Tennessee football’s five longest NFL Draft first-round droughts

Assorted notes and sketched plays by Robert Neyland are part of an exhibit named “Lighting the Way” currently on display at Hodges Library on campus on Monday, August 26, 2019.Kns Utyear1 0930 Bp Jpg

1. 1941-1951

Similar to the 1936 to 1939 years, this one is a bit unfair as there were still fewer NFL Draft selections the first couple years than there are now, and Tennessee football didn’t even field a team one of these years due to World War II. However, it’s still the longest drought.

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We should note that there were more draft selections than there are now starting in 1943, as it was 300 or above every year outside of 1949. Anyway, the fact of the matter is, as you can see, if you combine the 1936-1939 streak to this one, George Cafego was the only first-rounder from UT taken in the first 16 years of the draft.

Still, like that run, this also happened during an incredibly successful run. It started on the heels of Robert Neyland’s third straight undefeated regular season and second national title in three years. That same year, though, 1941, Neyland would leave for active duty again, this time because of WW2. John Barnhill continued the success, though.

With no team in 1943, the Vols went 8-2, 9-1-1, 7-1-1 and 8-1 in 1941, 1942, 1944 and 1945 with a Sugar Bowl win, a Rose Bowl appearance, four top 20 finishes and a top 10 finish. Neyland returned in 1946 and won the SEC Championship with a 9-2 record, top 10 finish and Orange Bowl appearance. However, he then had back to back .500 seasons.

Talk that Neyland lost it ended in 1949, when he turned things around to go 7-2-1. The final year before this drought, 1950, the Vols went 11-1 and won the national title. So it began and ended with a national title. Bert Rechichar broke the drought in 1952, on the heels of the 1951 team that became the first consensus national championship team in UT history.

During the 10 seasons before each NFL Draft in this year, Tennessee football went 69-19-5 with two national titles, three SEC titles, three top 10 finishes, four bowl appearances and seven top 20 finishes. Jack Stroud, Dick Huffman and Ed Cifers were notable non-first-rounders from UT in the draft who had pro success during that era.