Recapping Tennessee's 2023 NFL Draft class, undrafted free agent signings

For the second year in a row, five Tennessee football players heard their names called in the NFL Draft. This time around, though, the Vols came off the board a little earlier. 

After having picks spread from the second to the sixth round in last year’s draft, this time the Vols had a first-rounder in Darnell Wright, at No. 10 overall to the Chicago Bears, then had four more picked in the third round over a span of nine selections. 

In 2022, it was defensive back Alontae Taylor in the second round (No. 49 overall, New Orleans Saints), wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (No. 71, Chicago Bears) in the third round and defensive lineman Matthew Butler (No. 175 overall, Las Vegas Raiders) in the fifth round. Offensive lineman Cade Mays (No. 199, Carolina Panthers) and defensive back Theo Jackson (No. 204) both went in the sixth round.

Wright was drafted on Thursday night, ahead of the run of Vols on Friday night in the third round. Quarterback Hendon Hooker went to the Detroit Lions at No. 68 overall then Jalin Hyatt came off the board at No. 73 to the New York Giants. Cedric Tillman made it back-to-back Tennessee picks when the Cleveland Browns selected him at No. 74 and edge rusher Byron Young rounded it out at No. 77 overall to the Los Angeles Rams.

Tennessee’s five draftees in the top-100 picks was second most for any college program, trailing only to Alabama (7) and coming in ahead of Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State, each with four. 

The five picks in the first three rounds was the most for the Vols since 2007, when defensive tackle Justin Harrell (No. 16 overall, Green Bay Packers) and wide receiver Robert Meachem (No. 27, New Orleans Saints) went in the first round, offensive tackle Arron Sears (No. 35, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and defensive end Turk McBride (No. 54, Kansas City Chiefs) in the second round and corner Jonathan Wade (No. 84, St. Louis Rams) went in the third.

It was the most third-round draft picks for Tennessee since 2003, when wide receiver Kelley Washington (No. 65, Cincinnati Bengals), tight end Jason Witten (No. 69, Dallas Cowboys) and defensive back Julian Battle (No. 92, Kansas City Chiefs) were all taken in the third.

Tennessee’s 2023 NFL Draft class, undrafted free agent signings:

Darnell Wright — First Round, No. 10 Overall, Chicago Bears

Wright parlayed two standout seasons at right tackle under head coach Josh Heupel into a top-ten pick in the NFL Draft. Now he’ll step in as the plug-and-play option for the Bears at the same position, likely starting at right tackle from Day 1.

Hendon Hooker — Third Round, No. 68 Overall, Detroit Lions 

Some mock drafts had Hooker as a candidate to be a first-round pick, but the run on quarterbacks was over early in the first round. Kentucky QB Will Levis slipped to the second round and Hooker landed with Detroit in the third. With the Lions he’ll be able to sit as a rookie behind Jared Goff while continuing his rehab from the torn ACL he suffered in November.

Jalin Hyatt — Third Round, No. 73 Overall, New York Giants

The Giants had a need for a speedy receiver that can take the top off of opposing defenses. That’s exactly what Hyatt provided Tennessee, starring as a junior last season, going for 1,267 yards — just 31 yards short of Tennessee’s single-season record — with a program-record 15 touchdowns, becoming the first Belitnikoff Award winner for the Vols.

Cedric Tillman — Third Round, No. 74 Overall, Cleveland Browns

Tillman was the first standout receiver of the Josh Heupel era, finishing the 2021 season with 1,081 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. He was slowed by a high-ankle sprain last season, but a 6-foot-3, 215-pounds with long arms and big hands, he has the ideal build to be a possession receiver in the NFL.

Byron Young — Third Round, No. 77 Overall, Los Angeles Rams

Young’s incredible story started as an assistant manager at a Dollar General in Columbus, Georgia, before he decided to try out at Georgia Military College. He parlayed junior college into a scholarship offer at Tennessee, then turned two standout seasons with the Vols into an NFL opportunity as a third-round pick. EPSN’s Louis Riddick on Friday night described Young as “Von Miller-like.”

Princeton Fant — Undrafted Free Agent, Dallas Cowboys

The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Fant accounted for nine total touchdowns and 324 yards during his final season at Tennessee as one of the most versatile options in Josh Heupel’s offense. Fant caught 22 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns, rushed six times for 17 yards and five touchdowns as a goal-line fullback and even threw a touchdown pass, a 66-yarder against UT Martin. 

Jerome Carvin — Undrafted Free Agent, Kansas City Chiefs 

Carvin started all 13 games each of the past two seasons for Josh Heupel’s fast-paced offense, mostly at left guard – though he filled in five games at center in 2021. Carvin did not allow a regular-season sack in each of the past two seasons. In total, the offensive lineman made 42 career starts and logged nearly 2,800 snaps on the interior of the Tennessee offensive line each of the past five seasons.

Jeremy Banks — Undrafted Free Agent, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Banks in five seasons at Tennessee recorded 219 tackles, 18.0 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He had three interceptions, eight passes deflected, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. He moved from running back earlier in his career with the Vols and found more success at linebacker.

Paxton Brooks — Undrafted Free Agent, Indianapolis Colts

Brooks signed with Indianapolis and will attempt to earn his spot with the Colts during rookie camp. Brooks over five seasons at Tennessee averaged 42.3 yards per punt on 163 punts in 61 games, punting for exactly 6,900 yards. He averaged a career best 44.0 yards per punt on 45 punts in 2021 and averaged 39.1 yards per punt on 38 attempts in 13 games last season.

LaTrell Bumphus — Undrafted Free Agent, New York Giants

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.