While he didn’t finish his career with Tennessee football, former Vols safety Jakobe Thomas has been selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. In the third round and with the 98th overall selection, Thomas was picked by the Minnesota Vikings. He’ll now join former UT standout Theo Jackson at safety for the franchise.
To round out his career, Thomas transferred to Miami in the spring window. There, he emerged as one of the country’s finest safeties. For the College Football Playoff title game runner-up Hurricanes, he posted 75 tackles, six passes defended, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and five interceptions. This included a 73-yard return for a touchdown.
The year prior, Thomas was a part of Tennessee’s vaunted 2024 defense. As a backup safety, he earned 22 tackles, two passes defended and a sack. He played behind Andre Turrentine and Will Brooks that season.
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Thomas is a native of Tullahoma, Tennessee. He began his career with two seasons at MTSU before entering the portal and landing with the Vols.
He is now the third player this draft to have previously played for UT to be selected. Ahead of him, Tennessee 2025 standouts Colton Hood and Chris Brazzell were picked. Hood is headed to the New York Giants after being selected 37th overall in the second round. Brazzell is joining the Carolina Panthers while being picked 83rd overall and in the third round.
Notably, cornerback Jermod McCoy has fallen out of the first two days. Due to concerns about his knee injury that forced him to sit out for the 2025 season, teams aren’t willing to use a pick on him just yet.
The other player almost certainly to be selected on Saturday in rounds four through seven is edge rusher Joshua Josephs. Defensive linemen Bryson Eason and Tyre West are also generating buzz as potential picks.
