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 /
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Mr. and Mrs. Paul Naumoff look at his All-American Award on January 14, 1967.Paul Naumoff 8
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Naumoff look at his All-American Award on January 14, 1967.Paul Naumoff 8 /

5. 1967

  • Round 3: Paul Naumoff – Detroit Lions (Pick 60)
  • Round 4: Ron Widby – New Orleans Saints (Pick 81)
  • Round 8: John Mills – San Diego Chargers (Pick 199)
  • Round 9: Harold Stancell – Philadelphia Eagles (Pick 231)
  • Round 16: Doug Archibald – New York Jets (Pick 405)

Welcome to the heart of the Doug Dickey years of Tennessee football. Immediately following this NFL Draft class would be the retroactive national championship the Vols claimed with him at the helm. Only two players from this class actually ever saw any NFL action, but the combination of their success puts this in the top half of UT classes with five picks.

Paul Naumoff spent 12 years in the pros as a linebacker, all with the Detroit Lions. He appeared in 168 games and made 152 starts. Tackles weren’t registered as stats at the time, but he had six career interceptions, seven fumble recoveries and 20.5 sacks for his career. He also made the Pro Bowl in 1970.

Taking all of that into account, Naumoff has more career value than anybody we’ve named so far. However, Ron Widby just adds to it. He was a six-year punter in the NFL, helping Tennessee football become Punter U before the Colquitt family, with Dallas for four years and Green Bay for two. Widby averaged 42 yards a punt and made the 1971 Pro Bowl.

This class had two separate players make Pro Bowls, meaning it matches the total number of Pro Bowls by any class named so far, and the years, games and starts from these two alone combines to be more valuable than any other class. Nobody else from the class played a game.

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