The latest ESPN mock draft has 4 Tennessee Vols getting selected

The latest full seven-round mock draft from ESPN has four Tennessee Vols getting selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. Here's the breakdown: Round 3 (No. 86 overall): Matthew Butler — DL — Las Vegas Raiders From ESPN: The Raiders have to get some help in the trenches, and Butler is an explosive interior defender with […]

Zach Ragan Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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The latest full seven-round mock draft from ESPN has four Tennessee Vols getting selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Here's the breakdown:

Round 3 (No. 86 overall): Matthew Butler — DL — Las Vegas Raiders

From ESPN:

The Raiders have to get some help in the trenches, and Butler is an explosive interior defender with a quick first step.

Vols
Tennessee Vols defensive lineman Matthew Butler drills at Tennessee Football Pro Day at Anderson Training Facility in Knoxville, Tenn. on Wednesday, March 30, 2022.Kns Ut Nfl Draft

ESPN has the other three Vols being selected in the fifth round.

Round 5 (No. 145 overall): Alontae Taylor — DB — Denver Broncos

Round 5 (No. 166 overall): Cade Mays — OL — Philadelphia Eagles

Round 5 (No. 173 overall): Velus Jones Jr — WR — New York Giants

These are reasonable predictions, but I think Taylor and Jones go a bit earlier than the fifth round. Taylor and Jones have elite speed that will cause teams to consider both as early as the third round.

As for Mays, he should likely be drafted higher — he provides versatility and he's excellent when he's on the field. His injury history, however, is why he will probably slip to the fifth round.

This could be a situation where whoever drafts Mays ends up with a first-round talent (like the Kansas City Chiefs did with former Vols offensive lineman Trey Smith, who fell to the sixth round because of his medical history).

Either way, these four former Vols should be locked in as draft picks later this month. We don't know for sure who will draft them, but we're all but certain they'll each be drafted.

Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK