All for Tennessee
Fansided

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 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 15
Next
Oct 20, 1973; Birmingham, AL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Bill Battle on the sideline talking to tight end Tommy West (23) against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Legion Field. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 20, 1973; Birmingham, AL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Bill Battle on the sideline talking to tight end Tommy West (23) against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Legion Field. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /

Bill Battle. 12. 839. Pick Analysis. Class: 1971. Record in 1970: 11-1 (4-1). Scouting Report. player

Number of NFL Draft picks: 3

  • Round 9: Lester McClain – Chicago Bears (Pick 220)
  • Round 14: Bobby Scott – New Orleans Saints (340)
  • Round 17: Chip Kell – San Diego Chargers (Pick 429)

This one’s kind of ironic. Probably no coach took over Tennessee football riding at a higher point than Bill Battle did in 1970. The Vols had won two SEC Championships in the three years prior before Doug Dickey left to take over the Florida Gators. They had also claimed a retroactive national championship in 1967.

Battle continued that success to begin 1970, as he went 11-1, won the Sugar Bowl and orchestrated a top five finish. However, that only led to three players being drafted, two of whom were drafted with pick numbers that no longer exist.

In the current format, the only player who still would have been drafted was Lester McClain, who was also the first African American to play for UT and the first to score in an SEC game. Taking that into account, this could actually be lower than the other two.

Still, raw numbers count for something, albeit inflated, and three is greater than one. Bobby Scott did have the best career of the three, as he was the only one who lasted in the NFL, playing as the New Orleans Saints’ backup quarterback from 1972 to 1982. That’s not enough to improve this draft class overall, though.

Home/Vols Football