1963.
That was the last year the Vols didn’t have a player selected in the NFL Draft.
Only six schools have longer streaks than UT (Notre Dame, Michigan, Southern California, Michigan State, Florida and Nebraska)
Tennessee’s streak, however, is in jeopardy this year.
Defensive back Justin Coleman, who drew both ire and praise from Vol fans last season, appears to be Tennessee’s only hope at keeping the draft streak in tact.
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AJ Johnson would have almost certainly been drafted in 2015, but a pending sexual assault case has put a lid on Johnson’s NFL hopes for now. That means it’s all up to Coleman.
The Georgia native wasn’t a lockdown cornerback in college, but he provided Tennessee with quality starts over his four-year career on Rocky Top.
Coleman started 38 career games for the Volunteers, including all 25 games the past two seasons. He had five interceptions (all in the past two seasons) and 157 tackles during his career at Tennessee. Coleman, who started at cornerback, would shift to nickelback when an extra wide receiver was on the field.
Chances Coleman Is Drafted?
Coleman had a solid combine and pro-day, which certainly helped his draft stock.
In fact, his pro-day performance probably lifted him from a player on the verge of being drafted to 5th-7th round potential.
Here’s what NFL.com’s Gil Brandt had to say about Coleman after Tennessee’s pro-day:
"Justin Coleman stood on all of his numbers from the combine except for his vertical jump, which was 37 inches. Coleman had a good workout. He plays the ball well and can play either cornerback or the slot corner, and his coaches couldn’t stop bragging about what a smart player he is."
ESPN’s Mel Kiper also believes Coleman has a career in the NFL in front of him. Kiper has said he can envision Coleman being the fourth or fifth cornerback on a team and thinks he’s worthy of being drafted in rounds 5-7.
What Do The Mock Drafts Say?
NFL.com’s most recent seven round mock draft, compiled by Lance Zierlein and Chad Reuter have the Indianapolis Colts selecting Coleman in the fifth round of the draft with the 165th overall selection.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller projects Coleman to be drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round with the 203rd overall selection.
The Streak Continues?
You never know what teams will decide to do (who would’ve thought that Tyler Bray, Da’Rick Rogers and Antonio Richardson would have went undrafted the past couple of drafts?), but if Coleman does get drafted, it would appear that Tennessee’s streak will remain in tact for years to come.
The Vols have a lot of talent that will be drafted in the next several years. Hopefully Coleman gets drafted this weekend, it’d be a shame to see such an incredible streak come to an end.