Former Vols WR Cedric Tillman gets asked by Browns media if he ever considered 'shutting it down' in 2022
Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Cedric Tillman was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 74 overall pick (third round) in the 2023 NFL Draft. Tillman was drafted one selection after wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, his former Vols teammate (Hyatt went No. 73 overall to the Detroit Lions). After the 2021 season, Tillman was […]
Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Cedric Tillman was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 74 overall pick (third round) in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Tillman was drafted one selection after wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, his former Vols teammate (Hyatt went No. 73 overall to the Detroit Lions).
After the 2021 season, Tillman was viewed as a potential early-round draft pick after catching 64 passes for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The Las Vegas native, however, elected to return to Tennessee in 2022 for his final season of eligibility. Tillman entered the 2022 season as the leading returning wide receiver in the SEC.
Unfortunately for Tillman, he suffered an ankle injury in the Vols' third game of the season (a 63-6 win against Akron).
In an effort to return to the field as quickly as possible, Tillman, who caught nine passes for 162 yards in Tennessee's road win against Pittsburgh in week two, underwent tightrope surgery on his ankle. Tillman missed Tennessee's games against Florida, LSU, Alabama, and UT-Martin, before returning against Kentucky.
Tillman played against Kentucky, Georgia, and South Carolina before getting held out of the Vols' matchup against Vanderbilt which was played on a rain-soaked field in Nashville (Tillman also missed the Orange Bowl win against Clemson as his ankle wasn't fully healthy yet).
Over the weekend, Tillman was asked by the Cleveland media if he ever considered "shutting it down" in 2022 to prepare for the NFL draft.
The former Vol made it clear that all he was thinking about was returning to action so he could help Tennessee try to win a championship.
"Me getting the (tightrope) surgery, the goal was always to come back and help my team win a championship," said Tillman.
If Tillman would've "shut it down" to preserve his NFL future, I don't think anyone could've blamed him. Sports are fun, but it's ultimately a business.
Tillman, however, put his team first. And that's something that was likely attractive to the Browns and other NFL teams (Tillman noted that other NFL teams asked him the same question about shutting it down after his ankle injury).
I don't know how the former Vols that were selected in the 2023 NFL Draft will fare as professionals, but it's obvious that the culture that Josh Heupel has built at Tennessee is staying with the players as they prepare to make an impact at the next level.
