Number of NFL Draft picks: 3
- Round 1: Dick Evey – Chicago Bears (Pick 14)
- Round 12: Bob Zvolerin – Washington Football Team (Pick 158)
- Round 14: Ed Beard – San Francisco 49ers (Pick 183)
*Two AFL Draft picks
- Round 2: Dick Evey – Buffalo Bills (Pick 12)
- Round 20: Ed Beard – Oakland Raiders (Pick 159)
We’re back to another coach who only lasted one year. Tennessee football had sunk a bit into irrelevancy under Bowden Wyatt, who won early with players Harvey Robinson recruited but couldn’t keep the program going into the early 1970s, largely because the single-wing had died out. Jim McDonald came in to breathe new life into the program but only lasted one year.
Still, some talent that Wyatt had been developing was able to draw the attention of pro scouts. Defensive tackle Dick Evey was a first-round draft pick by the Chicago Bears and enjoyed six years there. He then played one year with the Los Angeles Rams and another with the Detroit Lions.
Offensive lineman Bob Zvolerin was taken by the Washington Football Team but never logged any playing time in the pros. Linebacker Ed Beard had a surprisingly successful career, appearing in 97 games with 53 starts over eight years with the San Francisco 49ers.
Evey and Beard could have gone with their respective AFL teams but were right to stick with their NFL teams, as they both had solid careers in the process. Having a first-rounder, just like Phillip Fulmer did, while also having two more picks puts McDonald slightly above Fulmer in what would be his first, only and last draft class.