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Tennessee football: Ranking. previous eight WRs picked first in Vols draft classes

ByCaleb Calhoun|
Oct 24, 2020; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee wide receiver Josh Palmer (5) runs the ball after a successful catch during a game between Alabama and Tennessee at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. Mandatory Credit: Caitie McMekin-USA TODAY NETWORK
Oct 24, 2020; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee wide receiver Josh Palmer (5) runs the ball after a successful catch during a game between Alabama and Tennessee at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. Mandatory Credit: Caitie McMekin-USA TODAY NETWORK
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KNOXVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the checkered endzone at Neyland Stadium during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the checkered endzone at Neyland Stadium during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Round 1; Pick 25

Yes, the best Tennessee football receiver in the NFL of all time is also the best one among those taken first in UT draft classes. This year marked really the start of Wide Receiver U and the end of the Bill Battle era.

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In college, Morgan and Larry Seivers spent four years playing for Battle. Seivers was a two-time All-American. They were the top two picks from UT in the 1977 NFL Draft, with Morgan going in the first round and Seivers going in the fourth round. It’s safe to say Morgan was clearly the best player of a solid draft that included four Vols.

Despite being drafted as a receiver, Morgan was only primarily a receiver as a freshman, catching 22 passes for 511 yards and four touchdowns. However, he primarily became running back the next two years, logging 261 carries for 1,532 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground.

As a senior, he doubled up, which is where he stood out, logging 388 rushing yards and nine touchdowns to go with 14 catches for 317 receiving yards and two touchdowns. His career finished with 401 touches for 3,027 yards from scrimmage and 36 touchdowns.

The New England Patriots saw enough to draft him as a receiver in the first round, and it worked out. Morgan enjoyed a 13-year career there, making four Pro Bowls, before spending one year with the Indianapolis Colts in 1990, his final year in the pros. He caught 557 passes for 10,716 yards and 72 touchdowns over his career.

Johnny Majors took over in 1977 and turned Tennessee football into Wide Receiver U, but he built off that NFL Draft, which had a two-time All-American and future four-time Pro Bowler. The Pro Bowler went first, and it proved to be the right decision.

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