Talent on display at Pro Day suggests Tennessee has horses, now has to win
Tennessee didn’t have a single player chosen in the 2015 NFL Draft, the first time the school had been shut out since 1963.
The drought continued in 2016, when the Volunteers again failed to have a single prospect selected in seven rounds. Only in the draft’s infancy (1937-39) had UT been such a non-factor in sending its players to the next level.
Even Vanderbilt, the in-state rival with double the admission requirements — and, typically, half the talent — hadn’t gone back-to-back drafts without at least one prospect being picked since a three-year dry spell from 1993-95. Commodores linebacker Stephen Weatherly heard his name called in Round 7 last spring.
Not since defensive tackle Daniel McCullers went in the sixth round of the 2014 draft has Tennessee been a part of the proceedings.
Fortunately for the Rocky Top faithful, that dubious streak will come to an end later this month. Half a dozen Volunteers or so could be drafted, led by highly productive pass rusher Derek Barnett and his first-round grade.
In addition to Barnett, few players have created more buzz during the pre-draft evaluation process than running back Alvin Kamara. He spent the majority of his career in Knoxville — he originally transferred from Alabama — as a backup to the since-departed Jalen Hurd, although he’s proven to be the superior prospect.
UT’s Pro Day was held Friday. Needless to say, many more scouts were in attendance than there had been the last few years.
“We’ve come a long way,” said Bob Welton, who is UT’s director of player personnel, according to The Tennessean. “You can always tell how talented your team is by the personnel that’s at Pro Day.”
Tennessee’s roster upgrade since the arrival of coach Butch Jones is accentuated by Barnett, Kamara (below) and wide receiver Josh Malone being early entries into the draft. They left a year of eligibility on the table and are ready for Sunday football.
Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The senior class is well represented, too. Cornerback Cameron Sutton lined up outside, inside and at safety during Senior Bowl practices in January — granted, injuries to other players forced him to prove his versatility. Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin is on the comeback trail following an injury-riddled 2016.
Not only was Pro Day a smashing success by most accounts, but a lot of NFL franchises couldn’t wait until Friday to make their way to campus.
“We’ve had more (private workouts) than we’ve ever had,” Welton said. “That’s why a lot of the bigger names weren’t here (Friday) because they’ve been here already.”
Even if he’s not considered a no-brainer by any stretch of the imagination, all eyes were on quarterback Joshua Dobbs. A shortage of capable signal callers is an annual scourge in the NFL, so he’ll get a long look.
Every organization is on the hunt for “the next Dak Prescott,” meaning a starting-caliber QB that can be had in the middle rounds. Due to the salary cap, the ability to field the game’s most important position at a bargain-basement price — that frees up money to be used elsewhere — is invaluable. Prescott was in the MVP discussion as a rookie.
For Dobbs, being compared to Prescott is both a blessing and a curse. Expecting him to be similarly successful in Year 1 is unreasonable.
Nevertheless, both were spread-option field generals in the SEC. Both were just as dangerous with their legs as they were with their arms. Both were genuine student-athletes from good families with zero off-the-field red flags.
Dobbs was arguably the most impressive passer at the Senior Bowl and earned high praise from one of the league’s top quarterback gurus, Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson. He continued his ascent by putting together a strong workout — on par with the supposedly elite passers, really — last month at the Scouting Combine.
Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Even if Dobbs (above) didn’t take the Volunteers as far as he had hoped, he won more games than his most recent predecessors did.
“From a pro perspective, the prospects are probably better than they were last year,” said Joey Clinkscales, who is the director of player personnel for the Oakland Raiders and a UT alumnus. “Usually that correlates with winning football games. The more games you win, the more prospects you have.”
While Jones is yet to hit double digits in four years on the job, he’s coming off consecutive nine-win campaigns. That hasn’t been done at this institution since the twilight of the Phillip Fulmer regime in 2006-07.
Unless coaches have a depth chart chock full of future pros, they’re not going to compete consistently in the best conference in America. Sure, a Missouri might bubble up every now and then in the East — said bubble sure burst quickly — but teams can’t leapfrog the Floridas and Georgias without the biggest, fastest and strongest on their side.
Jones still has to get his club over the hump on game day. That hasn’t changed. At least now he has the horses to do so.
“You’ll have three or four guys drafted this year and another couple of free agents,” Clinkscales said. “I think the program is going in the right direction. I think they’ve done a good job of elevating the program some, and hopefully that will continue.”
The fear, of course, for UT fans is that Jones has already taken this club as far as he can take it. He had more experience and more ability at his disposal than the rest of the division a year ago, yet he finished 4-4 in conference play.
Yes, injuries to key players — Reeves-Maybin had a lot of hobbled company, unfortunately — were a factor, while league champ Alabama was remarkably healthy for the majority of the season. Still, Tennessee won’t be the favorite at Media Days to capture the East this time. The Gators and Bulldogs will surely get more votes.
Pro Day suggested that the Vols are back in terms of pure skill. Now it’s up to Jones and Co. to win accordingly and keep the train rolling.
John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.
