Tennessee football: Top 10 Vols with 2021 NFL Draft potential

Darrell Taylor’s departure leaves a giant hole when it comes to edge rusher, and Jordan Allen switching to tight end makes it a bit bigger. However, Tennessee football has two guys primed to start together at outside linebacker, as they alternated opposite Taylor last year. Those guys are Deandre Johnson and Kivon Bennett.

While Johnson is a solid, experienced player who may indeed become an NFL prospect himself, Bennett is the guy with star power of the two. As a result, despite being an underclassman, we have him as the better draft prospect and the first player on here who could leave early.

Remember, Bennett was tied with LaTrell Bumphus for being second on the team in tackles for a loss with six, and both players split time last year. This year, Bennett is likely to be a full-time starter. As a redshirt, this will be his fourth year in the program, and it’s worth noting that his production was weighted heavily towards the end of last year.

In addition to six tackles for a loss, he had two sacks and 27 total tackles. But 20 came after UT’s 1-4 start, as did five of his tackles for a loss and both of his sacks. So he’s primed to break out with more action. At 6’2″ 235 pounds, Jeremy Pruitt likely will want him to add size, but doing that will have NFL teams fighting to get him, as such edge rushers are very valuable.