Tennessee football: Top 10 former Vols in the NFL for 2018

After having last year’s offensive rookie of the year, don’t be surprised if Tennessee football has this year’s defensive rookie of the year. Rashaan Gaulden was the highest former Vol taken in this past year’s NFL Draft, and the Carolina Panthers expect big things from him early.

We know of Gaulden’s competitive nature. He goes 100 all the time, and the Panthers learned about that the hard way as well. Early on in this year’s preseason, Gaulden did not know to lay back and not hit offensive players as hard.

With Carolina, it looks like Gaulden is playing safety. And he has a great chance to start. Last year, the Panthers had a good defense that relied too much on stopping the run. A more physical pass defense is exactly what they need, and Gaulden brings that to the table immediately.

Last year, Gaulden was the brightest spot for the Vols. He was one of the few ones in a 4-8 season. But his skills set was on full display, and we know he is a physical guy who likes to hit and can also play in coverage.

As a result, this year, I’m projecting that Gaulden will be starting somewhere in Carolina’s secondary by Week 4. Consider the fact that Carolina’s Tampa 2 scheme calls for defensive backs to close in on receivers.

Then consider Gaulden’s ability to hit players hard and force fumbles. It’s almost too perfect of a fit. Maybe he could be the second defensive Vol in a row to win a Super Bowl his rookie season. He has that type of potential.