3 players to watch in the 2022 NFL Draft from the Volunteers

Alontae Taylor, S

Taylor played all four years at Tennessee racking up 44 games. Last year was his best year with 60 total tackles and 41 of them coming by way of solo tackles. Taylor also notched two picks, six pass breakups, and one forced fumble. He could come in a little undersized when he gets some true measurables as he is shown 6-foot-0 and 193lbs.

Colleges always like to mess with the numbers a little bit. His height, weight, verticle, and 40 will make or break which way his stock goes. As the NFL is going for the larger defensive backs, if he slides in at under 6-foot or under 190lbs, his stock could tumble.

Velus Jones Jr, WR

This is going to be a rough process for Jones who played in college for six seasons between USC and Tennessee. Which will most likely work against him, as there has been a long history of six-year players not panning out well at the next level. He is a dual-threat WR and can be useful in the return game, on top of being a legit WR. Last year he had 62 catches, for 807 yards, seven touchdowns, along with 23 kick returns for 628 yards and one touchdown.

He is currently listed at 6-foot-0 and 200lbs I don’t expect his size to be much of an issue as we come down the stretch due to his multi-use ability. I would look for him to be drafted around the fourth or fifth round. Due to his age, and the fact this WR class is about as deep as the ocean.