KNOXVILLE – Tennessee’s two-year hiatus from the NFL draft will end in the final weekend in April, and the Volunteers could return to the annual three-day event in a big way.
While the Southeastern Conference had 105 picks the past two drafts, Tennessee, which prides itself on producing NFL players, did not have a single one, and the dry spell was a problem Butch Jones and the Vols have dealt with in recruiting.
Since the season-ending Music City Bowl win, three Vols – All-America defensive end Derek Barnett, running back Alvin Kamara and wide receiver Josh Malone – announced they were skipping their senior seasons to enter the draft.
Tennessee is in line to have as many as five players taken, led by Barnett, a projected first-round pick.
“I really wasn’t looking that far ahead,” Barnett said last week, “but I told myself as soon as I go to UT, I’m going to give it all I’ve got and just play hard every play and make an impact and be a difference maker. I told myself if I did that, everything else would take care of itself, and I’m just lucky to be in this position I’m in right now. I’m grateful.”