Tennessee football in 2020 NFL Draft: Ranking eight Vols as pro prospects

When it comes to production and fundamentals, Daniel Bituli is your guy. He was the heart and soul of Tennessee football’s defense, and the results speak for themselves. The Vols started the year 0-2 when he sat out due to a minor injury, and both of those losses were at home to Group of Five teams. Things changed the minute he got back on the field.

Everything about last year’s turnaround can be attributed to Bituli. Once he returned, Rocky Top did not lose one game it was supposed to. And despite really only playing nine games, he still finished second on the team with 69 tackles, which included three sacks and four and a half tackles for a loss. Oh, he also had two pass deflections and a forced fumble.

In addition to leadership and production, there’s production when it counts, such as coming away with 17 tackles at the Kentucky Wildcats and completing two goal-line stands on back to back plays to secure the win. Then there are the late tackles to hold off the Missouri Tigers.

Simply put, Bituli was a star. He’s the first guy on this list who has the production to prove he deserves a real shot at the pros. However, his NFL Draft stock is hurt because he doesn’t really bring anything unique to the table with his physical tools. That’s why he’s at No. 5. But any of these top five guys, including him, should have solid pro careers.