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Tennessee football: Ranking all 10 Vols head coaches’ second NFL Draft classes

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the checkered endzone at Neyland Stadium during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the checkered endzone at Neyland Stadium during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Rick Stewart/Allsport/Getty Images
Photo by Rick Stewart/Allsport/Getty Images /

7. 1979

Johnny Majors

Number of NFL Draft picks: 3

  • Robert Shaw, C (Dallas Cowboys: Round 1, Pick 27)
  • Jeff Moore, WR (Los Angeles Rams: Round 3, Pick 58)
  • Kelsey Finch, RB (New Orleans Saints: Round 12, Pick 311)

Despite his status with Tennessee football, Johnny Majors is one of only three coaches whose first two teams on Rocky Top both failed to finish with a winning record or reach a bowl. The other two are James DePree, who was there in 1905 and 1906, and Zora G. Clevenger, who was there from 1911 to 1915. To be fair, Clevenger was the school’s best coach before Robert Neyland.

Anyway, Majors went 4-7 in 1977 and then 5-5-1 in 1978. Following that season, he had three people taken in the draft. Robert Shaw was the standout of the class, and being a first-rounder is a major plus for this class. It made sense, as he was a two-time All-SEC lineman. However, Shaw only lasted three years. A pair of injuries derailed what could have been a great career.

Beyond Shaw, Jeff Moore had 502 receiving yards and two touchdowns his final year with the Vols, but his NFL career never amounted to anything. Kelsey Finch had 1,587 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns along with 146 receiving yards and another touchdown in four years with the Vols, but he also didn’t become anything in the pros.

If Shaw had stayed healthy, he may have developed into a longtime player in the pros. However, his lack of production, albeit due to injury, makes this an underachieving draft class. Other classes had fewer people but still had those who produced at a higher rate.

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