Tennessee lineman declares for 2025 NFL draft

Tennessee junior defensive lineman declares for the 2025 NFL draft.

Tennessee junior defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. declared for the 2025 NFL draft on Wednesday.

He will forgo his senior season in 2025 with the Vols.

Pearce Jr. is projected as a first-round selection in the 2025 NFL draft.

In three seasons with the Vols, Pearce recorded 19.5 sacks, 29.5 tackles for a loss and 71 tackles. He was a two-time All-SEC first-team selection.

In 2023, Pearce Jr. set career-highs for tackles for a loss (15) and sacks (15). He also returned his only career interception for a touchdown, while forcing two fumbles.

Pearce Jr. finished 2024 with the second-highest edge pressure rate in the FBS (18.8 percent), according to Jordan Reid of ESPN.

James Pearce Jr. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire