8. 2011 – Derek Dooley
2010 record: 6-7 (3-5); Music City Bowl
Number of NFL Draft picks: 2
- Luke Stocker, TE (Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Round 4; Pick 104)
- Denarius Moore, WR (Oakland Raiders: Round 5; Pick 148)
Although there were fewer players taken from Derek Dooley’s first team than Johnny Majors’ fifth team, the NFL got lots of productivity out of the two members of Tennessee football’s draft class in 2011. Similar to Butch Jones, this one made sense, as the team was extremely young, and Dooley relied on all freshmen at the end of the year. Naturally, fewer players would be drafted.
However, Luke Stocker is still in the league. Despite being released back in March, he played six and a half years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and another one and a half years with the Tennessee Titans. Then, last year, he was with the Atlanta Falcons. So the tight end has enjoyed a solid nine years in the pros and could approach a decade if somebody signs him.
Meanwhile, Denarius Moore had a solid five-year career. At only 6’0″ and 190 pounds, Moore had to rely on fundamentals as a receiver. He just didn’t have the physical build to last that long. But he did have four years with the Oakland Raiders, and he went over 600 yards with at least five touchdowns in each of his first three years.
Dooley, of course, would see his teams get progressively worse after this year while his draft classes ironically got better, but Moore and Stocker helped this class from a rebuilding team save face. They both produced.