One of the best determinants for a national champion in previous seasons is which team has the most future first round mock NFL Draft picks. Tennessee Football only has one for 2025, so that shouldn’t bode well for the Vols, right?
Well, not so fast.
The Michigan Wolverines may have turned this notion on its head. In 2024, they only had one first round draft pick, but hidden behind J.J. McCarthy was a ton of later-round NFL Draft picks. Four seventh-rounders and six third-day picks overall is what led them to a nation-leading 13 picks.
That’s also how they won the national championship, and it goes back to their Those Who Stay NIL campaign. Rather than trying to buy elite talent from the transfer portal, Michigan focused on convincing solid players to stay with the program, which gave them enough depth to win it all.
This past offseason, Tennessee Football has replicated that model by shelling out money to keep players like Cooper Mays, Bru McCoy and Omari Thomas. Just like Michigan, the Vols could now be stacked with enough later-round picks to make a run.
Sure, James Pearce Jr. will be a first-rounder if everything goes to plan. McCoy is the best raw prospect on the team at wide receiver, even if he’s not likely to be a first-round pick. Mays and Thomas will be great value picks, likely on the third day but possibly the second for Mays.
Beyond those four, though, Javontez Spraggins, John Campbell Jr. and Keenan Pili will be out of eligibility after this year. They could all be draft picks, although Pili’s age could work against him. Those are just the players who will give it a shot.
Dylan Sampson and Squirrel White figure to be major playmakers in the offense as well and could thrive just playing with Nico Iamaleava. As a result, Tennessee Football could lose them as early entries into next year’s draft.
Already, the Vols are at nine players who could go in next year’s draft, and that doesn’t include a quarterback with potential first-round talent who won’t be eligible after this year. There are multiple other players on both sides of the ball who could go as well.
For instance, on offense, Dont’e Thornton Jr. is an option to go pro at receiver alongside White and McCoy. Elijah Simmons has real NFL potential on the defensive line, and Omarr Norman-Lott could be another valuable player on that front too.
Of course, the achilles heel for Tennessee Football is the secondary, but the Vols picked up two veteran transfers in Jakobe Thomas and Jalen McMurray. Heupel overhauled the secondary for a reason this offseason, and it could be an upgrade everywhere.
Simply put, behind Pearce, the Vols could have up to 13 players taken in next year’s draft, and they also have a ton of young talent that could make an immediate impact. While they won’t make the mock draft splash the way Michigan, the Georgia Bulldogs and Ohio State Buckeyes will, they could have exactly what they need.
