Tennessee football is positioning itself to have an extremely successful 2026 NFL Draft. With likely five, if not six, players being selected, it creates a great recruiting tool for Josh Heupel as he continues to pump out talent to the next level on both sides of the ball.
Where will UT’s former stars go, though? ESPN’s Jordan Reid compiled his final mock draft, featuring all seven rounds, and placed five former Vols on the list.
The first off the board is cornerback Jermod McCoy, though he wasn’t able to play this past season due to a torn ACL in the winter. Reid has McCoy headed to Tampa Bay to join the Buccaneers. This is with the 15th overall pick, right in the middle of the first round.
“Tampa Bay has major question marks in its cornerbacks room. Jamel Dean signed with the Steelers this offseason, Zyon McCollum didn’t play to his potential after signing a long-term extension, and Benjamin Morrison was highly inconsistent as a rookie,” Reid wrote. “So, adding McCoy makes sense, especially with GM Jason Licht’s penchant for taking the best player available even if it doesn’t seem like the team’s biggest need on the surface (see: Emeka Egbuka last year). McCoy missed last season with a torn ACL but has shown true shutdown ability when healthy.”
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Also slotted in the first round is cornerback Colton Hood. He joined the Vols in the spring last year before having a terrific season with McCoy and Rickey Gibson III sidelined for the year.
Reid has Hood at pick No. 29 to the Kansas City Chiefs. This would team him up with former Vols Trey Smith and Omarr Norman-Lott.
“The Chiefs have a huge hole at corner after Trent McDuffie (trade) and Jaylen Watson (free agency) were lost to the Rams,” Reid wrote. “Hood is a polished technician who is capable of playing man, but his eye discipline in zone also stood out last season. His ability to play a mixture of coverages fits the Chiefs’ scheme, and Hood has the skill set to be an immediate starter in Kansas City.”
The next two Tennessee players off the board are projected to be taken in the third round. At pick No. 88 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, edge rusher Joshua Josephs is slotted. Then, at pick No. 91, the Buffalo Bills are projected to take wide receiver Chris Brazzell.
The final pick is defensive tackle Bryson Eason. He’s shot up boards recently, and Reid is high on the interior defensive lineman. He has Eason going at No. 180 in the fifth round to the Dallas Cowboys.
