Tennessee DL coach Rodney Garner made some strong comments about former Vol Tyre West that shows Lions fans exactly what they’re getting
Former Tennessee Volunteers defensive line coach Tyre West, a Georgia native who spent four seasons at UT, was selected by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Detroit Lions may be getting a huge steal in former Tennessee Vols defensive lineman Tyre West.
West, a former four-star recruit from Tifton, GA, was selected by the Lions in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The former Vol totaled 65 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks during his four seasons in Knoxville.
Seventh-round picks usually face an uphill climb to make a 53-man roster, but West’s versatility and the edge he plays with gives him a really good chance to be on Detroit’s active roster when the 2026 NFL season gets underway.
Vols defensive line coach Rodney Garner shares some thoughts on Tyre West
Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner spoke to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press this week about West.
Garner told Birkett that West is “as gifted as anybody” he’s ever coached.
“This kid has explosiveness, he has power, he has play strength at the line of scrimmage,” said Garner. “He has instincts. He makes plays, that’s what he does. He makes a lot of plays.”
West is a bit of a “tweener”, but Garner told Birkett that the former Vol is “tough as nails” and will play through anything (in other words, he’s a DAWG).
“He comes from very humble means, so he is a great young man,” said Garner. “He’s a hard worker. I mean, this is truly his way-out situation. He’s the first in his family to ever graduate from college. I mean, the hurdles and things that he’s overcome, it’s been really miraculous with all that he’s gone through.”
“The thing everybody’s going to talk about is measurables, the arm length, the length to be out there. That would be his only issue if you were just doing it strictly off measurables. But just the physicality portion of it, he’s going to be one of your more physical kids on the team and he’s tough as [bleeping] nails now. I mean, he can play with pain, he’ll fight through pain. I mean this is a kid that he probably dealt with other pain just growing up.”
Interestingly, West’s position coach in Detroit will be former Vols defensive lineman Kacy Rodgers.
Rodgers, who played at Tennessee from 1988 to 1991, previously served as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defensive line coach and as the New York Jets’ defensive coordinator. He joined the Lions’ coaching staff ahead of the 2025 season.