{"id":40312,"date":"2025-04-12T01:54:20","date_gmt":"2025-04-12T01:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=40312"},"modified":"2025-04-12T01:54:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-12T01:54:20","slug":"star-pass-rusher-named-best-first-round-fit-for-ravens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=40312","title":{"rendered":"Star Pass Rusher Named Best First Round Fit for Ravens"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A standout pass rusher could be on the Baltimore Ravens’ radar.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Tennessee<\/picture><\/figure>\n
Tennessee defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. runs during a game against Chattanooga. \/ Angelina Alcantar\/News Sentinel \/ USA TODAY NETWORK<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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With two weeks to go until the 2025 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens most likely have a short list of prospects they could target at No. 27 overall, and a good number of edge rushers should be on that list.<\/p>\n

For a brief explanation, the Ravens had the second-most sacks in the league last season with 54, but the\u00a0future on the edge looks somewhat shaky. Kyle Van Noy is 34 and entering a contract year, as is 2021 first-round pick Odafe Oweh. Those two combined for 22.5 sacks last season, more than 40 percent of the Ravens’ total.<\/p>\n

As such, edge rusher is a very popular prediction for them at No. 27, but which ones should they be targeting?<\/p>\n

According to FOX Sports’ Ben Arthur, Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. is the best fit for them among the first-round edge rushing prospects.<\/p>\n

“The Ravens must be thinking long-term at edge rusher, as Kyle Van Noy is entering his age-34 season and Odafe Oweh is entering a contract year. The 6-foot-5, 247-pound Pearce, who ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash at the combine, led the SEC with 107 pressures over the past two years.”<\/p>\n

A first-team All-SEC selection in each of the past two seasons, Pearce’s production is among the best in this class. The Charlotte, N.C. native has 27.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks over the past two seasons, and that’s with him starting just 12 of the 26 games he played.<\/p>\n

The main knock against Pearce is his relative lack of size for an edge rusher, as he stands at 6-5 and 245 pounds. His speed and explosiveness helped him make up for that lack of size in college, but he may need to beef up a bit at the NFL level.<\/p>\n

Pearce is\u00a0widely expected to be a late first-round pick, so he should be in the Ravens’ range when the NFL Draft begins on April 24.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A standout pass rusher could be on the Baltimore Ravens’ radar. Tennessee defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. runs during a game against Chattanooga. \/ Angelina Alcantar\/News Sentinel… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nStar Pass Rusher Named Best First Round Fit for Ravens - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=40312\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Star Pass Rusher Named Best First Round Fit for Ravens - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A standout pass rusher could be on the Baltimore Ravens’ radar. 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