Photo via @AtlantaFalcons on X
In his first NFL season, former Tennessee football star James Pearce Jr. is already leaving his mark. On Thursday night in the Atlanta Falcons’ win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pearce recorded three tackles, two sacks and two passes defended.
This has extended Pearce’s sack streak to six games. He is just the fourth rookie since 1982 to record a sack in six consecutive games, according to Tori McElhaney. Pearce joins 1991 Mike Croel (six-straight games), 1999 Jevon Kearse (eight) and 2021 Micah Parsons (six).
This also brings Pearce’s total up to eight sacks on the season. That ties the franchise record for a rookie dating back to 1982.
On the year, he owns 20 tackles, 13 of which being solo, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, along with his sacks. According to PFF, he has a 55.6 grade on the season.
SACK!
Make that six-straight games with a sack for Tennessee football rookie James Pearce Jr.
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) December 12, 2025
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Pearce was just selected 26th overall in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He was a three-year standout for Tennessee, earning first-team All-SEC honors in back-to-back seasons to end his collegiate career.
In his junior season, Pearce recorded 38 tackles, 7.5 sacks and one forced fumble. While his sack numbers were down from his sophomore season, when he totaled 9.5 sacks, Pearce still led the SEC in pressures during the 2024 campaign. Pearce also made one of the biggest plays of Tennessee’s season when he stripped Florida quarterback Graham Mertz at the goal line on a quarterback sneak.
Pearce was a highly-recruited prospect out of Charlotte, North Carolina. He was considered a five-star prospect by On3, ranked as the No. 11 player in the 2022 class by the site. 247 and Rivals both had him as a four-star recruit.