Tennessee Vols have legit chance to accomplish rare feat that's only happened twice before in football history
The Tennessee Vols have a legitimate chance to accomplish something under head coach Josh Heupel that's only been accomplished twice before in football history. With the 2024 NFL Draft now behind us, 2025 NFL mock drafts are already starting to pop up. And many of those 2025 NFL mock drafts have Vols edge rusher James […]
The Tennessee Vols have a legitimate chance to accomplish something under head coach Josh Heupel that's only been accomplished twice before in football history.
With the 2024 NFL Draft now behind us, 2025 NFL mock drafts are already starting to pop up.
And many of those 2025 NFL mock drafts have Vols edge rusher James Pearce as the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft.
Pearce, who is from Charlotte, had a breakout season as a sophomore for Tennessee in 2023, totaling 10 sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss, and an interception returned for a touchdown.
Pearce isn't the only Vol that's already receiving some early NFL draft hype.
Earlier this offseason, PFF's Max Chadwick suggested that Vols redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava has the highest ceiling of any 2026 draft eligible quarterback, noting that the former five-star recruit could "stake his claim as the 2026 QB1" with a strong performance this fall.
From PFF: While no 2026 quarterback cracked the top 10, that was more due to a lack of playing time than potential. There were five true freshman quarterbacks last year who were top-15 overall recruits coming out of high school. Since 2004, the previous high in a class was three.The one with the highest ceiling of them all is Iamaleava. At 6-foot-6, he has a strong arm to pair with impressive mobility at that size. The true freshman made his lone start in the Citrus Bowl against Iowa. Despite the Hawkeyes featuring one of the best defenses in the country, he finished with an 84.9 PFF grade, two big-time throws and three rushing touchdowns in the 35-0 victory. With starter Joe Milton III off to the NFL, Iamaleava can stake his claim as the 2026 QB1 as the full-time starter next season.
There's a very realistic scenario where Pearce is the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and Iamaleava is the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. It's obviously a bit early to make any strong predictions about the 2025 NFL Draft (let alone the 2026 NFL Draft), but it's a scenario that's plausible.
If the Vols end up having players go No. 1 in the NFL Draft in back-to-back years, it would be only the third time in football history that a program's had players selected No. 1 overall in back-to-back years.
USC first accomplished the feat in 1968 and 1969. The Minnesota Vikings selected offensive lineman Ron Yary with the No. 1 pick in 1968. The following year, the Buffalo Bills selected running back OJ Simpson with the No. 1 pick.
Oklahoma most recently accomplished the feat in 2018 and 2019. In 2018, the Cleveland Browns selected quarterback Baker Mayfield with the No. 1 overall pic. In 2019, the Arizona Cardinals selected quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick.
A lot will have to go right for Pearce and Iamaleava to go No. 1 in back-to-back drafts, but it's scenario that's at least on the table for Tennessee.
