Five Vols Who Might Leave Early For NFL

Oct 11, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Cameron Sutton (23) rushes against the Chattanooga Mocs during the first half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

1. Cam Sutton — Defensive Back — Junior

Cam Sutton is the best defensive back the Volunteers have had since Eric Berry was patrolling the secondary at Neyland Stadium.

Sutton was signed by Butch Jones in 2013 as a three-star recruit out of Jonesboro, GA. His signing was fairly unheralded and there weren’t a lot of expectations placed on him.

But that didn’t take long to change.

Sutton immediately made an impact at Tennessee, starting all 12 games during his freshman season (he’s started all 25 games in which he’s played at Tennessee).

During Sutton’s freshman season, he accounted for 39 total tackles, nine pass breakups (led team), two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown). He improved on those numbers during his sophomore season, with 16 pass breakups (led team, fourth in the SEC) and three interceptions (tied for team lead).

The other teams in the SEC took notice of Sutton in 2014, as the Georgia native saw way less passes thrown his way.

Sutton is the rare defensive back that just naturally knows where to be on the field. He reads offenses extremely well and he always seems to know where the pass is heading before the wide receiver even knows.

Obviously the Vols are hoping Sutton stays the full four years at Tennessee. That’s unlikely to happen, unless he severely regress in 2015, which I don’t see happening.