Tennessee is on its most productive NFL Draft run since the end of the Phillip Fulmer Era in the late 2000s, producing 17 picks over the past four years under head coach Josh Heupel. Coming off the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance in 2024, the Vols had four picks this year – edge defender James Pearce Jr. became Heupel’s second first-rounder, Omarr Norman-Lott went from Tennessee’s deep defensive line rotation to the second round and wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. and running back Dylan Sampson were fourth-round picks – to give them their best four-year total since 2005-08 (17). Tennessee would love to keep the success on the field and in the draft going under Heupel, and the Vols have several potential NFL prospects for next year.
The obvious disclaimer here is the 2026 NFL Draft is a long, long way away, and so much can and will happen between now and then. Case in point: Who would have had Pearce going late in the first round or Thornton getting drafted at all this time a year ago? (We did have Thornton on this list a year ago, by the way.)
Every year, though, the Vols have had players from off the radar or down the rankings play themselves into where they drafted or getting drafted at all thanks to their performances and their development on and off the field. Tennessee might be trending younger in 2025, but already has some players on the NFL’s radar as scouts and front-office personnel are regulars at Neyland Stadium and other SEC venues. So it goes without saying that those players and other potential pro prospects have to perform and produce at a high level to raise their NFL profiles.
GoVols247 takes an in-depth look at 13 Tennessee players who could become NFL Draft picks in 2026.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
