LaTrell Bumphus signs with New York Giants as undrafted free agent
LaTrell Bumphus has signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Giants, a deal that will give the Tennessee football veteran an NFL opportunity at rookie mini camp.
Bumphus in six seasons at Tennessee had 65 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss and three sacks, in 55 games. He switched to defense in 2019, playing his final four seasons with the Vols on that side of the ball.
He started his career at Tennessee as a tight end before moving to defensive tackle. He had 23 tackles and was second on the team with six tackles for loss in 2019. He had 14 tackles in five games in 2020 and seven tackles in four games in 2021, before playing in all 13 games last season, finishing with 21 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss.
He suffered a season-ending knee injury during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He earned two degrees at Tennessee: An undergraduate degree in December 2021 and a master’s degree in 2022.
Bumphus was a four-star prospect in the 2017 recruiting cycle, ranked No. 362 overall in the On3 Industry Ranking and No. 32 among defensive linemen. He was the No. 12 overall prospect in the state of Tennessee out of Hardin County High School in Savannah, Tenn.
Tennessee had five players selected in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. Offensive tackle Darnell Wright went at No. 10 overall in the first round Thursday night to the Chicago Bears. Quarterback Hendon Hooker was next at No. 68 overall, taken by the Detroit Lions Friday night, the start of a run of four Vols selected in the third round.
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Wide receivers Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman went with back-to-back picks. Hyatt was No. 73 overall, landing with the New York Giants, while Tillman went at No. 74 to the Cleveland Browns. The run ended with edge rusher Byron Young going to the Los Angeles Rams at No. 77 overall.
“These guys have put so much work into it,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said Thursday during an appearance on Ramon, Kayla and Will on 104.5-FM The Zone in Nashville. “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.”
Tennessee had five players picked in the 2022 NFL Draft — the most since 2017 — between the second and sixth rounds. There were two Vols picked in both 2020 and 2021 and three picked in 2018.
