What did James Pearce Jr. do? Explaining Tennessee star's legal troubles & other red flags

Daniel Chavkin

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What did James Pearce Jr. do? Explaining Tennessee star's legal troubles & other red flags image

James Pearce Jr. was a star at Tennessee, totaling 17.5 sacks over his last two seasons. However, as Pearce enters the NFL Draft, the league has more concerns with him beyond his play.

Pearce is one of several players who have gone through the draft process amid rumors of character issues. The pass rusher has an arrest in his past and has several concerns about his ability to fit in at the next level.

Still, Pearce is one of the most talented pass rushers in this year's class, and could be worth the risk for a team that doesn't believe Pearce has as many issues as others may think. 

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Here's a breakdown of the concerns teams have about Pearce.

James Pearce arrest

In December of 2023, Pearce was arrested at a traffic stop in Knoxville after disobeying orders from the police. In the report, police said that Pearce was driving 63 MPH in a 35 MPH zone, in a vehicle that had an expired tag, and that Pearce was driving with a suspended license.

Then, police had to tell Pearce several times to get out of the car, at which point they told him that the car would be towed. When Pearce was arrested, he was charged with speeding, driving on a suspended license, failure to present insurance, registration not properly displayed and improper window tinting.

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James Pearce character concerns

Pearce's character concerns appear to extend onto the field as well. Over the NFL Draft cycle, anonymous sources have questioned Pearce's maturity and willingness to be coached at the next level.

"That kid is a first-round talent," a defensive line coach told The Athletic's Bruce Feldman, "but the stuff you hear (about his maturity) scares me."

Another defensive line coach was even harsher, via Feldman.

"We don’t even talk about him," he said. "How coachable is he?"

If maturity is the biggest issue regarding Pearce, then the pass rusher would not be the first player to enter the league with this issue. At just 21 years-old, Pearce is one of the youngest players in this year's draft class.

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ESPN's Jordan Reid also hinted that the league does not have a consensus view on Pearce, as Reid has the pass rusher going in the second round of the draft.

"His draft stock is all over the place," Reid wrote. "The scouts I've talked to having Pearce going off the board anywhere from the late teens to the late second round."

However, throughout the process, Pearce has maintained that teams have nothing to worry about in regards to his character. At the Tennessee Pro Day, Pearce made his case for why teams should take him.

"I'm a great guy. I'm a great teammate, a great player," he said. "I’m a people person. I've got a good heart."

James Pearce draft projection

Despite the rumored character concerns, Pearce should be taken in the first two days of the 2025 NFL Draft. TSN's Vinnie Iyer has the Bengals drafting Pearce with pick No. 17 in the first round in his seven-round mock draft.

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Daniel Chavkin

Daniel Chavkin is a Digital Content Producer for The Sporting News. A 2018 graduate from the University of Maryland, he has previously written for Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports and NFLTradeRumors.com.