From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar.
NO. 6 JOEY AGUILAR/QB/TENNESSEE – 6030, 229 POUNDS (SENIOR)
MEASUREMENTS
Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Joey Aguilar 6030/229 9 5/8 31 3/4 N/A
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
N/A N/A N/A
THE GOOD
-Ideal build for the position; well-proportioned frame with strong lower half
-Willing to stand in and deliver downfield, taking shots in the process
-Has sound ball placement with accurate touch; consistently hit receivers in stride
-Operates well out of the gun and runs the RPO with efficiency
-Quick decision maker that reads the field well pre- and post-snap
-Climbs pocket well from top of drop to generate force on downfield throws
-Provides some short-yardage options with designed runs; has adequate mobility and creates on the move in open space
THE BAD
-Deep ball arm strength tends to wane; throws tended to hang in the air too long, allowing defenders to get back into play
-Arm strength concerns throwing outside the numbers; balls tend to flutter late and lose steam
-Played in QB friendly scheme that wasn’t progression-based
-Too many questionable decisions leading to turnovers; 34 career INTs concerning
-Concerning number of accuracy issues on simple throws; focus issues?
-Flashes mobility but struggles to get out of muddied pocket consistently into space; ball security is a real issue in those instances
-Will be 25 years old in rookie season
STATS
-2025 stats: 272-for-404 passing for 3,565 yards and 24 touchdowns to 10 interceptions in 13 games with Tennessee; added 71 carries for 101 yards and four touchdowns
-Threw for 6,670 yards, 56 touchdowns and 24 interceptions in two seasons (25 games) with Appalachian State; added 140 carries for 452 yards and five touchdowns during time at Appalachian State
-Finished career with 38 games played, 783-for-1,254 passing for 10,325 yards, 80 touchdowns and 34 interceptions; 211 carries, 553 yards and 9 touchdowns
INJURY HISTORY
-Suffered neck injury on hit against Alabama in 2025, but returned to the game
-Doctors found benign tumor in his throwing shoulder, leading to surgery in early January; participated in throwing drills at Tennessee Pro Day in March
-Dealt with undisclosed injury during time at Diablo Valley Community College in 2022, missing a month before returning to action
BACKGROUND
-Born June 16, 2001
-Attended Freedom High School in Antioch, Calif.
-Didn’t start playing until his freshman year in high school
-Attended Diablo Valley Community College and was set to give up football to become a firefighter during COVID before Appalachian State offered him
-Named the Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year in 2023 and led App State to conference title game
-Originally transferred to UCLA after 2024 season, but then moved to Tennessee after Nico Iamaleava left Tennessee for UCLA
-Led SEC in passing yards per game in lone season with Volunteers
-Finished third all-time in single-season offensive yardage in program history behind only Peyton Manning and Joshua Dobbs
-Previously filed injunction against NCAA for extra year of eligibility due to JUCO time, but was denied
-Combine invite
TAPE BREAKDOWN
The 2026 NFL Draft quarterback class is a bit underwhelming from a top-end perspective, but there is some intriguing depth featuring experienced guys who could be serviceable backup quarterbacks and maybe even fringe spot starters available on Day 3.
Tennessee’s Joey Aguilar fits into that bucket. After starting 38 games in college, including 13 with the Volunteers in 2025, Aguilar enters the NFL Draft with good size and some intriguing production, thanks to his one breakout season in the SEC.
Last year with the Vols, Aguilar led the SEC in passing yards per game and put up the third-best all-purpose season in program history, putting him behind Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and journeyman Joshua Dobbs in the process, both of whom were eventually drafted.
While there is some concern regarding Aguilar’s shoulder surgery to remove a benign tumor, which kept him from throwing at the Combine, but did allow him to throw some at the Tennessee Pro Day, there’s some good tape to work off of with Aguilar.
Aguilar is not afraid to cut it loose downfield and did so consistently in the Volunteers’ offense in 2025. It helps that he had some explosive receivers to throw to, like Chris Brazell II, as he did here against Syracuse to open up his lone season with Tennessee.
This is a perfect throw from Aguilar with good pace and placement downfield, hitting his receiver in stride. It’s exactly how you want it to be taught. He played with good rhythm, stepped into the throw to generate force, and put it right on the money.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t always the case with his deep balls.
During the 2025 season, Aguilar tended to leave some throws hanging in the air too long, allowing defenders to get back into the mix on plays. Fortunately for Aguilar, his receivers were able to win those matchups more often than not.
On this throw against Georgia, you can see how high and how long this ball hangs up in the air. Aguilar again stepped into the throw, but he really emphasized putting air on this. In turn, it caused the ball to die downfield, allowing the defender to get back into the play.
Brazzell made an unbelievable catch and converted it into a touchdown, but it was concerning to see a deep shot like that hang in the air so long.
Aside from some concerns with the deep ball, I really liked how Aguilar played on time and in rhythm throughout his lone season with Tennessee, and when he was, he was putting the ball on the money with easy accuracy.
Yes, he stares down this throw just a bit, but he reads the defense quickly and puts the ball on his receiver in stride over the middle on the slant, leading to an explosive play.
There’s good zip on the ball, too.
Same thing here against Oklahoma.
The Tennessee offense was fairly QB-friendly with the designed route concepts and the ability to create 1-on-1 matchups all over the field. But you have to have a quarterback take advantage of those with decision-making and accuracy. Aguilar did consistently.
This is a perfect throw on the seam route, putting the ball right in the bucket. You couldn’t walk and hand it to the receiver any better.
This post route for a touchdown was very impressive from Aguilar, too.
As soon as he reaches the top of his drop, he’s ready to fire. He rips this thing, putting it up and away from the defender attempting to cut underneath, leading to the touchdown to pull the Volunteers back into the game late.
There are plenty of throws like that on tape, but what was hard to get over was the 10 interceptions on the season, and the 34 he threw in 38 career games.
He tends to make some great decisions throughout games, but he has a number of mental lapses and trusts his arm too much, which leads to mistakes that can kill his team.
Like this pick-6 late in the first half against Alabama that swung the game.
He’s late on the throw and letting it go off his back foot, fading away.
That makes it easy for the defensive back to undercut and roll the other way for the 99-yard score.
CONCLUSION
Overall, I liked a lot of what I saw from Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar. He throws a solid deep ball with good accuracy and touch. He played in rhythm often with the Volunteers and was sharp throughout the season, making some big-time throws in big spots.
He also added a mobile element to the Tennessee offense, both from a busted-play perspective and a design-run perspective, which could translate to the NFL. He has good feel in the pocket, too, but the ball security within the pocket is concerning, considering he had 29 fumbles in three seasons.
Where I have issues with him lies in his tendency to let his deep balls hang in the air too often, allowing defenders to get back into phase. He also struggled with throws outside the numbers, as they would lose some zip. That could be cleaned up now with the benign tumor in his throwing shoulder removed.
I like the experience and the size, but I can’t see more than a Day 3 pick and, at best, a backup quarterback with him. He reminds me of another longtime NFL backup quarterback, Drew Stanton. Decent arm, average mobility, plenty of toughness and poise to his game.
NFL Projection: Late Day 3
Steelers Depot Grade: 6.2 (Pure Backup)
Grade Range: 6.0-6.5
Games Watched: Syracuse (2025), Georgia (2025), Alabama (2025), Oklahoma (2025), Vanderbilt (2025)
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