Tennessee football OL already being considered a 2022 first-rounder
The 2021 NFL Draft still hasn’t happened yet, but Tennessee football could surprisingly have a player taken early in the 2022 draft despite the low expectations for the program heading into the year. Once again, he’s an offensive lineman.
While everybody on Rocky Top expects guard Trey Smith to be taken in the first round, a guy who started alongside him last year could follow suit. Cade Mays, who came back for another year at UT, is now being looked at as a first-round pick for next year.
Pete Fiutak of College Football News ranked Mays at No. 11 overall in his early ranking of the top 32 NFL Draft prospects for 2022, which he released earlier this week. Mays was the highest ranked lineman. Here’s what Fiutak wrote about the Tennessee football rising senior.
"This is a true projection for the former Georgia superstar recruit. Mays was one of the top tackle prospects in the country, showed off his versatility by playing everywhere up front for the Dawgs, transferred to his hometown, and now should be the best guard and possibly the best blocker in college football. The 6-6, 325-pounder has the tools to be special."
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It is true that Mays has a ton of versatility. Given his size at 6’6″ 325 pounds, he can play anywhere on the line and indeed has. Last year, he appeared in seven games and made six starts in right guard after having to wait one week into the season to be granted an eligibility waiver.
With a full offseason and more experience under his belt, Mays has a great chance to dramatically improve his draft stock this year, even if it’s his first year playing in a spread offense. There’s reason to believe that could help him.
Don’t forget that Mays committed to a spread offense initially in 2017 as a five-star local legacy player out of Knoxville Catholic High School in Knoxville, Tenn. when he committed to Butch Jones. The son of former UT offensive lineman Kevin Mays only decommitted and went to the Georgia Bulldogs because of all the issues with the program at the time.
Taking that into account and Mays’ proven production to this point, which includes his two years with Georgia, he should be fine in a spread. He also has a chance to thrive this year as he plays alongside his younger brother, Cooper Mays, on the line.
Will that make him a first-round draft pick? Well, he has all the physical measurements to be one. However, given how things have been going with him and Rocky Top, making him the top lineman in the draft appears to be a bit ambitious.
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At the same time, Smith this year is likely to prove that Tennessee football can still have high draft picks on the line in spite of disappointing seasons. Mays could definitely follow suit next year, and if his draft value is that high, it could be a good sign that he’s a building block for the Vols in 2021.