Round 1; Pick 18
Before Cordarrelle Patterson, there was Willie Gault. As a true legitimate threat in the passing game as well as the return game, the 1980 Olympics qualifier before the United States pulled out is one of the most recognizable names in Tennessee football history.
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Gault spent three years playing alongside Anthony Hancock and was never the No. 1 receiver during that time. However, he was the top return man all four years on Rocky Top. From 1979 to 1982, he averaged nearly eight and a half yards on 78 punt returns and 23.8 yards on 78 kickoff returns, running one punt and four kickoffs back for touchdowns.
In the passing game, Gault had 89 catches for 1,482 yards and 10 touchdowns for his career. His final two years stood out the most, though, as he had 72 catches for 1,147 yards and eight touchdowns. This was enough for him to be the top pick from UT in a stacked 1983 draft that saw six picks, including fellow receivers Darryal Wilson and Mile Miller future Pro Bowl end Mike Cofer.
Outside of maybe Cofer, though, Gault clearly proved his value as a first-round pick and the top UT pick. He spent five years with Chicago and six with the Oakland Raiders, catching 333 passes for 6,635 yards and 44 touchdowns while averaging over 24 yards on 45 kickoff returns and running one back in 1985, when he was the leading receiver on the 15-1 Super Bowl Champion bears.