Tennessee football: Former Vols LB Al Wilson announces NFL Draft picks

Tennessee football legend Al Wilson announced the two second round picks for the Denver Broncos at the NFL Draft in Nashville Friday.

Although they might be light on the NFL Draft this year, Tennessee football had a player from its glory days trotted out for the event on Friday in light of it being in Nashville. That player was Al Wilson, the key member of the 1998 national championship team who became a star in the pros.

A five-time Pro Bowler and top 5 legend in UT history, Wilson played for the Denver Broncos from 1999 to 2006 coming off the Vols’ national championship. He announced both Denver Broncos’ picks in the second round.

The first pick was tackle Dalton Risner of the Kansas State Wildcats, and the second was quarterback Drew Lock of the Missouri Tigers. They were back to back after they traded for the 42nd pick from the Cincinnati Bengals. You can see his selections here.

It was great to see Wilson, a Tennessee football legends, to be able to be in Nashville for the draft and represent the franchise he was most known for representing. And in typical fashion, he couldn’t hide his energy, shouting out “How about them Vols!” and “How about them Broncos!”

While Peyton Manning and Leonard Little were the stars of the 1997 SEC Championship team, Wilson surprised the world by reaching an elite level in his own right in 1998. He may have potentially surpassed both of them in UT lore with his play.

It was clear with the way Wilson made his announcement that he is proud to still represent Tennessee football. When Vols fans talk about their dominance in the 90s with players who became stars in the NFL, he’s a great example.

What’s even crazier is how the Vols could ride Wilson to a national title after losing both Manning and Little. That shows how deep the program was back then under Phillip Fulmer. And for just a little bit of time, fans in Nashville got to reminisce on that success with these two.