The Tennessee Volunteers have seen 17 players selected in the NFL Draft during the Josh Heupel era, which began with the 2022 NFL Draft. Among those 17 players, there have been two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and five third-round picks. The Vols are hoping to add a handful more players to that overall number when the 2026 draft rolls around next spring.
ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. released a post-regular season update to his big board rankings last week, which categorizes his top ten prospects at each position. After a quick scan, there are certainly some names that are familiar to Tennessee fans who could, and in many cases are likely to, go in the upcoming draft.
The first notable category is at cornerback, where Kiper has Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy as his top overall player at the position. Despite the ACL injury that kept McCoy sidelined for the entire 2025 season, Kiper believes that his tape from the 2024 season is enough to keep him as a first-round talent.
“McCoy’s ball-hawking traits really emerged once transferring to Tennessee, as he picked off four passes and broke up nine last season. His on-the-ball production will get Day 1 interest,” Kiper wrote, listing McCoy as his 13th overall player in the entire 2026 draft class.
Kiper also has Tennessee’s Colton Hood as his sixth-ranked cornerback in the draft class. Hood hasn’t declared for the draft as of this publication, but his outstanding play on the field for the Vols has his name buzzing in draft circles as of late. ESPN’s Field Yates even tagged him as a first-round pick in last week’s latest mock draft.
“Hood has some areas to clean up with his technique, but there’s an infectious energy that you see every time you watch him play,” Yates writes. “He posted 10 pass breakups this season — his first with Tennessee after spending one season at Colorado and his freshman year at Auburn. Hood loves the challenge of man coverage and can be an aggressive player in run support.”
More From RTI: Ranking Tennessee Football’s Biggest Positions Of Need In The Transfer Portal
Someone who has already made his declaration for the NFL Draft is Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell, who has opted out of the Vols’ Music City Bowl game against Illinois at the end of the month. Brazzell is Kiper’s seventh-ranked wide receiver in the class after leading the SEC in both yards (1,017) and touchdowns (9) this past season. The 6-foot-5 playmaker emerged as a big-time deep threat in his breakout year for the Vols.
Tennessee has churned out some productive EDGE rushers in recent years with Byron Young and James Pearce Jr., and Joshua Josephs could be the next to fall in that category. Kiper has Josephs listed as the seventh-ranked outside linebacker in his rankings after a four-sack season this past year. Josephs was statistically better earlier in the year than late, but he has shown many of the traits that scouts and coaches are looking for at the next level.
The last player Tennessee player that Kiper has written down is tight end Miles Kitselman, who didn’t make the Top 10 tight end rankings but is listed in the “just missed the cut” category. Kitselman’s season ended with an injury that took him out of the final three games of the season. Kitselman might not necessarily be top-end elite in any one particular category, but he’s solid at everything that is asked of the position. That sort of combination could prove to have longevity if he can find the right fit in the NFL.
The 2026 NFL Draft will take place from Thursday, Apr. 23, to Saturday, Apr. 25, in Green Bay. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more NFL Draft news as the college football season winds down and the draft season begins to heat up.
