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Tennessee Football: Top 10 Vols Prospects for the 2016 NFL Draft

By Caleb Calhoun

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Sep 26, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Von Pearson (9) works out prior to the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Von Pearson (9) works out prior to the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Going into the 2015 season, it appeared Pearson could be looking at the end of his football career with serious criminal charges against him before they were dropped. Then, he came back at the last-minute before the season started and managed to get 38 receptions for 409 yards and three touchdowns on the year, leading the team in all three categories.

Considering the fact that the Vols were based on a triple-threat in the running game and the fact that Butch Jones and Mike DeBord like to rotate in and out receivers all the time, those numbers are actually very impressive.

What is more impressive is the fact that more than 80 percent of those yards came in the second half of the season, as he began to get his groove back. Pearson may not have the NFL size for an out receiver, but he is good enough to reach an NFL roster.

Even if he does not get selected in the draft, do not be surprised if you hear Pearson’s name called on an NFL roster two years down the road.

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7

Von Pearson

Wide Receiver, 6'0

Amidst a ton of turmoil from his junior year to his senior year, his lack of hype, and his lack of size compared to other wide receivers for the Vols, Von Pearson simply found ways to produce. And shouldn’t production matter more than anything else when it comes to determining NFL talent?

Going into the 2015 season, it appeared Pearson could be looking at the end of his football career with serious criminal charges against him before they were dropped. Then, he came back at the last-minute before the season started and managed to get 38 receptions for 409 yards and three touchdowns on the year, leading the team in all three categories.

Considering the fact that the Vols were based on a triple-threat in the running game and the fact that Butch Jones and Mike DeBord like to rotate in and out receivers all the time, those numbers are actually very impressive.

What is more impressive is the fact that more than 80 percent of those yards came in the second half of the season, as he began to get his groove back. Pearson may not have the NFL size for an out receiver, but he is good enough to reach an NFL roster.

Even if he does not get selected in the draft, do not be surprised if you hear Pearson’s name called on an NFL roster two years down the road.

Next: #6: S LaDarrell McNeil

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