Staff photo / Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara takes a handoff from quarterback Joshua Dobbs during a 49-36 win against Kentucky on Nov. 12, 2016, in Knoxville.KNOXVILLE - As of last week, Tennessee defensive end Darrell Taylor didn't know exactly what his NFL draft viewing plans would be. But the redshirt sophomore offered a possibility.
"I'll probably watch it with my teammates and have a little party," Taylor said. "I can't wait to see them up there."
The draft, which starts at 8 tonight in Philadelphia, should give the Volunteers an orange mold to follow for the first time since 2014, the last year a Tennessee player was selected.
"It's a motivator, watching them at the NFL combine and at pro day," Taylor said. "It's an inspiration, and it makes you want to work for it, too."
A Tennessee player from nearly every position group is ranked in some fashion by ESPN draft analysts, and the Vols could have five players selected in the draft's first two days. The draft concludes Saturday.
"For this team, I think it serves as motivation for them," defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said. "It's almost like a field trip when you take them to the pro day and they look at it and say, 'This is exciting' and 'I can do that'."
Tennessee's March 31 pro day featured representatives from all 32 NFL franchises. The buzz gives the coaching staff ammunition to impress high school players who have their eyes fixed on the NFL.
The group of Vols likely to be selected this week were part of Jones' recruiting classes in Knoxville, and the coaches can point to the success of those players to generate credibility.
Jashaun Corbin, a running back who committed to Tennessee's 2018 signing class last weekend, told reporters that Vols coaches pitched him on being used similarly to Alvin Kamara. A dynamic running back, Kamara is likely to be selected Friday.
"Anything you can do to get the Power T and the brand out there is going to be positive in recruiting," Shoop said. "For the future of the program, it's about the recruiting piece. It's people seeing that thirty-two NFL teams came here, that (Pittsburgh Steelers coach) Mike Tomlin was here and that certain NFL executives have been here."
The interest from professional franchises in the talent produced by Tennessee represents a marked change from earlier in Jones' tenure.
The Miami Dolphins selected offensive tackle Ja'Wuan James in the first round after Jones' first season. Zach Fulton and Daniel McCullers were taken later in the draft that year, but no one has been selected from Tennessee in the two years since.
"When I came here after my freshman year, nobody (from the NFL) was out here," Corey Vereen said after Tennessee's pro day. "I promise you."
Vereen, a defensive end, has positioned himself as a possible late-round selection or free-agent signee. And he's just one of the players who have given the younger Vols a benchmark to strive for.
"They've created a standard," Taylor said. "We've got to live up to it. We're playing at Tennessee, and they played at Tennessee. So we've got to live up to it."
Contact staff writer David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.