All for Tennessee
Fansided

Ranking Tennessee football’s previous 10 draft classes with five picks

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee's (98) Parys Haralson heads for the fans at the end of the fifth overtime and their win over Alabama. 10/25/2003Utalabama6 Mp227
Tennessee's (98) Parys Haralson heads for the fans at the end of the fifth overtime and their win over Alabama. 10/25/2003Utalabama6 Mp227 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 10
Next
Oct 28, 1984; Foxboro, MA, USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Jets quarterback Pat Ryan (10) is tackled by New England Patriots defensive end Julius Adams (85) at Foxboro Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 28, 1984; Foxboro, MA, USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Jets quarterback Pat Ryan (10) is tackled by New England Patriots defensive end Julius Adams (85) at Foxboro Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports /

6. 1978

  • Round 3: Craig Colquitt – Pittsburgh Steelers (Pick 76)
  • Round 8: Jesse Turnbow – Cleveland Browns (Pick 205)
  • Round 9: Russ Williams – Dallas Cowboys (Pick 250)
  • Round 10: Brent Watson – Cleveland Browns (Pick 261)
  • Round 11: Pat Ryan – New York Jets (Pick 281)

It’s funny that this could be one of the better NFL Draft classes that had five picks since it comes on the heels of the worst team Tennessee football had ever fielded in the SEC era until 2017. Johnny Majors had come in the year before, and a system change occurred that many of the players were not a fit for.

Most notable among those non-fits was Pat Ryan. The pro-style quarterback saw some actions but just didn’t have the style for the veer that Majors ran for a while, so he mostly backed up Jimmy Streater. However, he had a solid career as a backup quarterback in the NFL, playing 13 years, 12 with the New York Jets and one with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Ryan appeared in 145 games with 19 starts and finished his career completing 364 of 657 passes (55.4 percent) for 4,320 yards (6.6 yards per attempt), 31 touchdowns and 35 interceptions. That wouldn’t be enough to put this list up here, though. Craig Colquitt, the architect of the Colquitt family, is what propelled it.

Over seven years, Colquitt appeared in 97 games as a punter, with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1978 to 1984 and then the Colts in 1987. He averaged over 41 yards a punt for his career. Jesse Turnbow was the only other player from this class to play in the pros. He appeared in 16 games in 1978. That combined with Colquitt and Ryan slightly puts this class above the 1986 class.

Home/Vols Football