Tennessee Vols WR Chris Brazzell gets hit with a label by ESPN ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft that no prospect wants
Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Chris Brazzell is poised to be an early round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. Brazzell, who started his career at Tulane, spent the last two seasons at Tennessee.
Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Chris Brazzell II is one of the most gifted athletes in the 2026 NFL Draft, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be a first-round selection.
Brazzell, in fact, isn’t expected to be drafted until day two of the draft.
One reason is because of the questions surrounding Tennessee’s offense and how it prepares players for the NFL (Brazzell pushed back against that idea at the NFL combine earlier this year).
Another reason is because of questions about Brazzell’s maturity.
Questions about Chris Brazzell’s maturity are popping up just days before the draft
Brazzell is viewed by “many teams” in the NFL as a player with elite traits, but those same teams have also attached the “immature” label to the former Vol.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted Monday that many NFL teams view Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson and Brazzell as two of the most talented wide receivers in the draft, but both have maturity questions, with Brazzell having “even more” questions about his maturity.
Interestingly, Schefter reported that one NFL general manager compared Brazzell to Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens, a player who has faced plenty of questions about maturity.
“Multiple teams said Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson is the most talented wide receiver in this draft, and two said he would go higher than projected,” wrote Schefter. “But other teams expressed concerns about both his durability and maturity. Many teams say Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell II has elite talents that rival Tyson — one general manager even compared him with George Pickens — but there are even more questions about his maturity.”
Brazzell was inconsistent as a player in 2024, his first season with the Vols, but he took a big step forward in 2025, catching 62 passes for 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns.
Off the field, the lone reported issue with Brazzell happened last August when he was arrested for driving with a suspended license after he was pulled over for driving 60 MPH in a 35 MPH zone.
From the Knoxville News Sentinel: At about 8:57 p.m. on Aug. 8, police clocked Brazzell driving 60 mph in a 35 mph zone in a black Dodge Charger across the Henley Street Bridge in downtown Knoxville near UT campus, the KPD report said. Police said Brazzell produced a U.S. passport, but he told the officer that he didn’t have his driver’s license with him. The officer then checked motor vehicle records, which revealed that Brazzell’s license was suspended for failing to appear in court in Blount County on Aug. 15, 2024, according to the report.
The charges against Brazzell were dismissed less than two weeks after the arrest.
It’s hard to know how much the questions about Brazzell’s maturity will impact his draft stock. Sometimes this stuff pops up because teams are trying to get a player to fall in the draft (for various reasons). Other times, the questions are legitimate (see former Vol James Pearce a year ago).
The good news for Brazzell is that he’s talented enough that NFL teams may be willing to overlook the off-the-field “concerns”.
“He’s got a real chance,” said an NFL wide receivers coach of Brazzell to The Athletic this week. “He’s more than just a deep threat. He has a chance to develop into a real route runner. He’s got the hips and the skill set for it. He’s just gotta be taught it, and you can develop him.”
The 2026 NFL Draft is set to get underway on April 23 in Pittsburgh.