Tennessee receiver Chris Brazzell II announced he is declaring for the NFL Draft and forgoing his final year of college eligibility on his Instagram Thursday afternoon. Brazzell also announced that he is opting out of the Music City Bowl and will begin preparing for the draft.
“I want to start by thanking God for every opportunity and for guiding me throughout this entire journey,” Brazzell wrote in a statement. “I’m grateful for my my family, teammates, and coaches for believing in me and pushing me to grow on-and-off the field.
“To the University of Tennessee, thank you for welcoming me and allowing me to take the next step in my career. The support, the experiences, and the people here have meant to more to me than I can put into words. After a lot of prayer and conversations with people cloest to m, I’ve decided that I will be declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Brazzell was a breakout star on Tennessee’s offense this season, earning First Team All-SEC honors while being a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award.
The 6-foot-5 receiver transferred from Tulane to Tennessee after the 2023 season. While Brazzell started in his first season at Tennessee he also struggled, catching just 29 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns.
Brazzell eclipsed his 2024 season stats by the end of September in his redshirt junior season. He finished the season with 62 catches for 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns. Brazzell broke onto the scene with a massive six-catch, 177-yard, three-touchdown performance against Georgia in September.
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The Midland, Texas native’s numbers slowed down over the course of the season but he still finished the season four games eclipsing 100 yards.
Brazzell flew up draft boards this season and currently projects as a late first round and second round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. He also graduated this semester and is set to walk on Friday. Graduating is always a worthwhile accomplishment but is all the more so during the current transfer portal era.
Despite losing Brazzell to professional football, Tennessee still could have one of the SEC’s best returning receiver cores next season. The Vols are in line to return SEC Freshman of the Year Braylon Staley as well as talented sophomore Mike Matthews— both of which finished in the top 10 of the SEC in receiving yards last season.
Staley caught 64 passes for 806 yards and six touchdowns last season while Matthews caught 50 passes for 770 yards and four touchdowns. The Vols also return freshmen receivers Radarious Jackson and Travis Smith Jr while adding five-star freshman Tristen Keys to the mix.
Brazzell is the second Tennessee junior to declare for the NFL Draft along with cornerback Jermod McCoy. Left tackle Lance Heard and cornerback Colton Hood are also players with more collegiate eligibility who could opt to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft.
