4. 2011
Number of NFL Draft picks: 2
Notable players:
- Luke Stocker, TE (Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Round 4; Pick 104)
- Denarius Moore, WR (Oakland Raiders: Round 5; Pick 148)
One year before Tennessee football’s extremely light NFL Draft in 2012, the Vols had an even lighter class in 2011. After all, that was coming off Derek Dooley’s first year, so the attrition involving Phillip Fulmer and Lane Kiffin that depleted the roster so badly was even worse. However, they actually made a bowl game coming off this season, so they drew more attention.
The result was two holdovers from the Fulmer and Kiffin era getting drafter. Luke Stocker headlines the class, and he is still in the pros. The guy has been playing for nine years and started 77 of 114 games. He has 630 career receiving yards and five touchdowns playing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans and, most recently, Atlanta Falcons.
Beyond Stocker, though, Denarius Moore had a solid career as well. He didn’t last as long, but he was in the league for five years, and he started most of the games, 45 to be exact, in his first three seasons with the Oakland Raiders. His playing time dropped after that, and he finished his career with 2,169 yards and 17 touchdowns and by spent his final season with the Buffalo Bills.
Moore and Stocker made for an overachieving receiving tandem, as they were both three-star recruits coming out of high school. But together they had a solid combined NFL career, and Stocker is still building on his.