Jermod McCoy (3) celebrates a pass breakup during a game against UTEP at Neyland Stadium. Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. Cole Moore/RTI
The NFL Combine is an exciting week of the pro football and college football offseason, and the event is already underway at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. Players are arriving in a staggered format to avoid a logjam and smooth out the onboarding process over the next handful of days. Some players have already gone through their medical examinations and team interviews, while others are preparing in the near future.
What the fans want to see, though, are the on-field workouts: the 40-yard dash, the bench press, the throwing drills, the receiving drills, the deep passes, and more. Those will begin on Thursday and will again be in a staggered format by position groups.
The defensive linemen, linebacks, and specialists will begin their on-field workouts on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. ET. The defensive backs and tight ends will then take the field on Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Saturday’s on-field workouts will feature the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs at 1:00 p.m. ET, while Sunday’s activities will showcase the offensive linemen at 1:00 p.m. ET.
All on-field workout coverage will air on NFL Network and NFL+ throughout the week.
According to the NFL’s player participation chart, Tennessee has seven players who are slated to be at the combine this week. The Vols’ seven NFL hopefuls will work out over the course of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Tennessee’s players include quarterback Joey Aguilar, cornerback Jermod McCoy, cornerback Colton Hood, wide receiver Chris Brazzell, EDGE rusher Joshua Josephs, defensive lineman Bryson Eason, and tight end Miles Kitselman. It’s unclear how much Aguilar and McCoy will do on the field based on their previous injuries (Aguilar/Bicep, McCoy/ACL), so we’ll have to wait and see if any information comes out during the week.
More From RTI: Tennessee Football Five-Star Freshman QB Faizon Brandon’s High School Film
Here’s a look at when Tennessee’s player groups are slated for on-field action:
Thursday, Feb. 26 (3:00 p.m. ET) – Defensive Linemen, Linebackers, Specialists
DL Bryson Eason
EDGE Joshua Josephs
Â
Friday, Feb. 27 (3:00 p.m. ET) – Defensive Backs, Tight Ends
CB Jermod McCoy
CB Colton Hood
TE Miles Kitselman
Â
Saturday, Feb. 28 (1:00 p.m. ET) – Quarterbacks, Wide Receivers, Running Backs
QB Joey Aguilar
WR Chris Brazzell
Â
As of this week, Tennessee’s first-round projections are a bit up in the air. Despite his recovery from ACL injury 13 months ago, UT cornerback Jermod McCoy definitely appears to be a first-round draft pick. Many have linked him to the 12 or 13 spot in the draft, with both Dallas and Miami in the market for young cornerbacks.
The question is whether position teammate Colton Hood will also be joining him as a first-round pick. Hood has been one of the fastest risers in the class this cycle and improved his stock in a meaningful way at the Senior Bowl last week. He’s a coin flip first-round projection right now; some analysts have him in the Top 32 picks, while others do not. This could be a big week for Hood in continuing to establish himself as a player worthy of a first-round choice.
Tennessee has had 17 players taken in the four NFL Drafts since Josh Heupel took over on Rocky Top. That includes two first-round picks with OT Darnell Wright going 10th overall to the Chicago Bears in 2023 and EDGE rusher James Pearce Jr. going 26th overall to the Atlanta Falcons in 2025. The Vols had five players taken in the 2022 and 2023 drafts, three players taken in 2024, and four players taken in 2025.
Last year’s NFL Draft saw Pearce go to the Falcons, Omarr Norman-Lott go to the Kansas City Chiefs, Dont’e Thornton go to the Las Vegas Raiders, and Dylan Sampson go to the Cleveland Browns.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more NFL Draft coverage for Tennessee’s pro football hopefuls.
The NFL Draft will begin on April 23 in Pittsburgh.