In near rapid succession, Tennessee had four players drafted in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday.
It started with quarterback Hendon Hooker, who was selected 68th overall to the Detroit Lions, then wide receivers Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman went back-to-back as the 73rd and 74th picks to the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns, respectively.
EDGE rusher Byron Young capped an active third round for the Vols, going 77th to the Los Angeles Rams.
The drafting of Hyatt and Tillman continued a long line of successes in former Tennessee wideouts getting drafted.
The Vols have had at least one receiver selected in each of the last four drafts—a number that leads the SEC is second in college football.
Jauan Jennings and Josh Palmer were drafted in 2020 and 2021 while Velus Jones Jr. was the first receiver drafted under Josh Heupel when he went 71st overall to the Chicago Bears in 2022.
All three players are still in the league, too. Jennings is entering his fourth season with the San Francisco 49ers while Palmer is going for this third year with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Tennessee has had seven receivers drafted since 2000.
Hyatt put up record numbers during his junior season on his way to winning the Biletnikoff Award. He broke school records in single-season touchdowns with 15 and single-game score when’re grabbed five Hooker passes in the Vols’ 52-49 win over Alabama.
After a strong freshman season in 2020, Hyatt struggled as a sophomore, falling behind as Tillman, Jones and JaVonta Payton excelled.
Hyatt spent extra hours in the football facilities over the offseason catching passes from Hooker and determined to be the Vols’ top receiving target.
It paid off.
Hyatt caught 67 passes for 1,267 yards and averaged more than 18 yards per catch.
“The best thing about (Hyatt), he’s not a one-trick pony, ESPN analyst Louis Riddick said. “They can move him around. They can play him in the slot, he can run all the routes. He’s not just a vertical threat. And he’s got smooth, easy hands now. He’s going to be a good wide receiver for Daniel Jones.”
Tillman was stellar in his first season in Heupel’s offense.
An three-star prospect that flew under the radar in the 2018 signing class, Tillman was a late addition out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas and saw limited action in this first four seasons at Tennessee.
Tillman burst onto the scene in 2021, though. He caught 64 passes for the 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns and finished First Team All-SEC. An ankle injury early last season prevented him from making a similar impact.
"Tillman, back in 2021, he was the guy," ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said. "He was the main entity. He was the guy that was the go-to receiver. ...He has the speed, he has the ability. I thought he was no worse in this draft than a second round pick."
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