As the 2015 NFL Draft drew to a close this afternoon, one question became extremely apparent- Where were the Tennessee Volunteers? Over the years, the ‘Nols have developed into one of the mainstays of top NFL factories, and in 2015, there wasn’t a single player selected in the draft for the first time since 1964.
The lack of talent in Knoxville was primarily due to former head coach Derek Dooley’s inability to recruit the nation’s top talents.
Despite their 5-7 2014 record, head coach Butch Jones has the program moving in the right direction, and it seems unlikely the Volunteers won’t produce a professional two years in a row.
Meanwhile, two of the state’s lesser known schools- Tennessee Chattanooga and Tennessee State- each had at least one player chosen in the draft and displayed the shift in talent away from the Volunteers.
Tennessee, however, was not the only SEC school not to have a player drafted joining the likes of the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Although the Volunteers didn’t have a player chose, there remains a strong chance that at least one of their undrafted free agents find their way onto an NFL roster.
The normally SEC dominant draft featured more weak links then usual and Tennessee was an unexpected disappointment. Still, expect the Volunteers to continue their talent ascent and return to their former dominance in the coming years.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
