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Tennessee football 2019 NFL Draft projections: Where will former Vols go?

By Caleb Calhoun

AUBURN, AL - OCTOBER 13: Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer celebrates with defensive lineman Kyle Phillips #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers after defeating the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
AUBURN, AL - OCTOBER 13: Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer celebrates with defensive lineman Kyle Phillips #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers after defeating the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images /

Who gets drafted?

Kyle Phillips, Defensive End

Round: 6; Team: New York Jets

After 55 tackles, seven and a half tackles for a loss, four sacks, four pass deflections, a pick-six, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, Kyle Phillips had a breakout year for Tennessee football in Jeremy Pruitt’s 3-4 system. It was enough to put him on the NFL Draft board.

In fact, Phillips is one of three former Vols who can really sell his production on the field at the college level to justify being drafted. What he did after that, though, is why he got the best chance of any Vol to get there.

Phillips recorded two tackles in the East-West shrine game and had a very strong pro day, weighing in at 277 pounds, running a 4.65-40 and doing 17 benchpress reps. Taking all that into account, he’s done just enough to likely get him drafted, but it’ll be late.

We’ve got him going to the New York Jets, who showed interest in him before his pro day along with the Buffalo Bills, according to DraftAnalyst. Adam Gase will likely wait until later rounds to go for defensive guys, and feeling desperate, he’ll take a sixth-round shot on Phillips.

Although edge rusher is not a key need for the Jets, it’s a position where they are looking. Teams use draft picks on positions of interest late, and that’s why Phillips has a great chance to land there even if other franchises have bigger needs for an edge rusher. Those franchises will take guys early on and then sign others. Phillips is in between, which lands him in New York.

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