James Pearce Jr. dominates with 4.47s 40-yard dash at Combine.
James Pearce Jr. didn’t just show up to the 2025 NFL Combine—he took over. The Tennessee edge rusher clocked a 4.47-second 40-yard dash, the fastest among defensive linemen this year. And just to make things even wilder? He ran in a hoodie because he forgot his T-shirt at the hotel.
At 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, Pearce isn’t just fast. He’s the kind of fast that makes front offices scramble. Scouts already knew about his 19.5 sacks and 29.5 tackles for loss at Tennessee, but now? His speed officially puts him in elite company. Only a handful of edge rushers in Combine history have ever run under 4.50 seconds.
Pearce’s first attempt came in at 4.50 seconds, already the fastest time among defensive linemen. Then he one-upped himself with a 4.47-second run.
For context? The next-fastest defensive lineman, Fadil Diggs from Syracuse, ran a 4.57. That’s a full tenth of a second slower. In a league where fractions of a second dictate contracts, that’s a huge gap.
Before the Combine, Pearce was projected at the end of the first round in most mock drafts. USA TODAY Sports’ Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz had him going with the final pick in Round 1. That might not be the case anymore.
NFL scouts already knew Pearce had the production—first-team All-SEC, nearly 20 career sacks, pure dominance off the edge. But now? He has the measurables to match.
Yes, there are things to refine—strength, hand technique, overall polish—but speed like this? You can’t teach that. And NFL teams know it.
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