KNOXVILLE - The three-month job audition begins this week for two former University of Tennessee football stars.
Quarterback Josh Dobbs and cornerback Cameron Sutton are representing the Volunteers this week at the Senior Bowl. Practices, televised live on the NFL Network, begin this afternoon in Mobile, Ala.
Tennessee linebacker Darrin Kirkland, Jr., left, and defensive back Cameron Sutton bring down Nebraska's Terrell Newby in the first half of the Vols' Music City Bowl game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Nissan Stadium on Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. Tennessee won 38-24.The practices and the game are the premier opportunity for graduated college players to prove themselves with NFL personnel in attendance, and the draft stocks for both Dobbs and Sutton will be at stake as they prepare for April's draft.
"It's very important," Dobbs said last month. "We're representing our brand - our personal brands and the University of Tennessee brand. Obviously it's a big event for us and our futures, and we're representing the program.
"We want to go out and perform well, whether it's on the field in the practices and in the game or off the field in the meetings and in the interviews and in the various things that go on at the event. We'll be excited for that event. I know me and Cam will be well-prepared once we get down there, and we'll definitely make the most of that opportunity."
So far the former Vols generating the most NFL draft buzz are defensive end Derek Barnett, a projected first-round pick, and running back Alvin Kamara, who's shooting up draft boards and receiving some first- and second-round projections.
Wide receiver Josh Malone joined Barnett and Kamara as Tennessee's early entrants, but Sutton and Dobbs are among the seniors hoping to bolster the 2017 draft class for a program coming off two drafts with zero players taken.
Both Dobbs and Sutton have something to prove.
Sutton considered entering the draft after his junior season but elected to return to Tennessee. The former All-SEC selection hurt his ankle three games into the season and didn't return until November. When Sutton was back in the lineup, he hardly resembled the player who was a borderline lockdown corner during parts of his sophomore and junior seasons.
To his credit, Sutton could have put his Tennessee career aside and focused on the draft after his injury, but instead he worked his way back onto the field and played at less than 100 percent.
"Obviously I had my times where I felt down and wanted to be out there," he said last month. "I couldn't, but I couldn't let my teammates see that and couldn't let the coaches see that, obviously, because they'll feed off of that. I had to be consistent with my approach and how I carried myself each and every day, just being positive in my attitude."
On talent alone Sutton may not last until the draft's third day, but with a solid performance this week alongside other corners such as LSU's Tre'Davious White, Michigan's Jourdan Lewis, Iowa's Desmond King and Miami's Corn Elder, he could position himself to be selected in the first three rounds.
There might be more at stake for Dobbs, who will have to show more consistent accuracy as a passer to prove he can be an effective NFL quarterback.
"Josh Dobbs' inconsistency was maddening for Tennessee fans," Pro Football Focus analyst Steve Palazzolo wrote in his scouting report of Dobbs, "but he did an exceptional job this season making big plays under pressure, tying for the national lead with 12 touchdowns and ranking fourth with a passer rating of 105.4 when pressured.
"For Dobbs, it's all about improving his accuracy at the short and intermediate levels, though he made strides in both areas this season."
The other five quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl are California's Davis Webb, Colorado's Sefo Liufau, Antonio Pipkin from Division II Tiffin University, Iowa's C.J. Beathard and Pittsburgh's Nathan Peterman, Dobbs' former Tennessee teammate.
"It was definitely a great honor to receive," Dobbs said. "I'm definitely honored to play in the game and be blessed with that opportunity. Now my goal is the make the most of the opportunity and continue to grow and perfect my craft and my draft stock and continue to go from there."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.