James Pearce Jr.

Last updated

James Pearce Jr.
James Pearce Jr Tennessee.png
Pearce with the Tennessee Volunteers in 2024
No. 27 – Atlanta Falcons
Position Defensive end
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born (2003-10-12) October 12, 2003 (age 22)
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight243 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school Chambers (Charlotte)
College Tennessee (2022–2024)
NFL draft 2025: 1st round, 26th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics as of 2025
Tackles 26
Sacks 10.5
Forced fumbles 1
Pass deflections 5
Fumble recoveries 1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

James Cecil Pearce Jr. (born October 12, 2003) is an American professional football defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and selected by the Falcons in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.

Contents

Early life

Pearce Jr. was born and grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. [1] He attended Julius L. Chambers High School in Charlotte. [2] [3] As a senior, he had 14.5 sacks and two interceptions. He helped lead his team to back-to-back North Carolina 4AA state championships in 2019 and 2020. [4] A four-star prospect, he committed to the University of Tennessee to play college football. [5] [6]

College career

As a true freshman at Tennessee in 2022, Pearce Jr. played in all 13 games and had five tackles and two sacks. He returned to Tennessee for his sophomore year in 2023. [7] [8] During the 2023 season, he tied with two others in the SEC for the most sacks with ten and fifth in the SEC regarding tackles for loss. [9] In the Citrus Bowl against Iowa, he recorded a 52-yard interception return for a touchdown. [10]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand spanWingspan 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 5+1⁄4 in
(1.96 m)		245 lb
(111 kg)		32+3⁄4 in
(0.83 m)		10 in
(0.25 m)		6 ft 8+7⁄8 in
(2.05 m)		4.47 s1.56 s2.61 s31.0 in
(0.79 m)		10 ft 3 in
(3.12 m)
All values from NFL Combine [11] [12]

Pearce was drafted in the first round with the 26th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons. [13] The Falcons traded up with the Los Angeles Rams to pick Pearce, giving up the 2026 first-round pick as well as a 2025 third and 2025 seventh. [14] In Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings Pearce recorded his first career sack, taking down Vikings QB J. J. McCarthy. [15]

NFL career statistics

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstTFLQBHSckSftyIntYdsLngTDPDFFFRYdsTD
2025 ATL 17326179101610.500000501270
Career 17326179101610.500000501270


In December of 2023, Pearce was arrested in Knoxville and charged with speeding, driving on a suspended license, failure to present insurance, registration improperly displayed and improper window tinting, which were all labeled as misdemeanors. Pearce’s charges were dropped on December 12, 2023, and the license, insurance and window tinting charges were dismissed while the speeding charge was dismissed after Pearce paid costs of $278. [16]

On February 7, 2026, Pearce was arrested in Miami-Dade County, Florida on two charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and one count of aggravated stalking. He was also charged with fleeing and eluding police officers, aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer without violence to his person. [17]

References

  1. ↑ "All Juice No Brakes | The James Pearce Jr. Story | Rookie Spotlight | Atlanta Falcons". www.atlantafalcons.com. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  2. ↑ Fowler, Chapel (December 15, 2021). "NC's top uncommitted football recruit not rushing to sign despite offers from UGA, more". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  3. ↑ Wertz Jr., Langston (December 10, 2021). "'You're an NFL talent.' How Chambers High's James Pearce evolved into an SEC recruit". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  4. ↑ James Pearce Jr. - Football - University of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  5. ↑ Ray, Matt (December 15, 2021). "Just In: Tennessee Signs Prized Edge Rusher James Pearce". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  6. ↑ "James Pearce Jr., Tennessee Volunteers, Edge". 247Sports. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  7. ↑ Paschall, David (October 3, 2023). "Persistent Pearce averaging a sack a game for the Vols". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  8. ↑ Sparks, Adam (March 25, 2023). "Why the next Byron Young for Tennessee football won't get a participation trophy". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  9. ↑ "2023 Southeastern Conference Player Leaders". cfbstats.com. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  10. ↑ Schumpert, Ryan (January 2, 2024). "James Pearce's Dominance Shines In Citrus Bowl, 2023 Season". Rocky Top Insider. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  11. ↑ Reuter, Chad; Zierlein, Lance. "James Pearce Jr. Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  12. ↑ "James Pearce Jr. College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  13. ↑ McFadden, Will (April 25, 2025). "Falcons select James Pearce Jr. with No. 26 pick in 2025 NFL Draft". Atlanta Falcons. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
  14. ↑ Kendall, Josh (May 7, 2025). "How the Falcons got comfortable with a risky trade up for James Pearce Jr". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  15. ↑ Ramsey, Braden. "James Pearce Jr. logs first-career NFL sack on Sunday Night Football". Saturday Down South. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Vol football standout James Pearce arrested after Knoxville traffic stop". WATE 6 On Your Side. December 4, 2023. Archived from the original on January 1, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  17. ↑ https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47863327/falcons-james-pearce-arrested-florida-battery-charges
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.