Neither Derrick Lott nor Davis Tull was on scholarship at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga when they started their respective college football careers. Lott was part of the Georgia program for two seasons before transferring to the Mocs, while Tull was a walk-on at UTC.
Tull’s hard work, along with his immense talent, led to a career in which he finished with a Southern Conference-record 37 sacks as a defensive lineman. He was named to an All-America team in each of his four seasons, to go along with three selections as Southern Conference defensive player of the year.
UTC defensive lineman Davis Tull works out as NFL scouts watch during UTC’s Pro Day. Scouts from 23 NFL teams were on hand to watch UTC senior football players who are now draft eligible.2015 NFL Draft schedule
At Chicago Thursday, April 30 (8 p.m.) First Round (10 minutes) Friday, May 1 (7 p.m.) Second Round (7 minutes) Third Round (5 minutes) Saturday, May 2 (Noon) Fourth-Sixth Rounds (5 minutes) Seventh Round (4 minutes) First Round Order 1. Tampa Bay 2. Tennessee 3. Jacksonville 4. Oakland 5. Washington 6. N.Y. Jets 7. Chicago 8. Atlanta 9. N.Y. Giants 10. St. Louis 11. Minnesota 12. Cleveland 13. New Orleans 14. Miami 15. San Francisco 16. Houston 17. San Diego 18. Kansas City 19. Cleveland (from Buffalo) 20. Philadelphia 21. Cincinnati 22. Pittsburgh 23. Detroit 24. Arizona 25. Carolina 26. Baltimore 27. Dallas 28. Denver 29. Indianapolis 30. Green Bay 31. New Orleans (from Seattle) 32. New England
Lott’s 6-foot-4, 314-pound frame and nimble feet made him a force at defensive tackle. He was named first-team All-SoCon his final season despite not starting a game, with six sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss.
Both continued to impress at the NFL combine. Lott’s 4.99-second 40-yard dash and Tull’s 42.5-inch vertical leap — as well as a 4.57 in the 40 at his pro day — made both of them intriguing prospects.
They’ve since done interviews with NFL clubs as well as private workouts with teams. The hard part is over.
Now the wait begins.
The two hope to hear their names selected when the NFL draft begins Thursday in Chicago with first-round coverage. The draft resumes Friday afternoon with rounds two and three, and the final four rounds are set for Saturday. Projections have Tull anywhere from the fourth to the seventh round, while Lott is fourth in one projection, fifth in a second and sixth in a third mock draft.
Both will be close to their homes watching this weekend — Lott in Atlanta, Tull in Knoxville. Lott has spent a good portion of his free time hanging out with friends when he wasn’t working out to stay ready. He said Tuesday that he took in the new movie “Fast 7” while waiting for the draft.
“It’s been a hectic process,” he admitted. “I’ve really just tried to stay around positive people to help me not worry so much about the draft — mainly people that have always been there for me that have had a positive impact.”
UTC defensive line coach Marcus West has a vested interest in seeing two guys he coached get drafted this weekend, and he said the wait will be nearly as tough for him as it will be for the players.
“The crazy thing is at some point in time, one of those guys will take a deep breath,” West said, referring to when the first of the two guys hears his name called. “I won’t take a deep breath until the second one is called. I’ll be taking breaths with them.”
West said Lott recently has started realizing his potential. Perhaps it was his impressive combine performance, but as far as Lott is concerned, “The sky is the limit.”
“Derrick realizing his potential is only good for Derrick,” West said. “Hopefully it’s clicked. The thing is that he has a chance to make his life. Look at Buster Skrine (former UTC defensive back now with the New York Jets). He’ll never have to work another day in his life. This is good for Derrick more than anybody; I’m happy for him because he’s a good person. Even when people talked about his potential, he’s been a great person the whole time.
“He’s an awesome person who deserves this.”
Lott held individual workouts with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Meanwhile, Tull was in contact with the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco. He had to have surgery recently to repair a torn labrum but said Monday that that he’s on schedule to be healthy in time for training camp.
“This could be the fairytale ending to another chapter for Davis,” West said. “When he gets his named called, it gives hope to every walk-on in a program — that if they work hard enough, it could be you. His story is cool because it’s the American dream. It’s going to be the end of my chapter with Davis, but for him it starts something new when he gets his named called.”
West added that Tull is the type to “use the fact that he wasn’t the first pick in the draft as motivation.”
Tull seemed relaxed in talking about what is supposed to be that next chapter.
“I’ve tried to remain focused on the process and just keep a level head,” he said. “You realize that a lot of this is a crapshoot, and you can’t listen to most of what the draft projections say. I’ve just been staying busy, hanging out with friends and playing a bunch of NBA 2K.
“I’ve also done a bunch of reading.”
His book of choice? The Michael Jordan biography.
The goal? “Keep my eye on success.”
For Lott and Tull, the next step in the process could begin this weekend.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.