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Seven-round NFL mock draft projects two Tennessee players to get drafted

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•11/30/23•

GrantRamey

Tennessee Football
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 17, 2022 - The Tennessee Volunteers before the game between the Akron Zips and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Ian Cox/Tennessee Athletics

It’s NFL mock draft season, with the college football regular season over and the 2024 NFL Draft five months away. It’s not too early for a full seven-round NFL mock draft, either. 

Pro Football Network this week released a full seven-round, 224-pick mock draft that included two Tennessee players: edge rusher Tyler Baron and running back Jaylen Wright. 

The mock draft had both Baron and Wright as fifth-round picks, with Baron going at No. 149 overall to the Seattle Seahawks and Wright going at No. 154 overall to the Kansas City Chiefs. 

2024 NFL Draft: April 25-27, Detroit

Both players are coming off the best college seasons of their careers. 

Wright rushed 137 times this season for 1,013 yards, becoming the 19th Tennessee running back to go for 1,000 or more yards in a season. He did it in 22 fewer carries than any other back and averaged the most yards per carry, too, at 7.4.

Baron had 28 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks. He finished third on Tennessee’s defense in tackles for loss and second in sacks. 

Wright over three seasons at Tennessee has 2,297 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns and caught 30 passes for 171 yards. Baron over the last four seasons has 101 tackles, 27.0 tackles for loss, 13.5 tackles for loss, three passes defended and one fumble recovery, which he returned 24 yards for a touchdown against UConn earlier this season.

Vols had 10 players picked in previous two NFL Drafts

Tennessee has had five players selected in each of the last two drafts.

In April offensive tackle Darnell Wright was off the board at No. 10 overall to the Chicago Bears. The Vols then had four players picked in the third round over a span of nine selections. 

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.

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.

Tennessee’s five draftees in the top-100 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft 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.

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