Tennessee football: Vols match longest first-round drought since 1977

With no Tennessee football first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft Thursday, the Volunteers have match their longest streak dating back to 1977.

Derek Barnett to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 is the last time Tennessee football had a first-round draft pick. Dating back to Johnny Majors’ first year on Rocky Top, the Vols had a habit of seeing guys go in the first round of the NFL Draft. Even when they were bad or just mediocre, they churned out first-round talent.

Although they wouldn’t produce a first-rounder every year, they would never go a long period of time without one. Until Thursday night, only once since that year had the Vols gone three straight years without a first-round pick. That happened from 2003 through 2005.

Well, with the first round of the 2020 draft in the books, Tennessee football has matched that streak, failing to produce a first-rounder in 2018, 2019 or 2020. Obviously, that is more of an indictment against Butch Jones than Jeremy Pruitt, and so few players came out this time that it made sense such a thing would happen.

Still, this is not good company to be in. At least when it happened to the Vols in the mid-2000s, the Phillip Fulmer era was still rolling. They produced eight picks in 2003, including future Hall-of-Fame tight end Jason Witten, they produced four in 2004, including Pro Bowl center Scott Wells, and they produced three in 2005, including future Hall-of-Fame punter Dustin Colquitt.

This time, though, there is no deep draft class to speak of. Regardless of what happens in this class, the 2019 class was shut out of the draft altogether, and the 2018 class had three later picks, none of whom seem like they will become Pro Bowlers or Hall-of-Famers.

Even in this decade, throughout the droughts, the Vols managed to produce first-rounders when they were broken. Derek Barnett went in the first round in 2017, as did Ja’Wuan James in 2014 and Cordarrelle Patterson in 2013. So this streak is not a good look for the Vols.

Before Majors, UT went long periods without first-rounders. Even in the program’s golden age under Robert Neyland, starting with the first NFL Draft in 1936, they went four years without one, from 1936 to 1939. Before Majors was hired, they had gone six years under Bill Battle without a first-rounder, from 1971 to 1976. They also went from 1954 to 1963 without one.

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The longest streak ever without a first-rounder began the year after Neyland ended his second stint and lasted from 1941 through 1951. That was another era of elite Tennessee football, particularly with back to back national titles in 1950 and 1951. However, that one deserves a bit of a break, as the war interrupted a lot of the continuity in the program.

Over the past few decades, though, NFL talent has been a staple of Rocky Top. If they don’t produce a first-rounder next year, they’ll surpass this longest streak since 1977, and that is a title they don’t want to hold.

There are obviously plenty of first-round options for Tennessee football, but the few people who are in this draft made up a lot of last year’s production. As a result, it’s a bit of a wildcard who the surefire bet will be. Although people might say Trey Smith, his health issues could be a concern.

Either way, the person who does the best job filling the voids left by Daniel Bituli, Nigel Warrior, Jauan Jennings, Marquez Callaway and Darrell Taylor will have the best chance to end the drought. Jeremy Pruitt has restocked the roster well, so there is some talent in place to do that among veterans. Somebody just has to step up and do it.