KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The NFL Draft begins on April 27 and a few Tennessee football players are expected to be taken.
Quarterback Hendon Hooker, wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, wide receiver Cedric Tillman, offensive lineman Darnell Wright and EDGE Byron Young will hear their names called as they embark on their careers.
UT head coach Josh Heupel couldn't be more proud of those guys as well as other Vols who declared for the NFL Draft.
"As a coach, there is absolutely nothing better than seeing your player's successes on game day," he said. "The same is true when they get to take that next step in their journey. A guy who gets to fulfill a lifelong dream for himself, his family and the people who matter most to him. There's nothing better than seeing the success these guys are having."
Heupel also knows what these players have meant in the two seasons he has coached in turning this program around following former head coach Jeremy Pruitt's tenure.
"I think it's hard to even remember what it was like when we first got here," he said. "The turmoil and foundation when we got here were uneven. There were a lot of question marks. Those guys helped pour in the cornerstones to our foundation and laid a great foundation that we've continued to build upon. I think that group, you know the last two groups, really if you look at the history of Tennessee football as we get farther away from it will be remembered in a really unique way for what they did."
Round one of the NFL Draft begins on Thursday at 8 p.m. The second and third rounds take place on Friday starting at 7 p.m. The fourth through seventh rounds of the draft will happen on Saturday starting at noon.
