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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 Justin Edmonds/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images /

6. 2012

Derek Dooley

Number of NFL Draft picks: 1

  • Malik Jackson, DE (Denver Broncos: Round 5, Pick 137)

There are plenty of things to criticize Derek Dooley for during his tenure with Tennessee football, but a light draft class after his second season is not one of them. He inherited a roster that was cut in half in terms of SEC-caliber scholarship players due to the firing of Phillip Fulmer, the two bust of recruiting classes in 2007 and 2009 and Lane Kiffin’s quick departure.

Taking all of those things into account, Dooley wasn’t going to have much senior NFL talent on his second team. To show how little he inherited, Malik Jackson was actually a player he signed. Jackson transferred from the USC Trojans when they got put on probation, and Dooley lured him to Rocky Top for his final two years.

Well, he found and developed a great talent. Jackson has turned into a star in the pros, and he played a huge role in helping Peyton Manning win his final Super Bowl. Heck, he scored a defensive touchdown. Despite playing in a 4-3 in college, he thrived in Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defense at the next level.

Thanks to his play there, he was able to secure a huge contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he anchored a defense that helped that franchise get to the playoffs as well. So although he’s the only player who was drafted out of UT in 2012, his NFL success is such that he can carry the class over the other two classes on this list that have had players so far.

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