‘Character Concerns’ An Issue For Star Edge Rusher James Pearce?

Image: usatoday.com

By Cody McClure

The NFL Draft stock of Tennessee star edge rusher James Pearce may be falling.

A former potential No. 1 pick, Pearce now apparently has some top draft analysts confused.

“I thought going in, based on what we saw last year in 2023 that he would be … maybe the No. 1 pick in this draft, that pass-rusher who’s going to get a ton of sacks, who’s going to be out there wreaking havoc,” ESPN’s Mel Kiper said. “And when you turned it on, 27 wasn’t always doing that.

“So to me, the flashes we saw this year … we did see some production. It wasn’t like he didn’t do anything … he did get after [the quarterback]. He was disruptive against the run. He did chase. He did hustle. But you didn’t see what we thought we would see.”

Kiper admitted there are some players that draft evaluators just aren’t sure about and mentioned Pearce as one of those guys.

“I don’t have a good handle on [him]. He’ll be one of those handful of players I think we could all say we just don’t get,” Kiper said. “…I have not really had a good grasp on where he belongs in terms of the first round of this draft.”

ESPN analyst Field Yates currently has Pearce going 19th overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Pearce’s projections seem to range anywhere from right near the top of the first round all the way to the bottom.

Some have even dropped him to the second round, while one AFC playoff team is reportedly considering dropping Pearce off their board entirely.

Walter Football has mentioned “character concerns” being a potential problem with Pearce.

“He’s in danger of getting dropped off our board,” the director of player personnel for an AFC playoff team reportedly said. “Granted, we are a strict team in terms of character, but we have a lot of concerns, and I think he probably isn’t a fit for us.”