Tennessee football is expected to have a top-heavy showing in the 2026 NFL Draft with between one and three players selected in the first round.

Jermod McCoy is a virtual lock for the first round and perhaps the first cornerback picked. His draft position depends on how well teams believe he’s recovered from a torn ACL that sidelined him in the 2025 season.

Cornerback Colton Hood could also go in the first round. Wide receiver Chris Brazzell is a darkhorse possibility for the first round, but projections on his stock vary widely. A few other Vols are also expected to be picked in the later rounds.

The NFL draft will be April 23 (Round 1, 8 p.m.), April 24 (Rounds 2-3, 7 p.m.) and April 25 (Rounds 4-7, noon) in Pittsburgh on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network.

Tennessee football players in 2026 NFL mock drafts

Here’s where Tennessee players are projected to be drafted, according to USA TODAY, ESPN’s Mel Kiper, NFL.com, CBS Sports and The Athletic. Some mock drafts only include the early rounds, and specific pick is listed for first-round selections.

CB Jermod McCoy: 10th pick to Cincinnati Bengals (USA TODAY); 11th to Miami Dolphins (CBS Sports); 10th to Cincinnati Bengals (NFL.com); 24th to Cleveland Browns (ESPN); 18th to Minnesota Vikings (The Athletic)

CB Colton Hood: 32nd pick to Seattle Seahawks (USA TODAY); 18th to Minnesota Vikings (NFL.com); 29th to Kansas City Chiefs (ESPN); 32nd to Seattle Seahawks (The Athletic)

WR Chris Brazzell: 4th round to New York Giants (NFL.com); 2nd round to New England Patriots (ESPN); 3rd round to Indianapolis Colts (The Athletic)

EDGE Joshua Josephs: 4th round to Buffalo Bills (NFL.com); 4th round to Cincinnati Bengals (The Athletic)

QB Joey Aguilar: 7th round to Green Bay Packers (NFL.com).

DL Bryson Eason: 7th round to Chicago Bears (NFL.com); 7th round to Denver Broncos (The Athletic)

DL Tyre West: 7th round to New York Jets (The Athletic)

Tight end Miles Kitselman, defensive back Jalen McMurray, defensive linemen Dominic Bailey, defensive lineman Jaxson Moi, safety Andre Turrentine, defensive back William Wright and running back Star Thomas are also draft prospects. They’re projected to be undrafted free agents.

Most Tennessee players selected in NFL draft

The 2026 NFL draft likely will be top-heavy but not among the most active drafts for the Vols. However, it should be the sixth straight year with multiple Tennessee players drafted. For context, no Vols players were selected during the 2015, 2016 and 2019 drafts.

Here’s a look at the most Tennessee players selected in a single NFL draft:

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: 2026 NFL mock draft for Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy, Colton Hood, Chris Brazzell