The Tennessee Volunteers had a tremendous season in 2024, finishing with 10 wins and reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history.
Several high-profile college stars were on the Vols’ roster, and they will soon transition to NFL football following the draft in less than two weeks. Below, we’ll break down each of their draft projections and analyze what exactly puts them in that position following excellent college careers.
EDGE James Pearce Jr. 2025 NFL Draft Landing Spots
- ESPN: Round 1, Pick 32
- The Ringer: Round 1, Pick 17
- Pro Football Network: Round 1, Pick 15
Pearce Jr. has settled into the mid-to-late first-round conversation amongst a stacked group of edge and interior pass rushers. If a team believes in his talent more than others, he could go as high as just inside the top ten or fall as far back as the 32nd spot, where ESPN has him. However, that would be a nightmare scenario for a player many see as an immediate difference-maker at the next level.
DT Omarr Norman-Lott 2025 NFL Draft Landing Spots
- Pro Football Focus: Round 2
- Draftwire: Round 3
Though Norman-Lott isn’t considered in this class’s top-tier interior defensive linemen, he’s a tremendous option that teams will likely be able to pick in the mid-to-late second round and early third. He didn’t test particularly well at the combine, but the film shows a tenacious player with potential upside for further development.
RB Dylan Sampson 2025 NFL Draft Landing Spots
- USA Today: Round 4
- The Draft Network: Round 3
Sampson’s range is as a late Day 2 or early Day 3 prospect, as we may see running backs go in that range for teams with needs at the position but not landing one of the top backs early in the draft. Sampson would be a tremendous addition to teams needing speed and youth, as he ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, confirming his tape as a speedy back.
WR Dont’e Thornton Jr. 2025 NFL Draft Landing Spots
- CBS: Round 4
- Sports Illustrated: Round 5
The production on the field wasn’t draft level, but the measurements put Thornton in the early Day 3 range. Standing 6’5″, he ran a 4.30 40-yard dash and ranked sixth in NFL.com’s athleticism score. Wide receiver coaches in the NFL should be vouching for their front office to draft Thornton, as he could become an excellent receiver in a few years.
WR Bru McCoy 2025 NFL Draft Landing Spots
- Sports Illustrated: Round 7
- Pro Football Focus: Round 6
A five-star out of high school, McCoy wasn’t ever able to fully put it together at the college level.
KEEP READING: 5 NFL Teams in 7 Days: Vols DE James Pearce Jr. Becomes NFL Draft Hot Topic
He is a late-draft prospect who may go undrafted and be picked up on a training camp deal.
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