10 best NFL Draft picks in Tennessee football history
57. . WR. Chicago Bears. Willie Gault. 9. player
No. 9 best NFL Draft pick in Tennessee football history: Willie Gault
1983 NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 18
Chicago Bears, 1983–1987
Los Angeles Raiders, 1988–1993
Willie Gault spent his four years on Rocky Top catching 89 passes for 1,482 yards and 10 touchdowns, returning 78 kickoffs for 1,854 yards and four touchdowns, and bringing back 78 punts for 659 yards and a touchdown. By his senior year, Gault had achieved All-American status, though his sophomore year featured a nation-high three returned kickoffs for a touchdown.
Gault achieved fewer individual accolades at the NFL level, but he did leave his mark on the Chicago Bears Super Bowl XX victory — amassing four receptions for a game-leading 129 yards, and four kickoff returns for 49 yards in a 46-10 win over the New England Patriots. Over his 11-year NFL career, Gault had 333 receptions for 6,635 yards and returned 45 kickoffs for 1,088 yards.