The NFL draft kicks off on Thursday night, with a Round 1 that could feature selections of two former Tennessee Volunteer defensive backs.
Corners Colton Hood and Jermod McCoy will likely hear their names called in Pittsburgh on night one, as each player has caught the attention of many teams across the league, setting their values as potential first round picks.
McCoy, who has been projected to fall anywhere from No. 12 overall (Dallas Cowboys) to No. 30 overall (Miami Dolphins), did not play a single snap for Tennessee last season, while recovering from a torn ACL in early 2025. But after an eye-catching 2024 season and an impressive pro day last month, McCoy remains a top prospect on the radars of many NFL analysts, scouts and organizations.
One anonymous NFL scout spoke highly of McCoy to ESPN, theorizing a possible “sooner rather than later” selection of the CB.
“Rarely do you find true blue-chip cornerbacks,” he said of McCoy, “and when one falls to you, it’s an easy decision to take them off the board.”
McCoy raised some doubts when he chose not to work out at the NFL Combine. But his performance at Tennessee's Pro Day did nothing but help his cause. His 4.38-second 40-yard dash was eye-popping.
Hood, who stepped up for Tennessee in McCoy's absence last season, has emerged as one of the top lockdown cornerbacks of the draft after an impressive 2025 season with the Volunteers.
Confident in his abilities, Hood is ready to rock for whichever pro team selects him.
“They will get a dog," Hood said of what his future team can expect. "Somebody who is competitive and has an insatiable hunger to be great,” he continued. “I'm a hard worker and just somebody who's going to go out there and compete every snap.”
Labeled as “one of the most complete cornerbacks in the draft" by NFL.com's Daniel Jermiah, Hood currently sits on the edge as a projected late-first round, early-second round selection.
Likely to fall outside of the first round, but sure to find new NFL homes by the end of the weekend are former Volunteers, wide receiver Chris Brazzell II and edge rusher Joshua Josephs.
Projected to be selected in rounds two or three, Brazzell and Josephs have the skills to make instant impacts on whichever teams take a chance on them.
Brazzell’s 6-foot-5 frame makes him an elite downfield jump-ball prospect that could be plugged in successfully to any NFL team next season. The tape from his junior season with Tennessee tells the story of how strong a pickup Brazzell would truly be. The Las Vegas Raiders are a team to watch to snag the receiver off the board, reuniting him with former Vols teammate and fellow wideout Dont’e Thornton Jr.
Josephs, who will likely be selected around the same time as Brazzell, has caught the attention of teams with his 6-foot-3, 240-pound frame that amassed 104 tackles (22 for loss) and 9.5 sacks in four seasons at Tennessee.
ESPN’s Justin Reid projects Josephs to go in the third round to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“Josephs is a long, quick up-the-field pass rusher,” Reid said of the former Vol, “who would provide the Jaguars immediate pass-rush depth if he learns how to use his length and string moves together more consistently.”
Other Vols who could hear their names called this weekend and who were named in NFL analyst Mel Kiper’s positional rankings are: Joey Aguilar (No. 14 QB), Star Thomas (No. 25 RB), Miles Kitselman (No. 17 TE), Bryson Eason (No. 30 DT) and Tyre West (No. 39 DT).
Former Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar has not been named in most mock drafts since being denied an extra year of eligibility at UT, and could face the possibility of going undrafted. However, in NFL.com analyst Chad Reuter’s latest mock, he projects Aguilar to be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round (No. 236 overall pick).