JAMES PEARCE JR. | Round 1, Pick 26

Pearce’s rookie deal is estimated to be $16.78 million in total value, according to OverTheCap.com. He would carry a cap number of $3.05 million in 2025 before topping out in 2028 at $5.34 million.

School: University of Tennessee

2024 Stats: 13 starts | 38 tackles | 7.5 sacks | 13 tackles for loss | 1 forced fumble | 1 fumble recovery | 55 total pressures

Quotes

General manager Terry Fontenot: “As a pass rusher, just look at the numbers. Even if you don’t watch tape, look at the numbers: highest pressure rate in football. That’s great. It’s been consistent for two years. I mean this is a productive player. He can get off the ball, he’s explosive, he’s sudden, he’s twitchy, he plays with violence. So, whether it’s in the run game or the pass game, he’s disruptive in that way.”

Head coach Raheem Morris: “I can vividly remember sitting in the office talking with Pearce about some of the things he wants to do with his hand usage and finding ways to get better and some of the moves that he wants to use and the obsession he has with rushing.”

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich: “If you looked at the best rushers in this draft, you could have made a case that he was the best one from a pure edge element. So, we had conviction in that. We did a lot of work with on him on the field and off the field and felt great about the man that he is and the player that he is.”

Pearce: “I just want to prove it to myself that I’m one of the best and I can rock with the best.”