Three Vols Projected As First-Round Picks In Latest 2026 Mock Draft
By Aidan Sidoti
The Volunteers are well represented in CBS Sports’ latest mock draft.
In the latest NFL mock draft released on Tuesday by CBS Sports’ Mike Renner, three Vols are projected to hear their names called in the first round, an indication to the program’s rising player development under Josh Heupel.
Cornerback Jermod McCoy leads the Tennessee trio, projected to go 10th overall to the Cincinnati Bengals.
As most Vols fans know, McCoy has yet to play this season as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in January. In his first season at Tennessee after transferring from Oregon State, McCoy tallied 44 tackles, nine pass breakups, earning Second-Team All-American honors and leading a Tennessee defense that helped fuel its first College Football Playoff run.
Wide receiver Chris Brazzell is slotted at No. 18 to the New England Patriots.
The rising redshirt junior has been one of the nation’s most productive pass-catchers this fall, ranking second in the SEC with 602 receiving yards and leading the conference with seven touchdown receptions. Brazzell’s vertical threat has drawn attention from scouts across the league.
“Drake Maye has been the best deep passer in football this season. He's 12 of his last 13 on targets 20-plus yards downfield,” Renner wrote. “Maye just doesn't have much vertical talent to throw to. That would change with Brazzell, who's already caught seven deep targets himself this season.”
Cornerback Colton Hood rounds out the group at No. 29 to the Cowboys.
The Colorado transfer has made an immediate impact in his first and probably lone season in Knoxville.
He’s tied for the SEC lead with seven pass breakups, has one interception, and has recorded 27 total tackles. Hood’s physicality and instincts have made him one of the fastest risers in this year’s draft class.
If these projections hold, Tennessee would match its program record for most first-round picks in a single draft, tying the 2002 NFL Draft, when John Henderson went No. 9 to Jacksonville, Dante Stallworth No. 13 to New Orleans, and Albert Haynesworth No. 15 to Tennessee.
