The SEC produced the most players selected in the NFL Draft for the 10th consecutive year. The conference had 51 total players drafted during the three-day event last week, which was four more than the 47 selected from the Big Ten.
Yet none of them were from the University of Tennessee, a program responsible for 336 NFL Draft picks all-time, which remains the most in SEC history. In fact, it was the second consecutive year that no Tennessee player was selected in the NFL Draft.
But don’t feel bad for the Vols, if anything it makes their outlook for 2016 even brighter.
Tennessee is fortunate to return the majority of its starting lineup. After being forced to play true freshmen and sophomores during his first three seasons, head coach Butch Jones finally has a roster full of experienced players from his first two full recruiting classes.
The coach inherited very little talent on either side of the football and a depleted 2013 recruiting class, which he managed to bring up to a No. 24 national ranking with less than three months on the job. The next two years saw Tennessee rank No. 7 (2014) and No. 4 overall (2015) in 247Sports Team Composite rankings.
. (Photo by Greg McWilliams/Icon Sportswire)
In that span, many freshmen and sophomores were thrust into starting roles. Now, those second and third-year players will be veterans on an experienced Tennessee team.
Even the few gems he managed to sign from his first two months on the job in 2013 — aside from wide receiver Marquez North — will return for their senior seasons including quarterback Joshua Dobbs, leading tackler Jalen Reeves-Maybin and three-year starting cornerback Cameron Sutton who — along with running back Alvin Kamara — will all be captains in 2016.
But it’s the players who will be eligible for next year’s draft as juniors who are expected to shine the brightest.
Running back Jalen Hurd is on pace to break Travis Henry’s career rushing record of 3,078 yards as he enters his third season with 2,184.
Defensive end Derek Barnett is likely Tennessee’s best potential NFL prospect in next year’s draft class. Barnett set the school freshman sack record (10) in 2014 and led the Vols with 10 sacks in 2015. At 6-foot-3, 257 pounds, he possesses both the size and speed to get attention from NFL scouts and excel at the defensive end position at the next level.
Tennessee is loaded with talent, which is why many expect it to win the SEC East in 2016. So while many look at the Vols’ lack of presence in the draft, it’s actually a good thing.
If Tennessee didn’t have a plethora of returning talent — as was the case in recent years — it may be a cause of concern. But the next three draft classes will be a credit to Jones’ masterful recruiting in his tenure in Knoxville.
Tennessee will likely produce several players in the 2017 and 2018 NFL Draft who could go on to find success, but that’ll be after the upcoming season. With several returning seniors and experienced underclassmen, the Vols’ focus will be on contending for an SEC Championship.
So analysts can make jokes that Tennessee had less players drafted than Germany, but at the end of the day, Germany won’t field one of the SEC’s most talented returning lineups and the Vols should have the last laugh.
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