The 2025 NFL Draft is just over a week away with the action kicking off on Thursday, April 24, in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
As the draft storylines continue heating up, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates compiled a mock draft of the first three rounds ahead of next Thursday’s opening coverage. Their selections included a trio of Tennessee Volunteers in the 102 projected picks.
The first former Vol on the list is EDGE rusher James Pearce Jr. as a second-round projection, which is quite a drop from even recent projections. ESPN put out two mock drafts in the last two weeks that had Pearce sliding but still being taken as a late first-round pick. Yates now has Pearce going 43rd overall to the San Francisco 49ers.
“San Francisco will be using its 11 picks to check off needs, one of which is pass-rush depth,” Yates writes. “Pearce displays effortless movement skills and bend off the edge.”
Pearce appears to be on the fringe of the first and second rounds despite putting together a strong combine performance. The former Vol ran the fastest 40-yard dash among all defensive linemen at 4.47 seconds. Pearce’s landing spot could wind up being one of the more prevalent storylines late on day one of the draft.
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The next Tennessee player off the board would be a reunion in the Lone Star State. Kiper has the Dallas Cowboys selecting running back Dylan Sampson with the 76th overall pick in the third round. A selection from Dallas would reunite Sampson with former Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton, who the Cowboys just traded for earlier in the month.
“The Cowboys focused on other needs early, but they finally get their running back — and Sampson has good upside,” Kiper writes. “He ran for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns last season.”
The 5-foot-11 running back set Tennessee’s all-time record for single-season rushing touchdowns (22) and rushing yards (1,491) during his final season on Rocky Top, finding success throughout the year in a variety of ways on the ground. With the Cowboys’ need to find more explosivity in its ground game in 2025, Sampson could be an intriguing option for Jerry Jones.
The final player in ESPN’s three-round projection from Tennessee is another NFC East selection. Field Yates has the New York Giants taking former Tennessee defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott at No. 99 overall in the third round.
“The Giants already have an elite interior presence in Dexter Lawrence II, but they lack a lot of depth,” Yates writes. “And Norman-Lott could contribute early in the pass rush (9.5 sacks in the past two seasons).”
Josh Heupel, entering his fifth season on Rocky Top in the fall of 2025, has put 13 players into the league through the NFL draft since arriving in Knoxville: (2022) Alontae Taylor, Velus Jones Jr., Matthew Butler, Cade Mays, Theo Jackson, (2023) Darnell Wright, Hendon Hooker, Jalin Hyatt, Cedric Tillman, Byron Young, (2024) Jaylen Wright, Joe Milton, and Kamal Hadden.
The 2025 NFL Draft will take place from Apr. 24 to Apr. 26, 2025, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The event will be held in Lambeau Field and the surrounding areas.
Check out the full three-round mock draft from ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates here.
