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Tennessee football: Ranking all 15 first NFL Draft classes of Vols head coaches

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel congratulates wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (1) during senior day ceremonies before the start of the NCAA college football game between the Tennesse Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 27, 2021.Kns Tennessee Vanderbilt Football
Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel congratulates wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (1) during senior day ceremonies before the start of the NCAA college football game between the Tennesse Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 27, 2021.Kns Tennessee Vanderbilt Football /
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Oct 9, 2021; Knoxville, TN, USA; A military flyover passes over Neyland Stadium before an NCAA college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the South Carolina Gamecocks in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021. Mandatory Credit: Calvin Mattheis-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2021; Knoxville, TN, USA; A military flyover passes over Neyland Stadium before an NCAA college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the South Carolina Gamecocks in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021. Mandatory Credit: Calvin Mattheis-USA TODAY Sports /

Pick Analysis. Class: 1936. 13. player. Scouting Report. Record in 1935: 4-5 (2-3). W.H. Britton. 839

Number of NFL Draft picks: 1

  • Round 4: Gene Rose – New York Giants (Pick 36)

One year before Robert Neyland returned for his second stint with Tennessee football was the Vols’ first NFL Draft class ever. It followed W.H. Britton in his only year leading Rocky Top between those two stints. That year was a disappointment, as UT finished under .500, but hey, it began the tradition of them putting players in the pros.

Gene Rose played end for the Vols in college and spent his one year with the New York Giants at the same position. Being drafted in an earlier round than Phil Dickens is what puts Britton’s draft class ahead of Neyland’s, although this was still a forgettable one.

In terms of NFL production, both are still behind Jeremy Pruitt since he has Shy Tuttle, but Britton is still ahead of Neyland since Rose actually played in the league for a year. He appeared in seven games and started three of them in 1936, catching six passes for 73 yards and carrying the ball twice for 13 yards.

Born in Cincinnati, Rose may have been a forgettable draft pick from the Vols, but he sparked the reputation that surrounds UT. A few years later, when Neyland was ushering in his dynasty, everybody who filled up the NFL after that was following in Rose’s footsteps.

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