The 2026 NFL Draft is now less than a month away, and Tennessee is looking to add to its total selections under head coach Josh Heupel after having 17 players picked in the previous three years. Despite coming off a disappointing 8-5 season in 2025, the Vols have a handful of NFL hopefuls – headlined by a pair of projected first-round cornerbacks – and many of them contributed to the program’s rise in recent years. A new seven-round mock draft from ESPN analyst Matt Miller released on Monday included five Tennessee players: Cornerbacks Jermod McCoy and Colton Hood, wide receiver Chris Brazzell II, edge Joshua Josephs and defensive lineman Bryson Eason.
Those were five of the seven Tennessee players at the NFL Scouting Combine a month ago – quarterback Joey Aguilar and tight end Miles Kitselman were the other two – and all of them will be in action on Tuesday when the Vols host their annual Pro Day.
Tennessee’s Pro Day looms large for McCoy, Josephs and Aguilar after they did not work out at the Combine – and Brazzell only ran the 40 in Indianapolis.
Here is where the five Tennessee players are projected to go in Miller’s mock draft:
McCoy was an All-SEC performer for Tennessee in 2024 after transferring from Oregon State, but after racking up nine pass breakups and four interceptions with excellent coverage and physicality on the perimeter, he missed the entire 2025 season due to an offseason knee injury.
“Dallas’ cornerback room is full of question marks behind DaRon Bland due to the release of Trevon Diggs,” Miller writes. “Bland is solid, but the Cowboys need a corner who scares opposing QBs. McCoy missed last season following a torn ACL suffered in January 2025, but his 2024 tape was elite, with four interceptions and nine passes defensed. The 6-foot-1, 188-pound McCoy profiles as a physical outside cornerback with smooth moving skills in phase. He would have been my top cornerback in the 2025 class if he had been draft-eligible.”
Hood helped Tennessee replace McCoy last season and replicated his success after coming in from Colorado. The former Auburn freshman had 50 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and eight pass breakups and scored two defensive touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore. Hood earned All-SEC honors despite Tennessee’s struggles on defense.
“Receiver isn’t the only position where the Dolphins suffered significant personnel losses,” Miller writes. “Miami was also decimated in the secondary after Kader Kohou, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas all left. That created a sizable hole at corner, and the 6-foot, 193-pound Hood could fill it. He has 4.44 speed and excellent ability to play the press scheme new coach Jeff Hafley prefers.”
Joining Hood as a 2025 breakout star for Tennessee for Brazzell, who led the SEC in receiving in his second season with the Vols after transferring from Tulane. The 6-foot-4, 198-pound Brazzell, who ran a 4.37-second 40 at the Combine, caught 62 passes for 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns to earn All-SEC honors as a redshirt junior. After a disappointing 2024 season, he burst onto the scene with six catches for 177 yards and three touchdowns in an early-season game against Georgia.
“The Steelers need a field-stretching speed receiver,” Miller writes. “Brazzell has 4.37 speed and averaged 16.4 yards per catch last season with nine touchdowns.”
Josephs was a four-year contributor for Tennessee at the LEO position, which previously sent Byron Young (2023 third-rounder) and James Pearce Jr. (2025 first-rounder) to the NFL. The former Top247 prospect totaled 104 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, nine pass breakups, six forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 48 career games for the Vols. Josephs was a highly-graded run defender as a junior in 2024 and recorded a career-high four sacks in 2025.
Eason played six seasons at Tennessee, moving to defensive tackle after coming in as an oversized linebacker. The 6-foot-2, 323-pounder played in 61 games and started 34 for the Vols. He finished his career with 105 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries before going on to play in the Senior Bowl.
The 2025 NFL Draft is set for April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.