5. 1957
Bowden Wyatt
Number of NFL Draft picks: 2
- John Gordy, G (Detroit Lions: Round 2, Pick 24)
- Frank Kilinsky, T (Pittsburgh Steelers: Round 28, Pick 329)
Honestly, this is one of the most shocking data points on the list. Tennessee football’s best second season under any coach ever was its season under Bowden Wyatt, in which the Vols went 10-0 and won the SEC Championship. Despite their Sugar Bowl loss, many people, including the late Keith Jackson, said they thought the Vols should have been declared national champions.
However, they only had two players from that team as part of the 1957 draft class. Johnny Majors, who was an All-American, went to Canada for a season before beginning his coaching career. Buddy Cruze, another All-American, was drafted the previous year and somehow managed to return in 1956 and play for the Vols.
As a result, the only two guys taken from this team in 1957 were John Gordy and Frank Kilinsky. Kilinsky was a very late pick and never amounted to anything. That leaves this draft class with one real player, Gordy, similar to Derek Dooley’s 2012 draft class. Well, Gordy was enough for Wyatt’s class to be slightly above Dooley’s. It really comes down to Gordy vs. Malik Jackson.
Although Jackson has had a great career, it hasn’t caught up to Gordy’s yet. This guy had an 11-year career and made three Pro Bowls with the Detroit Lions. That career combined with multiple people being drafted is enough to put this class into the top five.