Where five Tennessee players are ranked on Mel Kiper Jr.'s NFL Draft Big Board

Jermod McCoy remains the No. 1 cornerback in the NFL Draft and the No. 13 overall prospect available according to Mel Kiper Jr.’s ESPN NFL Draft Big Board, despite the torn ACL that sidelined him the entire 2025 season. 

“McCoy hasn’t played yet in 2025 after suffering a torn ACL in January,” Kiper wrote, “but he still has the chance to be the first cornerback off the board in April. He began his college career at Oregon State, picking off two passes there in 2023. 

“McCoy’s ball-hawking traits really emerged once transferring to Tennessee, as he picked off four passes and broke up nine last season. His on-the-ball production will get Day 1 interest.”

McCoy is one of five Tennessee players that were either ranked or mentioned on Kiper’s Big Board.

Colton Hood is ranked by Kiper as the No. 6 corner, Chris Brazzell II is the No. 7 wide receiver and Joshua Jospehs is the No. 7 outside linebacker. Miles Kitselman was not ranked as a top-10 tight end by Kiper, but was one of six players listed in the “just missed” category.

Three Tennessee players have declared for NFL Draft

McCoy, Brazzell and linebacker Arion Carter so far are the only three Tennessee players that have declared for the NFL Draft.

McCoy was a breakout star last season with 44 tackles, nine passes defended and four interceptions. He was widely projected during the summer to be the first corner off the board in most offseason mock drafts.

Brazzell had a breakout senior season in his second year with the Vols, catching 62 passes for 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns. He had 19 catches for 333 yards and two touchdowns in 2024, after transferring from Tulane. 

Carter over the last seasons had 96 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 31 career games. He had a team-high 76 tackles this season, with 6.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks while appearing in 10 games. 

Colton Hood had breakout season out of NCAA Transfer Portal

Hood helped replace the loss of both McCoy and Rickey Gibson at corner. The Colorado transfer had 50 tackles, eight passes defended and two defensive touchdowns, taking an interception back for a score and returning a fumble for a touchdown. 

Josephs has 104 tackles, 9.5 sacks and 22.0 tackles for loss in 48 games over the last four seasons at Tennessee. This season he had a career-high 4.0 sacks and recording a career-high 9.0 tackles for loss last season. 

Kitselman this season caught 25 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns. He transferred from Alabama after the 2023 season and in 2024 had 22 catches for 301 yards and four touchdowns in his first season wit the Vols.