Big surprise: Tennessee DL Kahlil McKenzie declares for 2018 NFL Draft
Who saw this one coming?
Tennessee is losing another player early to the 2018 NFL Draft as junior defensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie announced he is declaring for the draft Sunday evening. After arriving in Knoxville with much fanfare, the huge lineman has failed to live up to his five-star hype during his three seasons on Rocky Top. Now with a change in coaching philosophy, perhaps McKenzie feels it’s best to move on to the NFL.
McKenzie becomes the third Tennessee player to declare early for the 2018 NFL Draft, joining running back John Kelly and defensive back Rashaan Gaulden.
While the huge lineman, he’s listed by Tennessee at 6-foot-2, and a generous 320-pounds, never quite lived up to his high school billing, he’s an intriguing prospect in the eyes of some NFL evaluators. McKenzie was mentioned as one of the biggest sleepers of the 2018 NFL Draft by Matt Miller of Bleacher Report back in the summer (as well as one of the biggest question marks) and was also listed as a top 100 NFL prospect by Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports last offseason.
Here’s the message McKenzie posted to Instagram announces his decision: