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Tennessee football’s NFL Draft success: Who gets the most credit? Jeremy Pruitt or Josh Heupel?

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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Nov 13, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Matthew Butler (94) celebrates during the first half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Matthew Butler (94) celebrates during the first half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports /

This past weekend marked the most successful NFL Draft for Tennessee football since 2017. Five Vols were drafted from the second to the sixth rounds. Coming off a 7-6 season and a first-year head coach in Josh Heupel, that’s pretty impressive. However, it also opens up a major debate as to who’s responsible for this success.

After all, Heupel didn’t recruit or sign any of the players who were drafted, and he didn’t develop them for the majority of their careers. As a result, it’s hard to know if he deserves the most credit for this draft class. If it doesn’t go to him, though, who does it go to?

Well, that debate ends here. This post will break down exactly who deserves the shoutout for what truly was a surprisingly successful draft on Rocky Top. Such a list can range from an individual to an entity to a group. Here is a breakdown of the five areas credit should go for Tennessee football’s 2022 NFL Draft class.

5. The NCAA

Let’s be fair here. It’s not likely the Vols have this deep of a class if not for the NCAA. This entity allowed players to play in 2020 and not have it count against their eligibility due to COVID. Three players from Rocky Top who were drafted, Velus Jones Jr., Matthew Butler and Theo Jackson, took advantage of that ruling and all came back.

For Jones, it was actually his sixth year on scholarship, as he spent four with the USC Trojans, redshirting one of them, and then transferred to UT for 2020. That year didn’t count against him as he played down the stretch. Then he had a breakout campaign this year.

Both Butler and Jackson arrived in 2017, and neither ever took a redshirt. However, they also never really thrived despite seeing lots of action in 2020. Staying an extra year allowed both to develop for Tennessee football, and it paid off for them in this draft. That wouldn’t have happened without the NCAA’s 2020 ruling.

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