Tennessee football: Vols five deepest NFL Draft classes with no first-round picks
2. 1996
Phillip Fulmer
Number of NFL Draft picks: 8
- Jason Layman, OL (Houston Oilers: Round 2, Pick 48)
- DeRon Jenkins, DB (Baltimore Ravens: Round 2, Pick 55)
- Shane Burton, DL ( Miami Dolphins: Round 5, Pick 150)
- Nilo Silvan, WR (Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Round 6, Pick 180)
- Scott Gaylon, LB (New York Giants: Round 6, Pick 182)
- Steve White, DL (Philadelphia Eagles: Round 6, Pick 194)
- Leslie Ratliffe, OL (Denver Broncos: Round 7, Pick 213)
- Jeff Smith, OL (Kansas City Chiefs: Round 7, Pick 241)
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Coming off the 1995 season, Tennessee football had emerged into the national picture. The Vols went 11-1 and finished ranked No. 2, and Peyton Manning was about to be a junior. A national championship team seemed to be clearly in the works, and that seemed more evident since they didn’t lose any first-round picks, based on this NFL Draft class.
However, they lost so many reliable players in the trenches. Two starting defensive linemen and three starting offensive linemen left. On defense, defensive linemen Shane Burton and Steve White played for eight and seven years in the pros respectively, proving their worth. Meanwhile, defensive back DeRon Jenkins played six years. linebacker Scott Gaylon didn’t make it.
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The offense was less successful. Offensive linemen Jason Layman and Jeff Smith each played four years, and Leslie Ratliffe didn’t make it. Wide receiver Nilo Silvan only played one year. But they were still all quality guys in college. Simply put, with all of those departures, it’s easy to see why they still fell to 10-2 with heartbreaking losses to the Florida Gators and Memphis Tigers.