Tennessee WR Chris Brazzell II taken in third round by Carolina Panthers
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Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell II dazzled the college football world last fall, and now he has a chance to do the same in nearby SEC country starting this fall.
On Friday night, the former Volunteer pass-catching stud was selected in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, with the No. 83 overall pick, by the Carolina Panthers. This just doesn’t mean that Brazzell won’t be leaving the Southeast to start his NFL career, it also sets up the juicy possibility that Brazzell will be catching passes from former Alabama signal caller Bryce Young.
The Alabama-Tennessee rivalry would be played out in Carolina at the pro level starting this fall, only it would be put on hold with Young and Brazzell now being teammates as they try to develop a pass-catching bond early.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Brazzell exploded last fall while catching passes from first-year Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar. Brazzell hauled in 62 passes and went over 1,000 yards receiving, piling up 1,017 yards to go with 9 touchdowns. He averaged 16.4 yards per catch, too, showing an ability to stretch the field that surely was attractive to the Panthers.
Brazzell not only impressed with his stats alone at Tennessee last fall, he can simply fly. After starting his college career with 2 seasons at Tulane followed by 2 years at Tennessee, Brazzell will take that speed to the professional level. He’s been clocked at 4.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
Now, the young man who played his high school football in Midland, Texas, has realized his NFL dreams, and he’ll be joining a tall wide receiver room in Carolina to start that NFL career.
Tennessee didn’t have the season it planned to have in 2025, but in 2026 it’ll be making another run at a College Football Playoff spot. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the top teams in the mix to be playing for it all this fall:
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.
