Eight former Tennessee football players to sign as undrafted free agents
Former Tennessee transfer tight end McCallan Castles, wide receiver Ramel Keyton, safety Jaylen McCollough, linebacker Aaron Beasley, athlete Dee Williams, offensive lineman Jeremiah Crawford, defensive back Gabe Jeudy-Lally and tight end Jacob Warren are signing as undrafted free agents after not getting picked in the NFL Draft.
Castles is signing with the Philadelphia Eagles, Warren is joining the New England Patriots and Keyton is headed to the Las Vegas Raiders. McCollough is heading to Los Angeles Rams. Beasley and Williams are off to the Seattle Seahawks. Crawford is getting an opportunity with the Panthers and Jeudy-Lally is signing with the Titans.
Castles caught 22 passes for 283 yards and five touchdowns last season, averaging 12.3 yards per catch and 21.8 yards per game.
Keyton in five seasons at Tennessee caught 86 passes for 1,456 yards and 11 touchdowns. He had career highs with 35 catches for 642 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games last season.
Warren, another fifth-year senior, caught 53 passes for 607 yards and eight touchdowns with the Vols. He caught 16 passes for a career-high 191 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games last season.
Castles arrived at Tennessee as a transfer from UC-Davis a year ago in January. His goal was to prove to himself and others that he could play in the SEC and at the next level.
“You are playing in the SEC, you are playing against the majority of guys who are going to go to the NFL at some point. I think it has prepared me for that and kind of put me in the mind frame of the work I needed to do to get ready for this,” Castles said.
Castles in his one season at Tennessee finished with 22 catches for 283 yards and 5 touchdowns. His five touchdown catches were second on the team behind Squirrel White’s team leading six.
For Castles his year on Rocky Top wasn’t about amassing stats. It was about development in his physicality and growth as a blocker to become a more complete tight end.
“I think I’ve improved night and day difference just in the run game alone,” Castles said. “I’ve changed my body since I got here, gained 20 pounds and tight coach coach is a former offensive lineman guy, so he’s pretty solid in the run game. And then just being around talented guys and practicing against talented defensive guys, I’ve improved like every day just being out here on the field with ’em. So I think I’ve put in, put good stuff on tape against SEC competition and had really developed myself, so hopefully I’ll get an opportunity after this is over.”
A season ago, former Vol tight end Princeton Fant was a free agent selection of the Dallas Cowboys. Fant made the practice squad and was on the Cowboys active 53 man roster the back half of the season.
