ATLANTA – Cedric Tillman’s own teammates aren’t sure what to think about his pending appearance at SEC Media Days on Thursday. After all, Tennessee’s star receiver is known for racking up yards and touchdowns, not speaking to the media.

“I’ve never really heard Cedric talk to the media much,” Tennessee center Cooper Mays said during The Vol Report this week. “He’s not a very outspoken guy. He kind of stays to himself most of the time until he gets really comfortable. 

“I’m interested to see how it will go. I don’t really know.”

Tillman could easily land on the All-SEC Preseason team if the media gives him enough nods. Those results are expected to be released on Thursday.

Tennessee tight end Jacob Warren is hardly surprised that Tillman is having success. Warren has seen the work ethic that Tillman has displayed for years. For Tillman, it was all about having an opportunity.

“Ced has been the same guy ever since he’s been here,” Warren said. “He’s always been a really good talent and a really good receiver. I just think the opportunity that he was given last year was greater than he had before. 

“He was getting more looks and more chances and more opportunities to make plays and he did whenever they came. 

“I think that shows his work ethic. He’s been here as long as I have and he’s just been working and trying to perfect his craft. It’s finally coming out to light and it’s good for him that everyone is just now noticing how good of a player he is.”

This football season likely won’t be the last for Tillman. College football analyst Chris Landry believes that Tillman will be the type of receiver that NFL quarterbacks adore.

Tillman’s speed and size (6-foot-3 and 215 pounds) make him a perfect target. His ability to threaten defensive backs with his speed actually allows him to make plays underneath deep coverage, which always has to be mindful of Tillman stretching the field.

“I think he is exceptionally quick,” Landry said during Chalk Talk. “He’s got so much speed. He can really work cornerbacks and I think defenders, since they have to guard against his vertical speed, gets defenders turned a little bit.”

This gives Tillman the opportunity to drive back defenders, turn them around, then come back to the ball on a designed comeback route.

“He is so good at planting and driving back on the comeback route,” Landry said. “There’s enough separation that the defender has to come back on him and if he can make one guy miss, it’s (trouble).” 

Landry said Tillman can still improve in route running and coverage recognition. Other than that, there’s no reason to think that Sunday games in the NFL won’t be in his future.

“He’s not only going to be what he is now…he’s going to be a receiver that quarterbacks love at the NFL level,” Landry said. “I think he has a really good future.”

Where does Tillman rank among the receivers in the SEC?

“He is as good of a big-play receiver in this league considering how they use him and his skill set,” Landry said.

Tillman was labeled as a three-star prospect coming out of high school. That wasn’t a good evaluation of his skills. Sure, Tillman has grown and gotten bigger, but he was overlooked by too many schools when he was being recruited. That worked out well for the Vols. Now, we can see what he has to say about it.