Josh Heupel talks NFL Draft and Tennessee football on Nashville radio

Everything Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel said Thursday morning during an appearance on the ‘Ramon, Kayla & Will’ Show on Nashville’s 104.5-FM The Zone, discussing Tennessee players in this weekend’s NFL Draft and looking ahead to the rest of the offseason for his football team:

What NFL Draft day is like as a college football head coach

“Man, so excited for today. These guys have put so much work into it. You just think back to when I got here and what they’ve done for Tennessee football, flipping the culture, obviously flipping the trajectory. Now you get a chance to see them on the backend of their process as they prepare for the next step. These guys have handled it extremely well and cannot wait for the weekend, for tonight for some of our guys. There is nothing better than seeing kids realize their childhood dreams. It’s pretty cool.”

What he says to NFL personnel asking about the offense and how it translates for Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt

“Man, based on the questions I’m getting, I feel like you’re going to continue to see more of that stuff (in the NFL), if I get asked about our stack package or our space any more, in a positive way. I’m trying to keep everything in house here. These guys, they’re dynamic playmakers. Hendon, two seasons right? I mean, his touchdown-to-interception ratio is as good as anybody in the history of the game. His decision-making, his accuracy, his ability to make plays with his feet, how decisive he is with his eyes, fundamentally how sound he is, being in a balanced position in the pocket, pocket movement and then escaping and making plays. He’s going to be able to correlate everything he’s done through his college career. I think that’s going to help him transition really quickly into the NFL. It’s going to allow him to play at a really high level really quickly. And obviously he’s an infectious leader.

“You talk about Jalin (Hyatt) now, that’s a guy that finished college football this year as the best wide receiver in college football. There was nobody that was more explosive than he was. At the end of the day, as a coaching staff you’re always trying to get your guys into one-on-one situations and then give them the ability to make sure they have the physical tools to go win. This guy has done it against the best in the country. You play in this league, what he’s done week in and week out, it’s really special. And he’s a young player, too. He’s three years into his career. His best football is still out in front of him. But there’s nobody that has the elite speed and the traits that he does, that you want to push the ball vertically down the football field.”

What it’s been like to watch Darnell Wright do what he’s done the last two years, getting to this point as a possible first-round pick 

“It’s been really cool to see his journey. From when we got here, a kid that came out of his shell, gained confidence, became a technician at the offensive line position. Coach Elarbee has done an unbelievable job of helping him grow on and off the field. He’s got elite traits, man. He is extremely special, just what God gave him and what he’s continued to develop. He’s going to play in that league for a long time at a really high level. To see him handle the process, he’s a young man that, we were finishing up our regular season, in a position ‘Do I come back? Do I not? What are the reasons for that? Am I ready to handle the draft process?’ Ultimately, excited about the decision that he made. Because he did feel like he was ready and he has, man. The Senior Bowl, the feedback we got while I was there and afterwards, how he’s handled the Combine, the interview process, it’s really cool to see a young man propel himself the way he has. Really excited about tonight for him.”

What Byron Young has been through and been able to do to get to this point in the draft

“Man, it’s the story about what college — the academic and the athletic opportunity that these guys have. You get an opportunity to change your life for the rest of your life. And ‘BY’ is a perfect example of that. A guy that has grown so much just in his ability to communicate, his leadership traits while he was here over the course of two years. Fundamentally really grew. He’s a guy that, when he got here, was really young in his football career, being at the junior college for a year there. And everybody knows his (story) until now, the first couple nights, that guy is going to have his name called and be heading off to a new NFL city. His best football is still way out in front of him. But man, what an unbelievable story. Love his work ethic. He’s handled the process extremely well too. He’s just gotten rave reviews from NFL people as we’ve talked to him here on the back half of the process.”

The pride he’ll have watching his players hear their name called in the draft

“It’s better than having your own name called. It’s a chance to be part of somebody’s journey and see them grow and have their name called on a night like tonight. It’s hard to even put into words. You know that their journey and their life is off to such a great start. And they are young men that have grown and gosh, it’s a really cool part, or a chance to be a part of as a coach. The back end of the career with them, but it’s one of the most special moments you have with them.”

Cedric Tillman in the NFL Draft, his future in the league and if he’s under the radar

“Yeah, missed eight or nine games this year with injury. He had no control of that. He’s handled it in such a great way. He was a great teammate inside of this building every single day. Huge part of the turnaround here. I don’t know that I would describe him as under the radar, with the amount of calls I’ve gotten. I think he’s continuing to pick up steam and (I’m) expecting him to have his name called really early. Special to have two wide outs (Tillman and Jalin Hyatt) that are going to go as early as those two guys are. They’re different in the play style a little bit, but both are going to have great careers. Ced is obviously big, strong, great catch radiums and knows how to use his body extremely well.”

The different play styles and body style of Cedric Tillman and Jalin Hyatt and how much that helps Tennessee in recruiting wide receivers

“I think it’s really unique. You can go back even a year in the draft and you look at Velus (Jones Jr.), who was different than Jalin is. And Ced is obviously different too. I feel like we’re going to have some guys that play at an elite level next fall, too, that will eventually get their names called. I think it speaks to what we do as a coaching staff. We have a philosophical belief that we’re putting these guys in a position to maximize who they are as players. And put them in a position to change the game in the way that we play offensively. The great traits about Jalin and Ced, you mentioned their differences, their work ethic, how they approach coming into the building every single day, how they impact the people in the position room, affect the team as well, whoever drafts them, they’re going to get a guy that acts like and operates like a pro from the moment that they step inside their building. Really proud of what those guys do. That’s what we’re continuing to try to develop and build, great leadership traits, great work traits, so that these guys can absolutely know what they’re getting when they draft a Volunteer.”

What the summer looks like for Joe Milton III, the offense and this Tennessee football team

“I’m excited about a lot of the guys on the defensive side of the ball … we’re going to continue to make another step on the defensive side of the ball. And we’re going to play elite defense here. There’s no doubt about that. I am excited about what we have inside of this building. From the moment we got back in January, I truly know that the work habits have continued to heighten. Guys are back in here. We work out in the mornings and guys are back around dinner time. They’re always doing extra stuff. It’s fun to see the culture, the connection. They enjoy being around each other. They love to work together. Old guys are helping young guys inside the meeting room, out on the practice field, out just doing extra work. We’ve got great energy, great focus. Spring ball, I was really happy with (it). You always want more out of it, but at the same time, I thought how we grew fundamentally, their focus every single day and how physical the spring was, I really loved the work that we got into. And we’ve been able to have some fun on the back end of it. Had a little softball game Monday after the spring game. Coaches won, in case you were wondering. And then we went to Dollywood too. It’s been fun. This is a great time of year. We’ve got to finish this semester the right way and put ourselves in position to have a great summer. We continue to work the way that we have, good things will happen for us.”

The pride he takes in Joe Milton III stepping into the leadership role as Tennessee’s quarterback

“Really proud of his habits, of being super consistent — emotionally, physically, his work habits in the building. I love the steps that he’s taken in affecting our football team. He was a very strong leader a year ago. And sometimes from the outside, didn’t get a chance to talk about it. People didn’t get a chance to see it as much. He really helped support Hendon in a really positive way, as a great leader inside of our program. Joe has stepped to the forefront. We need other guys around him to continue to step up their leadership too so that the locker room is controlling the locker room. That’s where championship seasons happen. It comes from within. And we need some of those guys to continue to step up, but really love what Joe has done.”