The Tennessee Vols have several key players that will be making NFL Draft decisions over the next couple of weeks.

Cornerback Jermod McCoy is almost certainly going to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft. McCoy didn’t play in 2025 while recovering from a torn ACL, but he’s still viewed as a likely first round selection.

Decisions for a couple of other key Vols players are less obvious.

Vols insider gives the latest on NFL Draft decisions for a couple of key Tennessee players

Junior linebacker Arion Carter and junior left tackle Lance Heard are two of Tennessee’s most important players, and they could both be heading to the NFL in 2026.

Carter, specifically, is currently projected as an early day two selection.

VolQuest’s Austin Price joined 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will on Tuesday and he shared the latest on those looming decisions.

“I think we’ll hear something on Arion probably sometime this week, or maybe the first of next week,” said Price. “Lance Heard, I don’t know, we’ll see. To me, he’s more up in the air than Arion is. Arion is a guy who, even with the double turf toe, is fairly well thought of in NFL circles — I’m not saying a first-round pick, but they don’t look at him as an undrafted free agent by any stretch of the imagination.

“I think Arion is working on that decision right now. But I do think you’ll hear something from him probably in the next seven days or so. And we’ll see where things go from there. But as far as Lance, I think that one is much more up in the air.”

Redshirt sophomore cornerback Colton Hood is another key Tennessee player that has a draft decision to make.

Regardless of what decisions are made, it’s important for Tennessee that they’re made by the end of the month, that way the Vols know what they need to target in the NCAA transfer portal (which opens on January 2).

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