Tennessee lands multiple players in Daniel Jeremiah’s top 50 for 2026 NFL Draft
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Tennessee might have had a disappointing season on the field in 2025, with only 8 victories to show for it and 5 glaring losses to show how far the Volunteers need to go to be relevant in 2026.
That’s on the field and that’s something for Josh Heupel to worry about. But Heupel might have something to gloat about, along with Tennessee fans, this spring in Pittsburgh, where the NFL Draft will be held. Because according to NFL Network and NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah, the Volunteers have a great shot to be all over the top 50 players picked.
In fact, in his latest draft prospect rankings revealed on Tuesday, Jeremiah believes that Tennessee could have 3 players chosen in that top 50. So, while the Vols struggled in the win-loss department, it wasn’t for a lack of top-heavy talent, which Jeremiah believes will be picked quite early in late April.
And not only does Jeremiah see 3 Vols possibly going in that top 50, he doesn’t think Tennessee fans watching the first round on April 23 will have to wait very long to hear that first Vols name called. In Jeremiah’s list of the top 50 draft-eligible prospects, he sees former Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy as the 14th-ranked prospect in the entire draft.
While McCoy could be slated to be a mid-1st-round pick, according to Jeremiah, so could fellow Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood, who is ranked just 2 spots down at No. 16 by Jeremiah. How about 2 former Vols secondary pieces being picked in the top 16? Jeremiah believes it’s totally possible.
On the other side of the ball, Jeremiah sees Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell II as the 44th-ranked player in the draft, at least right now.
So, Tennessee fans are justifiably anxious for some improvement on the field next fall, they could have a very good reason to tune in when NFL teams start calling names in Pittsburgh some 3 months from now.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
