ESPN's seven-round NFL mock draft has five Vols in top-100 picks

ESPN’s Jordan Reid this week released his latest seven-round NFL mock draft, with seven Tennessee players being drafted and five picked in the top 100 of the draft. 

Offensive tackle Darnell Wright was first off the board in Reid’s mock draft, going at No. 17 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Wright, the 6-foot-6, 335-pound senior, was a breakout star on Tennessee’s offensive line last season. He was named First Team All-SEC by the Associated Press, USA Today and SEC Coaches and was a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award. He was twice named the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week.

“Wright’s ascension since 2021 arguably has been the highest of any prospect in this class,” Reid wrote. “There are several teams that view him as a prospect who can play either tackle spot or guard at a high level as a rookie.”

Jalin Hyatt projected as ‘a difference-maker as a vertical threat’ in NFL

Jalin Hyatt was the No. 41 pick in the mock draft, staying in state with the Tennessee Titans. 

“It shouldn’t come as a surprise if Hyatt is selected much earlier than this,” Reid wrote, “but opinions in the league are mixed on his next-level projection. One area all scouts agree on is his ability to be a difference-maker as a vertical threat. Coach Mike Vrabel has repeatedly said the Titans need to get faster.”

Hyatt, Tennessee’s first Biletnikoff Award winner, led college football and set a new Tennessee single-season record with 15 touchdowns while erupting onto the scene during his junior season. He finished with 1,267 receiving yards on the year.

Quarterback Hendon Hooker was the No. 55 overall pick to the Detroit Lions. Hooker has spent the last few weeks climbing draft boards after impressing NFL personnel during the pre-draft interview process.

Hooker, who tore his ACL in November, played two seasons at Tennessee, passing for 6,080 yards, 58 touchdowns and just five interceptions. In 11 games last season, Hooker completed 69.6 percent of his passes, throwing for 3,135 yards, 27 touchdowns and two interceptions.

“Hooker, who is still recovering from a late-season knee injury,” Reid wrote, “is widely viewed as the No. 5 quarterback in this class. He could be the eventual successor to Jared Goff.”

Tennessee’s Jerome Carvin, Jeremy Banks projected last late-round picks in NFL Draft

Reid had wide receiver Cedric Tillman picked by the New England Patriots at No. 76 overall. 

Tillman had a breakout redshirt junior season in 2021, catching 64 passes for 1,081 yards — fifth most in Tennessee football history — and 12 touchdowns. Last season he was limited to just six games played due to a high-ankle sprain suffered in a 63-6 win over Akron in September at Neyland Stadium. He caught 37 passes for 417 yards and three touchdowns over his final six games with the Vols.

“Tillman is a big 6-3 receiver who reminds me of Buffalo’s Gabe Davis,” Reid wrote. “He had 16.9 yards per reception in 2021, but he was used as a short-area target last season — his yards per catch dropped to 11.3.”

Edge rusher Byron Young rounded out the five Tennessee selections in the top-100 picks, going at No. 100 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders.

During his two-year career at Tennessee, Young recorded 83 total tackles — 42 solo, 41 assisted — with 23.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks. He had a breakout junior season in 2021, with 46 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and an interception in 10 games. He had 34 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks in 12 games last season.

“Young is a bendy, urgent pass-rusher who can win off the edge,” Reid wrote. “At 6-2, 250 pounds, he’s a weakside rusher with the potential to succeed early in obvious passing-down situations.”

Later in the seven-round mock draft, Reid had the Cleveland Browns selecting offensive lineman Jerome Carvin with the 190th picks and linebacker Jeremy Banks going to the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 248 overall.