Tennessee football: Five takeaways from NFL Draft 2022

4. Production outweighed measurables.

Nobody really had a bad NFL combine for Tennessee football, but it’s clear that the Vols’ successful draft was based on the way the players themselves produced over their measurables and physical attributes. The one exception may be Velus Jones Jr., who ran a 4.3 40 at the combine and became a highly valuable prospect for his speed.

However, Jones was an All-SEC return specialist and an elite receiver in Josh Heupel’s offense last year as the main slot guy, so his production is there. Cade Mays actually probably underwhelmed overall with his measurables. Having played all five positions in two different systems in college, though, still made him more valuable.

Alontae Taylor did overperform his combine numbers but not enough for them to carry him. UT’s drop-off in the secondary without him in the Music City Bowl was his best selling point. Matthew Butler hit the minimum numbers but was drafted off of his solid production.

Then there’s Theo Jackson, who didn’t even receive a combine invite. He still got drafted because of how effective he was at nickel for Tennessee football. It’s worth noting that JaVonta Payton signed based on his ability to score touchdowns with the ball, as he didn’t play in any all-star postseason games or make the combine.