Tennessee football: JaVonta Payton finds perfect fit signing with Arizona

He was never going to be selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, but JaVonta Payton proved enough in his one year with Tennessee football under Josh Heupel to sign with a team as an undrafted free agent. The right situation would put him in a great position to succeed in the pros.

Payton found that situation. He has signed with the Arizona Cardinals to play for Kliff Kingsbury. Having played for Mike Leach with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, who is a mentor to Kingsbury, and for Heupel, who runs a similar offense, he should be able to step in for Arizona.

Although the Cardinals still have questions about their quarterback situation going forward, their decision to specifically sign Payton combined with the offense Kingsbury runs is a perfect setup for him. Tom Kreager of The Tennesseean reported Payton’s signing Saturday night on Twitter.

Playing in Heupel’s system, Payton was Tennessee football’s big-play guy. He saw few targets but made the most of those targets, catching 18 passes for 413 yards and six touchdowns. That’s one touchdown every three catches, and he was superb at taking it to the house.

Running a 4.45 40-yard dash while standing at 6’0″ 175 pounds, according to DraftScout, should be sufficient to have a chance in the pros. The key, though was going to the right system where he would be able to have that chance.

There is one caveat to this. Payton’s production with Tennessee football outweighed his production at Mississippi State, and Kingsbury’s air raid is much more built in the mold of MSU’s system than the Vols under Heupel. As a result, there are still some things he needs to work on.

Despite his tempo, Heupel still focuses on running the ball to set up the pass, and with Cedric Tillman and Velus Jones Jr. playing at receiver, Payton was going to have chances to make the most of his catches in open space. To be fair, though, he did make the most of them.

Arizona isn’t the worst place for a former Vol to land either, particularly as an undrafted free agent. Alex Ellis, once a walk-on tight end who went undrafted back in 2016, has bounced around the league trying to find a home. Last fall, Ellis signed with Arizona, and he then signed a future/reserve contract back in January.

Kingsbury has a lot of other things to focus on this offseason, but if Payton were anywhere else in the same system, he may have drawn a lot more eyeballs. After all, Jones and Tillman freed him up, but they also minimized his targets.

Simply put, you couldn’t ask for a better situation for Payton. His production with Tennessee football combined with his experience in systems such as what Kingsbury runs made this arguably the best possible place for him to land. It doesn’t mean he’ll work out long-term, but this team was his best chance.