Tennessee’s Draft Class Braces for a Big Night After Round 1 Snub

Pittsburgh made history on Day 1.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Thursday night that the city set the NFL Draft first-round attendance record with 320,000 fans attending the event, shattering the previous record of 275,000-plus set by Detroit in 2024.

The Draft Theater on the North Shore outside Acrisure Stadium actually reached capacity around 8:30 p.m., with fans directed to watch inside the stadium itself. Detroit still holds the overall three-day record, with more than 700,000 attending in 2024, while the 2025 draft in Green Bay drew 600,000 over three days.

Pittsburgh is expecting 500,000 to 700,000 total fans across all three days , meaning the city has a real shot at breaking the all-time three-day record before Saturday is over.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The Tennessee Volunteers entered the proceedings with arguably one of their strongest draft classes in recent memory under head coach Josh Heupel.

However, after a dramatic and at times heartbreaking first night, the Vols’ top prospects find themselves in a familiar, and frustrating waiting game heading into Day 2 on Friday evening.

Tennessee’s NFL Draft pipeline has been one of the most productive in college football during the Heupel era. A total of 17 Tennessee players have been selected in the NFL Draft between 2022 and 2025 during the Josh Heupel era the most in any four-year span since 2005–2008. This year, that number is poised to grow significantly, with as many as four Volunteers expected to hear their names called across the three-day event.

Jermod McCoy: Complicated Medical Picture

No Tennessee player entered the draft with more buzz , or more uncertainty, than cornerback Jermod McCoy. For most of the offseason, the expectation was that McCoy would be a top 10–15 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. He seemingly solidified his status as a first-rounder with an impressive Pro Day in March, which eased concerns about the torn ACL that caused him to miss the entire 2025 season.

Then, days before the draft, the landscape shifted. Over the past two weeks, multiple NFL insiders reported that teams red-flagged McCoy’s knee at his medical recheck. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero broke the story with specifics: the concern centers on a bone plug that was used to repair a cartilage defect in his knee, not the ACL that was reconstructed.

Some of the doctors who have reviewed his scans are concerned that he will need another surgery to replace that bone plug, which would require an extensive recovery.

The fallout was swift. Connor Hughes of SNY confirmed that four different teams flagged the knee, and that at least one team had removed him from their board entirely. Sports medicine physician

Dr. Jesse Morse offered a stark assessment, calling it a “potentially significant surgery” that would likely knock McCoy out for the entire year.

Despite the injury cloud, McCoy’s on-field credentials remain exceptional. He posted 16 total pass breakups over his two seasons of college football, along with six interceptions, and ran a reported 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash at Tennessee’s Pro Day. Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN had rated McCoy as the top overall cornerback prospect and his 13th best player in the entire 2026 draft class, citing McCoy’s ball-hawking traits that emerged after transferring to Tennessee, including four interceptions and nine pass breakups in the 2024 season.

Ultimately, McCoy fell out of the first round entirely, with no Tennessee players selected among the first 32 picks. McCoy does not turn 21 years old until August, meaning he still has youth and time on his side as he looks to prove his durability at the next level. Multiple Day 2 projections, including NBC Sports, have the Cleveland Browns selecting McCoy at pick 39, while other analysts project him landing as early as pick 34 to the Arizona Cardinals.

Colton Hood: Left on the Red Caroet

Joining McCoy in slipping past the first round is fellow Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood. McCoy was a first-round projection in three of six high-profile mock drafts surveyed before the draft, while Hood was projected in the first round by four of those six analysts.

Hood finished the 2025 season with 50 total tackles, 34 solo tackles, eight passes defended, one interception that went for a pick-six, and one fumble recovery touchdown. Kiper ranked Hood as his sixth-best cornerback in the draft class, while ESPN’s Field Yates tagged him as a first-round talent.

Heading into Day 2, analysts from NBC Sports project Hood landing with the Cincinnati Bengals at pick 41, while Bleacher Report’s scouting department has the New York Jets selecting him at pick 44.

Matt Miller of ESPN described Hood as “the draft’s most aggressive corner” who gives teams size on the outside of a defense.

Chris Brazzell II: A Receiver Built for the Big Stage

Wide receiver Chris Brazzell II enters Day 2 as one of the most intriguing playmakers still on the board. The 6-foot-4 pass catcher led Tennessee with 1,017 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2025, earning All-SEC First Team and All-America Third Team honors from the Associated Press. He also turned heads at the NFL Combine by running a 4.37-second 40-yard dash.

Brazzell was one of only two FBS receivers last season with at least 14 air yards per target who also had at least nine touchdown catches. It is a combination that speaks to both his ability to win downfield and convert in the red zone. ESPN analyst Jeff Legwold described him as one of the best contested-catch receivers available in the class.

Kiper projects Brazzell going 63rd overall to the New England Patriots, while NBC Sports has the Miami Dolphins selecting him 43rd overall. Bleacher Report’s scouting department also projects him to Miami at pick 43.

Joshua Josephs: Flying Under the Radar

The fourth Tennessee prospect drawing NFL attention is EDGE rusher Joshua Josephs. Josephs played all four years at Tennessee and developed into a valuable starter in his final two seasons. Legwold of ESPN ranks Josephs as the 80th overall prospect in the class, highlighting his frame that includes an 83⅞-inch wingspan, making him a difficult matchup for opposing tackles. Legwold noted that if Josephs can expand his pass-rush repertoire and develop additional counters against powerful tackles, his best football remains ahead of him. Kiper projects Josephs as the 16th-best edge rusher in the class.

What’s at Stake on Day 2

With the first round behind them and no Vols taken, Friday night carries enormous significance for Tennessee’s draft class. All key prospects from Tennessee remain available as the second and third rounds get underway.

The story of this Tennessee draft class is ultimately one of elite talent meeting real-world adversity.

McCoy’s medical situation, in particular, is a sobering reminder of how quickly circumstances can change. He went from being the most coveted cornerback in the draft to falling out of the first round entirely, not because of poor decisions or poor performance, but because of an injury that could happen to any athlete at any time.

For Vols fans across the country, the watch begins again Friday night in Pittsburgh. The expectation is that multiple orange-and-white names will be called.

When they are, Tennessee’s pipeline to the NFL will continue building on one of its most prolific stretches in program history.

The draft continues tonight (Friday, April 25) with rounds 2 and 3, beginning at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network. All four Tennessee prospects are expected to be selected before the end of the night.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​