Where Tennessee CB Kamal Hadden could be picked in NFL Draft after shoulder injury
Kamal Hadden was starring in Tennessee football’s defense last season, intercepting there passes and recording 19 tackles in seven games before being lost to a season-ending shoulder injury in the loss at Alabama in October.
Unfortunately, the shoulder surgery that followed Hadden’s injury in the fall will keep him limited to the later rounds of this week’s NFL Draft, should the former Tennessee cornerback hear his name called at all.
“He’s got the shoulder surgery, coming off that,” NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said on a conference call with reporters last week. “He’s got some play-making ability, but I think he’s a late (round pick) as well.”
NFL Draft: First Round, Thursday, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN, NFL Network
The NFL Draft starts with the first round Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (TV: ESPN, ABC, NFL Network) in Detroit. Round 2 and Round 3 is Friday, starting at 7 p.m. ET, and Rounds 4-7 will be Saturday, beginning at Noon ET.
Over the last three seasons Hadden recorded 87 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, six interceptions, 18 passes defended and two forced fumbles.
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Hadden had 51 tackles and two interceptions in nine games in 2022 and 17 tackles and one pick in seven games in 2021. Last season he had 13 solo tackles, six assists and had eight passes defended to go with his career-high three interceptions.
He had 33 return yards on the three picks, including taking one back for a touchdown in Tennessee’s home win over South Carolina.
According to Pro Football Focus stats, Hadden allowed 12 receptions on 33 targets last season. He was called for just two penalties in the seven games.
What Kamal Hadden said after suffering season-ending shoulder injury
Hadden addressed the disappointment of the season-ending shoulder injury, and the progress he had made with the Vols, in the days after suffering the injury in October:
“I put everything I had in it. Just to get right this last round, Learning how to not always be right, but also Learning how to be right and still make correction to be even better. Learning it’s a right way and it’s a wrong way to situations. I was stuck in my ways for a long time thinking I had all the answers. With time I learned change is a part of growing, and you gotta sacrifice to grow.
“I was just getting comfortable, the work was just starting to show, I was showing the world what I already knew. My last year, my bag year, and I strike out.. I feel like I let everybody down. The fam, gang, the team, everybody.
“But I always took the longer route, I always was in a fight with adversity, I always had it a lil harder, I always wanted it a lil tougher cause at the end the win a lil more greater … I’ll be having season ending surgery this morning. The get back start now.”
