Tennessee football: Top 10 Vols who weren’t first round NFL Draft picks
9. Pick Analysis. 1992 NFL Draft. Round: 2 / Pick: 31. Carl Pickens. player. 56. Scouting Report
Carl Pickens initially played defensive back for Tennessee football and secured a key interception in the Vols’ Cotton Bowl win over the Arkansas Razorbacks to kick off the 1990s. But he switched to offense in 1990, and over the next two years, he became a superstar.
Alongside Alvin Harper, Pickens helped continue the tradition of Wide Receiver U on Rocky Top, but while Harper was a first-rounder in the 1991 NFL Draft, Pickens fell to the second round in 1992. That’s something that never should have happened.
Still, Pickens proved his worth pretty early on. By just his third season, he was a 1,000-yard receiver. In fact, he had over 1,100 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns three straight years with the Bengals and overall had over 1,000 yards four seasons in five years.
The best year for Pickens was 1995, when he had 99 receptions for 1,234 yards and a league-leading 17 touchdowns. Pickens was also an elite returner his first year before becoming used more on offense full-time, proving he could truly do it all. A two-time Pro Bowler, it’s clear he was a star Vol who wasn’t drafted in the first round, and he owned the 1990s for UT.