Welcome to NFL Draft week. Top prospects from across the country will learn their fate, starting on Thursday night in Detroit. The event will span three days, wrapping up on Saturday evening.
Tennessee is expected to have a couple of players hear their name called later this week. Running back Jaylen Wright is the clear-cut top prospect for the Volunteers, coming off of a 1,000 yard season in 2023. The explosive back crushed the NFL Combine, headlining the testing with a 4.38 40 yard dash. Wright averaged 7.4 per carry last season to lead the Tennessee backfield.
Quarterback Joe Milton is the other notable prospect for the Volunteers, although his NFL projection is much more cloudy. The big-armed Milton hasn’t put it all together, despite having six years of time at the college level. Will a team fall in love with the physical trait and take a chance on a project on day three? It seems that way.
According to Jordan Reid’s latest seven-round mock draft, Wright will go late on day two and Milton will go late on day three.
In the mock, Wright lands with the Green Bay Packers at No. 91 overall. It’s an interesting fit for Wright, who would be playing behind freshly signed Josh Jacobs and AJ Dillon. Dillon is on a one-year deal, however, so Wright would be a play on the future for the Packers.
Joe Milton landed with the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round. Honestly, this is a perfect for for Joe, who would be playing behind a guy with a similar style in Josh Allen. Both are big, mobile with cannon arms able to cut through the elements of Buffalo in the winter. Milton would have a chance to be an ideal backup for the Bills somewhere down the road.
Kamal Hadden, Gabe Jeudy-Lally, Jabari Small, Jacob Warren and McCallan Castles went unselected in the projection.
The NFL Draft is set for 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night. ESPN, ABC and NFL Network will have the coverage.