Detroit Lions' NFL draft: 'Polarizing' Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. could fit
The Detroit Lions haven't done much to upgrade their thin pass rush in free agency, but ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said that should change in April's NFL draft.
Kiper gave Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. to the Lions in his most recent mock draft released this week. In a teleconference Wednesday, Kiper said there are "mixed opinions" about Pearce's draft stock.
"He's one of those polarizing prospects that opinions are all over the place," Kiper said. "All I can tell you is edge rushers are going to be attractive when you get into the mid to late first round, so somebody's going to take him.
"I have him at Detroit. Could have put him up as high as Cincinnati at 17. So yeah, I think some people thought second round, I think he's going to go up in the first round."
Pearce was a two-time All-SEC selection at Tennessee who had 19.5 sacks in his three-year career.
He ran the fastest 40-yard dash among defensive ends at the combine at 4.47 seconds and was considered a potential top-five pick entering the year, but Kiper said his draft stock fell after a semi-disappointing junior season.
Pearce had 7.5 sacks last season after logging 10 sacks as a sophomore.
"I thought going into the year he and (Georgia edge rusher) Mykel Williams would be maybe vying for the top spot and it just didn't go the way you would hoped," Kiper said. "Mykel Williams had the ankle injury early on and James Pearce Jr. wasn't as dominant as he had been the previous year.
"He's got that lean, angular frame, but he's strong, he plays strong at the point, plays the run exceptionally well, I thought in the games I watched him. I saw him in six games. I look at Pearce as a guy who tested pretty well in terms of showing that closing ability, which he showed on tape."
The Lions return sack leader Aidan Hutchinson and re-signed defensive end Marcus Davenport and outside linebacker Derrick Barnes in free agency, but have not added any edge rush help from outside the organization.
Hutchinson (broken leg), Davenport (torn triceps) and Barnes (torn MCL and PCL) are coming off season-ending injuries, and the Lions ranked 28th in the NFL in sack percentage (6.07%) last year.
This year's draft is considered deeper than usual on the defensive line − Kiper projects 10 interior or edge defenders to go in Round 1 − with Penn State's Abdul Carter and Michigan's Mason Graham considered the best of the bunch. Williams and fellow Georgia pass rusher Jalon Walker also are potential top-10 choices, and Kiper mentioned Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart as a potential trade-up candidate if the Lions are inclined to move up from Pick No. 28 to somewhere in the teens.
Stewart, like Pearce, oozes athletic traits, though he did not have great college production with 1.5 sacks each of the past three seasons.
"Shemar says he should be the No. 1 pick in the draft," Kiper said. "I heard him say that. Based on talent, he should. He’s as talented as anybody. It's just the production doesn't match the talent yet."
Pearce had more production than Stewart and one of the highest pressure rates in college football last season, 19% according to ESPN, but the questions about his play were enough to push him out of the first round of NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah's latest mock draft.
"It's mixed opinions all over the place," Kiper said. "He didn't have the year expected. He's 6-5 and change, he’s got to fill out that frame just a bit.
"I thought he played strong at the point and I thought it was in games where he wasn't getting the numbers, he was still disruptive and making his presence felt. There's just mixed opinion all around."
Dave Birkett will sign copies of his book, "Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline," at 7 p.m., March 24, at the Birmingham Public Library. Order your copy here. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Mel Kiper thinks Lions could target James Pearce in NFL draft
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