Tennessee Pro Day 2026: Rocky Top’s Draft Class Goes All In
- Ellie Williamson
- Mar 31
- 10 min read
Updated: Apr 3
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The clipboards are out. The stopwatches are ready. On Tuesday afternoon in Knoxville, Tennessee’s best get one shot to make NFL front offices forget every doubt and remember every highlight.
Months of rehab, film sessions, and 4 a.m. workouts all come down to this. For a handful of Volunteers, Tuesday’s Pro Day is the last chance to highlight the development
on Rocky Top.
Pro Day is set for the afternoon of Tuesday, March 31, 2026, inside the Vols’ Anderson Training Crnter facility, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, NFL teams have this one circled as a “huge” event on the pre-draft calendar
It’s not hard to see why. With the 2026 NFL Draft set for April 23–25 in Pittsburgh, this is the final audition. It is the last real chance for Tennessee’s prospects to move the needle before franchises lock in their boards.
Tennessee’s Pro Day matters beyond the individual performances. Josh Heupel’s program has become a pipeline, and these Vols hope to increase Tennessee’s tally of 17 NFL Draft picks in the Heupel era. Tuesday is the final chance to make that number grow and potentially grow in a big way.
Heupel took over in 2021, but his first true draft class was 2022
• That 13-player stretch (2022–2024) was Tennessee’s best three-year run in over a decade 
• The program has shown consistent year-to-year NFL pipeline growth
Tennessee added 4 more players in the 2025 NFL Draft, bringing the total to 17 players drafted in the Heupel era.
The group returning to Knoxville includes 14 former members of the Tennessee program. But make no mistake, this event essentially revolves around two players with first round potential, who, for very different reasons, still have everything to prove.
CB Jermod McCoyThe Elephant in the Room
Grade: Incomplete ( Potential A+)
Draft Projection: Top-15 Pick (Conditional)
There may not be a more consequential individual workout in the entire 2026 pre-draft process. When McCoy steps onto that practice field, every scout in attendance will hold their breath.
The Tennessee cornerback entered the 2025 season as arguably the best corner in college football. His 2024 tape was a masterclass. He started all 13 games, led the Vols with 13 passes defended (four interceptions and nine pass breakups), earned All-SEC First Team honors from the AP, and posted an 89.6 PFF coverage grade that ranked third in the SEC and ninth nationally among cornerbacks. Then came January 2025, and a training accident that wiped out his entire final season.
McCoy suffered a torn ACL in January 2025, missing the entirety of the season. The injury was believed to potentially impact his draft stock, but he has continued to be projected as a first-round pick.
At the Combine in Indianapolis, McCoy notified media that he would not be participating in any drills, saving everything for Tennessee’s Pro Day. Many have compared his path to that of former Michigan corner Will Johnson, who navigated a similar injury-recovery narrative before being drafted.
The physical profile demands attention regardless. Standing at 6-foot-3/4 and 188 pounds with 31¼-inch arms, McCoy possesses the exact dimensions demanded of a boundary cornerback, and his wingspan allows him to execute a one-hand jam in press-man coverage while maintaining balance to mirror receivers vertically.
The scouting report from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein painted a picture of elite upside navigating a critical unknown:
“McCoy is a toolsy outside corner with CB1 flashes, but an ACL tear robbed him of a much-needed third season. Hips and feet are smooth, allowing for quality lateral transitions and efficient gathers to match hard-breaking curls. His route squeeze and zone awareness should improve with more reps. We should expect McCoy’s athletic traits and instincts to help him make up for lost time once he gets into camp.”
His 2024 PFF overall grade of 87.0, combined with a 78.8 run-defense grade and a 77-inch wingspan, underscores his potential as a starting outside cornerback at the next level. The comp floating around league circles? One scouting report compared him to Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward, describing him as scheme-versatile but best utilized in a Cover 1/Cover 3-based defense.
Daniel Jeremiah has McCoy slotted as the No. 15 overall player in the 2026 class , and if he moves freely Tuesday even running a clean 40 in the 4.45–4.50 range with fluid change-of-direction, he could vault back into the top-10 conversation. A stiff, hesitant performance, however, could send him sliding past pick 20. This is the most pivotal 90-minute stretch of his young career.
CB Colton Hood | The Combine Darling
Grade: A–
Draft Projection: Late Round 1 / Early
Round 2
While McCoy remains the headliner, Colton Hood may be the player who actually helped himself the most before today even arrived. His combine showing was nothing short of electric, and the scouts already know what he brings.
After redshirting at Auburn, playing as a backup at Colorado in 2024, and earning All-SEC honors at Tennessee in 2025 where he recorded 50 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and eight pass breakups, Hood’s stock continues to rise.
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said he had “first-round testing” to go with “first-round tape” following his 4.44-second 40-yard dash.
Hood was named to the NFL’s All-Combine Defensive Team, earning a Next Gen Stats athleticism score of 82, aided by a 4.44 40-yard dash, a 10-foot-5 broad jump, and a 40.5-inch vertical jump. NFL.com listed the Green Bay Packers, Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks, and Los Angeles Rams as top fits.
Lance Zierlein’s scouting report nailed the essence of his game:
“Press-man bully with an ability to put his stamp on the first and last phases of the snap. Hood plays with a disruptive punch and gets his hands on most releases Hood needs to sharpen his instincts and technique, but he has the mentality and upside to become a CB2 in a press-heavy scheme.”
One evaluator compared him to Charvarius Ward that is a big, physical corner who wins at the line and in the catch window. Hood’s Pro Day is about confirming what the combine revealed. A clean workout today essentially locks in a Day 1 selection. The floor is strong and the ceiling is rising.
WR Chris Brazzell ii| The Deep Threat
Grade: B+
Draft Projection: Rounds 2–3
Chris Brazzell II came to Knoxville as a reclamation project and left as a first-round conversation piece. The numbers tell a compelling story: over four college seasons, he totaled 136 receptions, 2,072 receiving yards, and 16 touchdowns in 40 career games. In 2025, he was the SEC’s leading receiver at 84.8 yards per game, led the conference in touchdown catches with nine, and was the only 1,000-yard receiver in the SEC during the regular season.
At the Combine, he ran one 40 showing the speed that’s defined his college profile, but saved the full route-running workout for Rocky Top. PFF describes him as a boom-or-bust vertical receiver capable of posting 100 yards one week and 20 the next. His route tree is limited, but what he does is winning downfield. And, he does it very well.
The comp you’ll hear from league sources is a name familiar to fantasy players everywhere: NFL scouts see Brazzell’s explosiveness, deep play ability, and occasional flashes of route-running proficiency as mirroring the peak of Marquez Valdez-Scantling, with the potential to reach production levels MVS never could.
NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks has identified Brazzell as one of the true wild cards in the 2026 draft class, and today’s workout is designed to change that narrative. If he shows a full route tree and crisp releases, not just go-routes and vertical stems. He is a round two lock. If the tape looks like an NFL vertical specialist with limited nuance, expect Day 3 chatter to resurface.
QBJoey Aguilar | One Last Throw to Change Everything
Grade: B (Potential B+)
Draft Projection: Late-Round Flier
Joey Aguilar’s path to Tuesday’s Pro Day is unlike anything else in this class. A Knoxville judge denied his injunction to return to Tennessee in 2026, forcing him to pivot to the NFL and still, he threw for 3,565 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as the SEC’s leading passer in 2025.
The complication entering today: Aguilar had surgery to remove a benign tumor from his throwing arm and did not participate in on-field workouts at the Combine, saving that for Pro Day when he’d be further removed from the procedure.
Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms ranked Aguilar fourth in the entire QB class, placing him behind Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson, and Behren Morton that is ranking considerably higher than most national analysts, with ESPN’s top-12 QB list not including him at all.
The reality is that Aguilar has limited film on an elite stage, a late draft profile, and a throwing arm that scouts need to see function cleanly today. If the zip is there, the touch is there, and the footwork translates, there’s a seventh-round pick or UDFA opportunity waiting for him. If there’s rust or hesitation, it’s a long road to an NFL roster.
DT Bryson Eason | The Sleeper
Grade: B–
Draft Projection: Day 3 (Rounds 4–6)
Eason might be the quietest name on this list, but he made his combine numbers known. The 6-foot-2, 323-pound interior lineman ran a 5.09 40-yard dash, posted a 30.5-inch vertical, and recorded a 9-foot-4 broad jump. Defensive line coach Rodney Garner regularly touted Eason’s natural talent as an interior defensive lineman, and he is on the NFL’s radar as a potential late-round pick. Bryson Eason is among those who could rise to a Day 2 pick with a strong showing. He started 34 career games for the Vols and made 105 tackles with 22 tackles for loss production that speaks for itself in the trenches.
EDGE Josh Jospehs | Length Over Production
Grade: B
Draft Projection: Day 2–3 Boundary
Josephs didn’t go through on-field testing at the Combine, making today critical. He posted 104 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, nine pass breakups, six forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 48 career games, and his arm length and wingspan are drawing significant interest from teams looking for length off the edge. ESPN ranked him the No. 77 overall player and No. 12 edge in the draft class. Today is about confirming the athleticism and pass-rush plan that the tape suggests. You can expect scouts to run him through every bend-and-flatten drill on the menu.
Not every player at Tuesday’s Pro Day arrives with a first-round pedigree, but that doesn’t make their performances any less meaningful. For this group, Pro Day is about making a name, earning a phone call, and turning a college résumé into a professional opportunity.
TE Miles Kitselman | Blue-Collar Tight End
Draft Projection: Day 3 (Rounds 5–7)
PFF ranked Kitselman the No. 7 returning tight end in college football and included him among 10 tight ends to know for the 2026 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound Kansas native is not a flashy athlete — he knows where his greatest value lies: in the run game. He was one of four tight ends in the country to earn top-25 PFF grades as both a receiver and a run blocker, and he has not dropped a pass in his career. His combine 40 likely came in slower than anticipated, making Tuesday’s workout critical for confirming his athleticism.
DL Dom Bailey | The Six-Year Vol
Draft Projection: Day 3 (Rounds 6–7 / UDFA)
After six collegiate seasons, all with Tennessee, Bailey exhausted his eligibility and declared for the draft. The 6-foot-3, 292-pounder plays with high energy, quick hands, and the ability to shoot gaps and collapse the pocket. He relies heavily on speed and power, and still needs to develop his technique. In 2024 alone, he recorded 25 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries across all 13 games. Bailey is a program-built player the kind of undrafted free agent that sneaks onto a 53-man roster and sticks around for years on special teams and rotational snaps.
DB Jalen McMurray | The Versatile Vet
Draft Projection: UDFA / Practice Squad
McMurray’s story is one of relentless resilience. He passed up a guaranteed starting job at Temple to bet on himself in the SEC, and that bet paid dividends. He finished the 2025 season as a leader in the secondary, earning praise from defensive coordinator Tim Banks, who called him “poised for a monster year” in the preseason. Over his career, he logged 158 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, one interception, 18 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and played in 52 career games. His ability to play both corner and the STAR position gives him versatility that NFL special teams coordinators love.
S Andre Turrentine | Hometown Hero
Draft Projection: Day 3 (Rounds 6–7 / UDFA)
A Nashville native who returned to his home state after a freshman season at Ohio State, Turrentine was a consensus four-star recruit and the No. 4 overall player from Tennessee in his class. Over his career, he totaled 128 tackles, five tackles for loss, three interceptions, and eight pass breakups across 53 games and 28 career starts. He played with instincts and communication skills that coaches at the next level value, and his experience as a multi-year starter in the SEC should open doors. The ceiling is a backup safety with special teams value; the floor is a training camp story worth watching.
CB William Wright | Late Bloomer
Draft Projection: UDFA
Wright spent five seasons in Knoxville waiting for his moment, serving as a backup and depth piece behind some of Tennessee’s best defensive backs. He was listed as the No. 2 corner on the Vols’ depth chart heading into the 2025 season. At 6-foot, 198 pounds, he has the frame NFL teams want at the position. Pro Day is his audition and his best chance to show scouts that his years learning in one of the SEC’s best secondaries made him ready.
RB Star Thomas | Juice
Draft Projection: UDFA / Practice Squad
There may not be a more well-traveled player on this field. Thomas logged 2,573 yards on 528 carries with 23 rushing touchdowns across 52 career FBS games, adding 64 receptions for 602 yards and eight receiving scores. He went from Coffeyville Community College to New Mexico State, then Duke, then Tennessee earning a master’s degree along the way. He served as Tennessee’s No. 2 back in 2025, and at the mid-point of the season had 80 carries for 428 yards and five touchdowns, along with 77 receiving yards and two receiving scores. His pass-catching ability out of the backfield and his veteran football IQ make him exactly the kind of camp body that earns a spot on a practice squad.
Comments