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Top 10 NFL careers of Tennessee football DBs

By Caleb Calhoun

11 Sep 1994: Defensive back Terry McDaniel of the Los Angeles Raiders returns an intereception for a touchdown during a game against the Seattle Seahawks at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The Seahawks won the game, 38-9.
11 Sep 1994: Defensive back Terry McDaniel of the Los Angeles Raiders returns an intereception for a touchdown during a game against the Seattle Seahawks at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The Seahawks won the game, 38-9. /
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Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images /

These are the Tennessee football Volunteers secondary players with the best pro years.

Note: This is part of a series of posts looking back on Tennessee football players who had the best NFL careers at each position.

Defensive back is one area where Tennessee football has seen lots of elite college production. In 1970, the Vols made history by intercepting 36 passes as a team, and they have had numerous players turn into stars over the years.

Many of those stars have gone on to have great pro careers. Ever since the passing game began to evolve in the 1960s and 1970s, the Vols have taken advantage more than most teams with a focus on elite talent in the secondary.

During the 2010s decade alone, Tennessee football’s best and most recognizable NFL player was a defensive back. It’s not quite at the level of defensive ends when it comes to pro production, but it certainly has had its fair share of stars.

There’s a reason their head coach and defensive coordinator played defensive back and then cut their teeth in coaching by focusing on defensive backs. That has become a crucial position, particularly with so many teams running the nickel-based defense now as offenses spread out their formations.

That has created numerous stars at the position. In this post, we’re going to rank those defensive backs from Rocky Top who had the greatest NFL careers. To qualify for the list, players have to have lettered for UT and finished their college career there. They also can’t have ended their career on Rocky Top due to extenuating circumstances.

For instance, Pete Athas walked on to UT and only played two games for the freshman team before joining Miami-Dade Junior College en route to the NFL Draft, where he was taken in 1970. Dave Thomas, meanwhile, was a backup in 1990 and redshirted in 1991 before losing his eligibility due to an off-field incident.

Those things keep them off the list of Vols who starred in the NFL, although both had great pro careers. There are still plenty of players, particularly Pro Bowlers, to make the list. Let’s break them down now. These are Tennessee football’s top 10 cornerbacks and safeties with the greatest NFL careers.

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