{"id":5479,"date":"2023-05-19T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-19T16:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/?p=5479"},"modified":"2023-05-19T11:30:00","modified_gmt":"2023-05-19T16:30:00","slug":"where-tennessees-draft-class-is-ranked-in-espns-top-100-picks-in-the-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/where-tennessees-draft-class-is-ranked-in-espns-top-100-picks-in-the-nfl-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Tennessee\u2019s draft class is ranked in ESPN\u2019s top 100 picks in the NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

ESPN analyst Matt<\/strong> Miller<\/strong> ranked his top 100 picks from the 2023 NFL Draft<\/a> and all five former Tennessee players selected made the cut<\/a>, with three of the five landing in Miller\u2019s top 20. Darnell Wright<\/a><\/strong> was picked at No. 10 overall in the first round while the four others went over a span of nine picks in the third round.<\/p>\n

Hendon Hooker<\/a><\/strong> started the third-round run at No. 68 overall to the Detroit Lions, followed by Jalin Hyatt<\/a><\/strong> and Cedric Tillman<\/a><\/strong> back-to-back at No. 73 and No. 74 overall to the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns respectively. Byron Young<\/a><\/strong> was off the board three picks later at No. 77 overall to the Los Angeles Rams.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the full ESPN analysis and rankings from Miller\u2019s top 100 picks<\/a>:<\/p>\n

No. 11 Hendon Hooker | Detroit Lions | No. 68 Overall | Third Round\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Some mock drafts had Hooker as a candidate to be a first-round pick, but the run on quarterbacks was over early in the first round. Kentucky QB Will Levis slipped to the second round and Hooker landed with Detroit in the third. With the Lions he\u2019ll be able to sit as a rookie behind Jared Goff while continuing his rehab from the torn ACL he suffered in November.<\/p>\n

ESPN Analysis: \u201cHooker has NFL starting-caliber movement ability and arm talent, but he needed a place to get healthy from his November ACL tear\u00a0and learn the speed and spacing of the pro game after being drafted out of Tennessee\u2019s spread scheme. In Detroit, he\u2019ll get to do just that behind Jared Goff\u00a0while learning from a fantastic coach in offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.\u201d<\/p>\n

No. 15 Jalin Hyatt\u00a0 | New York Giants | No. 73 Overall | Third Round<\/h2>\n

The Giants had a need for a speedy receiver that can take the top off of opposing defenses. That\u2019s exactly what Hyatt provided Tennessee, starring as a junior last season, going for 1,267 yards \u2014 just 31 yards short of Tennessee\u2019s single-season record \u2014 with a program-record 15 touchdowns, becoming the first Belitnikoff Award winner for the Vols.<\/p>\n

ESPN Analysis: \u201cThe Giants\u2019 offensive system is a mixture of Buffalo and Kansas City, and both Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka have had success with smaller, speedy receivers. Hyatt can become the Giants\u2019 go-to target early in his career with his vertical stretch ability and the tools to become a much better route runner once exposed to more concepts and coaching. And New York got great value here.\u201d<\/p>\n

No. 16 Darnell Wright | Chicago Bears | No. 10 Overall | First Round<\/h2>\n

Wright parlayed two standout seasons at right tackle under head coach Josh Heupel into a top-ten pick in the NFL Draft. Now he\u2019ll step in as the plug-and-play option for the Bears at the same position, likely starting at right tackle from Day 1.<\/p>\n

ESPN Analysis: \u201cThe Bears can roll with Braxton Jones\u00a0at left tackle \u2014 a favorite of mine from the 2022 draft \u2014 after trading down twice and grabbing the best right tackle in the draft at No. 10 overall. Wright will be a foundational piece of the offensive line, but I\u2019m also looking at the extra selections the Bears picked up to continue building.\u201d<\/p>\n

No. 28 Cedric Tillman | Cleveland Browns | No. 28 Overall | Third Round<\/h2>\n

Tillman was the first standout receiver of the Josh Heupel era at Tennessee, finishing the 2021 season with 1,081 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. He was slowed by a high-ankle sprain last season, but a 6-foot-3, 215-pounds with long arms and big hands, he has the ideal build to be a possession receiver in the NFL.<\/p>\n

ESPN Analysis: \u201cAll of a sudden the Browns have one of the best receiver rooms in the NFL. Tillman is a big-bodied possession receiver who dominates on slant routes and comebacks. Lining up opposite Amari Cooper\u00a0with Elijah Moore\u00a0in the slot, he\u2019ll have plenty of opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

No. 74 Byron Young | Los Angeles Rams | No. 77 Overall | Third Round<\/h2>\n

Young\u2019s incredible story started as an assistant manager at a Dollar General in Columbus, Georgia, before he decided to try out at Georgia Military College. He parlayed junior college into a scholarship offer at Tennessee, then turned two standout seasons with the Vols into an NFL opportunity as a third-round pick. EPSN\u2019s Louis Riddick on Friday night described Young as \u201cVon Miller-like.\u201d<\/p>\n

ESPN Analysis: \u201cIf you haven\u2019t picked up on it by now, the Rams\u2019 roster has holes, and they\u2019re a real threat to have the No. 1 pick next year. That means even third-rounders like Young can earn starting or high-count rotational reps in 2023. Young\u2019s first-step quickness and speed off the edge fit what L.A. has tried to do outside of\u00a0Aaron Donald.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post Where Tennessee\u2019s draft class is ranked in ESPN\u2019s top 100 picks in the NFL Draft<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ESPN analyst Matt Miller ranked his top 100 picks from the 2023 NFL Draft and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5479\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}