Instead, the Titans could land my preseason No. 1 overall player — and an in-state prospect. At 6-foot-5 and 242 pounds, Pearce has special quickness around the edge, picking up 9.5 sacks last season. He also flashed his all-around game with a 52-yard pick-six last season.”
Miller also noted an immediately scary duo in Pearce and Harold Landry III for opposing offenses.
The Tennessee Titans last took a player from the University of Tennessee during the 2022 draft with sixth-round pick Theo Jackson. Prior to that, though, you’d have to go all the way back to the second round of the 2013 draft with wide receiver Justin Hunter 34th overall.
Tennessee is one of eight SEC teams to have a first-round projection in Miller’s mock draft from Tuesday with 15 players from the conference on the list overall.
To see Matt Miller’s latest 2025 NFL mock draft, click here.
