3 Volunteers the Jacksonville Jaguars could target in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft
By Beau Adams
The Tennessee Volunteers were one of the most exciting surprises in college football last season. They made headlines and shocked the nation with their upset of No. 3 ranked Alabama. This put a spotlight on the program, and stars emerged on the team.
Tennessee is submitting several players to the draft. They have four prospects projected to land in the second round alone. The Jacksonville Jaguars can use several of those Tennessee players to bolster their roster and make a run at the Super Bowl. Here we discuss three Tennessee Volunteers that the Jags could draft in the second round this year.
No. 3 Tennessee prospect the Jacksonville Jaguars could draft: Jalin Hyatt
. The draft’s top rated wide receiver . WR 1. 534. . . Jalin Hyatt. player
Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt came to Tennessee as a four-star recruit and four-time state champion out of Dutch Fork High School in South Carolina, where he is the all-time leader in career receiving yards and touchdowns.
Hyatt stepped on the field for the Volunteers as a true freshman and contributed immediately. In 2022 he was the 2022 Biletnikoff Award winner, a consensus and unanimous First-Team All-American (Walter Camp, FWAA, Associated Press, Sporting News, AFCA, NCAA, ESPN, The Athletic, CBSSports.com/247Sports), a 2022 Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year semifinalist, as well as named to the All-SEC First Team. Watch this touchdown against Alabama to see why.
Jalin Hyatt to have a top 30 visit with the Giants #togetherblue pic.twitter.com/Z03NmxMBD4
— Brody (@ItsGiantsSzn) April 11, 2023
Hyatt is 6'1, 176 lbs, and models his play after All-Pro receiver Davante Adams. They both have similar draft profiles, with Adams being larger but Hyatt having better speed and athleticism. Hyatt is quietly the best wide receiver in the draft, and I say quietly because, despite his number 1 WR rank, he is projected to be picked in the second round in most mock drafts.
ESPN's Draft guru Mel Kiper has Hyatt falling to the Detroit Lions at No. 55 and the fifth receiver taken in the draft behind; Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Zay Flowers, USC's Jordan Addison, and TCU standout Quentin Johnson. I have the Lions taking Quentin Johnson with the 18th pick, leaving them to look for a tight end with the 55th overall selection. Guess who has the 56th pick? Jacksonville.
The Jaguars are pretty stacked at WR right now with Ridley, Zay Jones, and Kirk, but it would be hard to pass up the best WR in the draft late in the second round.