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

4. 1994

• Round 1: Heath Shuler – Washington Commanders (Pick 3)
• Round 2: Charlie Garner – Philadelphia Eagles (Pick 42)
• Round 3: Cory Fleming – San Francisco 49ers (Pick 87)
• Round 3: Shane Bonham – Detroit Lions (Pick 93)
• Round 5: Horace Morris – New York Jets (Pick 152)

The first NFL Draft class for Tennessee football under Phillip Fulmer, just like Josh Heupel, had five selections. Funny enough, if you look at the success of the 1993 team offensively, it’s safe to say this class was a bust in many ways. Two key offensive players didn’t live up to the hype.

Heath Shuler was a Heisman runner-up at quarterback in 1993 and played just four years, three with Washington and one with the New Orleans Saints. He appeared in 29 games with 22 starts, completing 292 of 593 passes (49.2 percent) for 3,691 yards (6.2 yards per attempt), 15 touchdowns and 33 interceptions while rushing for 198 yards and a score.

In addition to Shuler being one of the league’s biggest draft busts ever, Cory Fleming, a top-notch receiver, only lasted two years in the pros, with the Dallas Cowboys. He did win a Super Bowl and appeared in 18 games, but he had no starts and caught just six passes for 83 yards in his career. Linebacker Horace Morris never made it in the pros.

So what propelled this class up here? Well, Charlie Garner played 11 years, appearing in 147 games with 90 starts, for the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. An all-purpose back, he finished his career with 10,808 yards from scrimmage and 51 total touchdowns, making a Pro Bowl in 2000 and a Super Bowl in 2002.

Shane Bonham being productive on his own gave this class enough juice too. Bonham spent six years in the pros as a defensive tackle, appearing in 76 games with three starts. He spent four years with Detroit, one with San Francisco and one with Indianapolis.