Tennessee football: Top 10 NFL careers of Vols taken in second round

After losing a ton of talent in 2003, Kevin Burnett became Tennessee football’s primary leader in 2004 and was a huge reason for them shocking the nation to win the SEC East that year. He earned All-American honors on that 2004 team and significantly boosted his draft stock, especially since he had to increase his production due to Kevin Simon’s season-ending injury.

Despite returning a ton of talent in 2005, the loss of Burnett’s leadership was evident on the Vols, as they went from 10-3 to 5-6. Burnett, meanwhile, went on to become a very successful pro player. It all started with him being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys to be developed by Bill Parcells.

Burnett never really started in Dallas, but he was always a solid producer, playing every game in 2006, 2007 and 2008. However, in 2009, he joined the San Diego Chargers, and then he became a regular starter, starting every game the final four years of his career from 2010 to 2013. That included one with the Chargers, two with the Miami Dolphins and one with the Oakland Raiders.

An ankle injury in the summer of 2014 forced Burnett to retire. But he finished with a nine year career that included 136 games and 75 starts. He also had 632 career tackles, 51 tackles for a loss, 20 sacks, eight forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and five interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns.