KNOXVILLE – Derek Barnett could have some company from another former Tennessee star on the first night of the NFL draft in late April.
The All-America defensive end isn’t the only former Volunteer generating first-round projections.
Running back Alvin Kamara, who decided to forgo his senior season at Tennessee, is popping up in the first 32 picks in a couple of mock drafts released this week by NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah and ESPN’s Todd McShay.
Though he spent much of his two-year career with the Vols in the shadow of Jalen Hurd, Kamara erupted toward the end of the 2016 season after Hurd’s exit, and his draft stock has risen since then.
NFL Network analyst and former Vol Charles Davis said last week that he was “not surprised” by the growing interest in Kamara.
“When you watch how the game’s played – and let’s just (look) at Super Bowl Sunday – three guys who will be key to their teams winning are Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman for Atlanta, and you flip it over to Dion Lewis and, in another way, James White – I’ll make it a fourth guy for New England – this is what we’re looking at in the NFL.
“It’s not just are you a heavy-duty ball carrier. Adrian Peterson is almost the last of a dying breed in terms of what we’re looking at right now where his talent is carrying the football and not much else.”
With 14 catches for 110 yards and two rushing touchdowns, White starred in New England’s comeback Super Bowl win, while Freeman totaled 121 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Kamara’s similar versatility is making him an attractive potential option for NFL teams.
The 5-foot-10, 215-pound Alabama transfer by way of junior college set Tennessee’s single-game all-purpose-yardage record with 312 yards against Texas A&M in October. He ran 18 times for 127 yards, caught eight passes for 161 yards and gained 24 yards on one kick return and three punt returns.
In Tennessee’s final four games Kamara ran 39 times for 283 yards, caught 18 passes for 132 yards and scored seven of his 13 touchdowns for the season.
In his updated mock draft, Jeremiah had Kamara going 19th to Tampa Bay, and last month he ranked him 26th among all prospects for the 2017 draft.
“Kamara has ideal size, speed and instincts for the position,” Jeremiah wrote in his scouting report. “On inside runs, he has a slashing running style and the ability to get skinny through the hole. His lateral quickness is off the charts and he gets up to top speed in a hurry. He has surprising power at all three levels. Against Vanderbilt, he broke six tackles on the same play.
“He has the speed to get to the edge on outside runs, and he’s very elusive in space. He is dangerous in the passing game. He has natural hands and has shown the ability to make special catches. The major knock on Kamara is the lack of carries he had during his college career; he’s never carried the ball more than 18 times.
“However, he has an elite skill set and could end up being the best running back in the entire draft class.”
McShay’s mock draft has Kamara going 29th to Green Bay, and the only running backs other than Kamara are LSU’s Leonard Fournette (eighth to Carolina) and Florida State’s Dalvin Cook (15th to Indianapolis).
“Kamara is an underrated talent who will continue to rise as we get closer to the draft,” McShay wrote. “He has the vision and lateral quickness you look for in a runner and the power to break a lot of tackles. Kamara averaged 6.2 yards per carry, showing the ability to create plays on his own, which is among the most important things a back can do.”
Davis also compared Kamara to a smaller version of Arian Foster, the former Tennessee star who enjoyed a productive professional spell with the Houston Texas after going undrafted.
“He was a big-time runner, could run it inside, could get to the edge and be a perimeter guy and then of course catch it out of the backfield and hurt you that way,” Davis explained. “Kamara, I’m just going to tell you, by the time this thing’s done, I have a strong belief that all 32 teams in the league will have a first-round grade on him.
“Now whether he’ll get drafted in the first round is a whole other story, because this is the year of the runner. It’s a running back renaissance that you college guys are sending out and it’s awesome, but his talent, what you’re looking for, how you want to utlize players on offense, he’s exactly what people are looking for. I’m not surprised at all.”
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.