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Tennessee Vols morning report: NFL Draft recap, Yves Pons enters NBA draft

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 09: Tennessee Volunteers fans cheer during the first half of the game against the Indiana State Sycamores at Neyland Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 09: Tennessee Volunteers fans cheer during the first half of the game against the Indiana State Sycamores at Neyland Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Looking back at the Tennessee Vols in the 2020 NFL Draft and Yves Pons declaring for the NBA Draft lead our Volunteers news for Monday, April 27, 2020.

Despite coronavirus having everybody quarantined, plenty of sports developments still took place over the weekend, which was the first time in a while that happened. And this one event involved the Tennessee Vols in numerous ways.

Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with Rocky Top’s presence in and after the 2020 NFL Draft. It was a draft that started with Peyton Manning narrating a hopeful opening on ESPN Thursday, and the fireworks continued through the weekend.

Beyond the draft, though, there was other news that hit the weekend. A basketball player putting his name in the draft was also a big story that happened against the backdrop of all of this, and a baseball player being added to the roster makes news as well. But let’s start with the draft news.

Five Vols sign deals in and after NFL Draft – Patrick Brown, GoVols247

The Seattle Seahawks selected Darrell Taylor in the second round, and the San Francisco 49ers selected Jauan Jennings. Marquez Callaway, Nigel Warrior and Dominick Wood-Anderson signed with the New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens and Seahawks respectively. Wes Rucker of GoVols247 reported that Daniel Bituli is expected to sign a deal after a medical check.

"Tennessee’s projected combined contract value ($9,510,526) ranks 35th nationally and eighth in the SEC. LSU’s 14 draft picks have a combined contract value worth just more than $124 million, followed by Alabama (nine picks) at nearly $111 million and Ohio State (10 picks) at nearly $109 million. Georgia ($64+ million) is a distant fourth, showing just how successful the draft was for the Tigers, Crimson Tide and Buckeyes."

Yves Pons declares for NBA Draft – Brandon Martin, SI.com

SEC Defensive Player of the Year and rising Tennessee Vols senior forward Yves Pons declared for the NBA Draft, first reported by Jeff Goodman on Twitter. Pons would declare while keeping his college eligibility open for the time being according to a video on Twitter, meaning he could return after evaluating his draft stock. Admiral Schofield did that two years ago.

"Much as he has done for the Vols, Pons brings the ability to defend multiple positions and to help offensively. Just how Pons stacks up on NBA boards remains to be seen. Pons arrived at Tennessee from Paris as a 6’6” 210 pound small forward with an incredible wingspan and jaw dropping athletic ability."

Baseball adds ETSU transfer catcher – UT Daily Beacon

East Tennessee State University Buccaneers transfer catcher Jackson Greer is joining the Tennessee Vols baseball team. Greer announced that he was coming home on Twitter. He attended Central High School in Knoxville coming off his best season to date in 2019.

"As a redshirt junior, Greer started all 55 games for ETSU and 41 behind the plate. He led his team in batting average (.314), hits (65), doubles (15), home runs (10), RBI (42), total bases (112), slugging percentage (.541), and on-base percentage (.434), which helped him earn first-team all-conference honors. Greer played well behind the plate also. In the 2019 season, he was a Rawlings Gold Glove nominee after posting a .994 fielding percentage along with 324 putouts, 26 assists, while only committing two errors."

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