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Tennessee All-Time First-Round NFL Draft Picks
By Ethan Stone
Last Updated:
Tennessee has produced 363 players who have been selected in the NFL Draft, with 15 more being selected in the AFL Draft prior to 1969. The Vols’ number ranks 13th among college football teams and 7th among SEC programs (ahead of No. 11 Texas, but behind No. 4 Oklahoma).
Of those 363 players, 46 were chosen in the first round, a total that’s just outside the top 10 among college football programs today. There are plenty of Pro Football Hall of Famers on the list of 363, including Peyton Manning, Reggie White and Doug Atkins.
Here’s a look at all 46 first-round picks to come out of the University of Tennessee (as of the conclusion of the 2024 NFL Draft):
Tennessee No. 1 Overall Draft Picks
Having a No. 1 pick hail from your school is massive for recruiting and the overall brand of a college football program, not to mention an indicator of success. The top teams in this category – USC, Georgia, Notre Dame and Oklahoma – are among the best programs in the history of the game.
A Tennessee Volunteer has heard his name called No. 1 overall just twice before – George Cafego in 1940 and Peyton Manning in 1998.
George Cafego, FB — No. 1 overall, 1940 NFL Draft (Chicago Cardinals)
George Cafego was Tennessee’s first No. 1 overall selection and was a Vol For Life (VFL) personified. The star fullback played under the legendary Robert Neyland from 1937-1939, amassing 2,139 total yards while being named a 2-time All-American. He was selected No. 1 overall by the Chicago Cardinals in 1940.
Cafego never did play for Chicago, instead starting out with the now-defunct Brooklyn Dodgers for one season before joining the Army in 1941. Cafego played 3 more seasons upon his return – one with the Washington Redskins and 2 for the Boston Yanks.
Cafego played multiple positions across the field in the NFL, but never really panned out as a long-term threat. He finished his career with just 77 rushing yards, 966 passing yards, 414 return yards and 133 receiving yards. Harking back to his college days, Cafego spent the 1944 and 45 season as a punter, averaging 36.7 yards per punt with 1,532 punt yards and 44 total punts throughout his career.
He switched his helmet for a coach’s hat soon after his playing career, making stops at Furman, Wyoming and Arkansas before landing back at Tennessee in 1955. Cafego won a national title as an assistant with Tennessee in 1967 and coached for 29 years in Knoxville before moving to the NFL as an assistant for the Broncos and Vikings.
Following a successful coaching career, Cafego died in Knoxville at the age of 82 on February 9, 1998.
Peyton Manning, QB — No. 1 overall, 1998 NFL Draft (Indianapolis Colts)
We all know The Sheriff, who was selected No. 1 overall by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1998 NFL Draft and went on to finish his career as one of the greatest the position has ever seen.
Manning is a 5-time NFL MVP, 2-time Super Bowl champion and 1-time Super Bowl MVP. He spent 13 seasons with the Colts, winning a title in 2006 before landing in Denver and leading the Broncos to a Super Bowl title of their own. He has been enshrined into the Louisiana, Indiana, Colorado and Tennessee Sports Hall of Fames.
At Tennessee, Manning was named the 1994 SEC Freshman of the Year and the 1997 SEC Player of the Year and was a 3-time All-American. He won just about every QB award you can think of in 1997 but finished second in the Heisman Trophy race to Michigan’s Charles Woodson.
Manning’s football IQ is thought to be among the best in history and he’s the one many think of when they see the Power T.
Other Notable Picks
Eric Berry, S — No. 5 overall pick, 2010 NFL Draft (Kansas City Chiefs)
Berry is one of the all-time greats at Tennessee and had an excellent, yet far too abridged, NFL career. He was selected No. 5 overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2010 following 3 straight All-SEC seasons at Tennessee.
Berry is one of the best defenders to ever come out of the Tennessee football program, finishing with 241 tackles, 14 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, 18 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 3 defensive touchdowns across 3 seasons in Knoxville. That elite ability instantly translated to the NFL, where Berry reached the Pro Bowl in Year 1. He went on to see 5 Pro Bowls and was named a 3-time First-Team All-Pro.
In 2014, Berry was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma when a mass was discovered in his chest. Thankfully, Berry was cleared of cancer just 9 months following his initial diagnosis, leading to a return to the playing field in 2015. Berry’s 2015 season turned into one of his best – he totaled 61 tackles with a pair of interceptions and 10 pass deflections on his way to winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Jamal Lewis, RB — No. 5 overall pick, 2000 NFL Draft (Baltimore Ravens)
Jamal Lewis was selected No. 5 overall by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2000 NFL Draft after 3 seasons at Tennessee, including the Vols’ historic 1998 season that ended in a BCS Championship. Lewis was the first running back selected in the draft.
Lewis is best known for his immaculate 2003 season with the Ravens, when he rushed for 2,066 yards – becoming just 1 of 8 players in NFL history to eclipse 2,000 rushing yards in a single season. Lewis’s number ranks third all-time in most rushing yards for a single season, behind only Eric Dickerson in 1984 and Adrian Peterson in 2012. By many accounts, Lewis’s 2003 campaign is one of the greatest by a running back in NFL history.
Lewis won a Super Bowl with the Ravens right out of the gate, rushing for 1,364 yards with 6 touchdowns in his rookie season, adding 296 receiving yards for good measure. The Ravens leaned on a strong rushing attack from Lewis and a defense that ranks among the best in NFL history to bring home the Lombardi Trophy.
2002 NFL Draft — 3 Picks Inside Top 15
Tennessee had quite the showing at the 2002 NFL Draft, seeing 3 players drafted within the top 15 – DT John Henderson at No. 9, WR Dont’e Stallworth at No. 13 and DT Albert Haynesworth at No. 15.
All 3 went on to have strong NFL careers, especially Henderson and Haynesworth. Henderson finished with 2 Pro Bowl appearances, 492 tackles and 29 sacks across 9 seasons in the league, while Haynesworth finished with 398 tackles, 30.5 sacks and 2 Pro Bowl appearances in his 9 pro seasons. Haynesworth was also named a 2-time All-Pro.
That top 15-run was just the start. Tennessee saw a total of 10 players drafted in 2002 following an 11-2 2001 season that ended with a Citrus Bowl victory over Michigan. Fred Weary, selected in the third round, went on to have a good NFL career with the Houston Texans as a guard.
The 2002 NFL Draft was the second time 3 Tennessee players were selected in the first round. The other instance came in 1991, when OT Charles McRae, OT Antone Davis and WR Alvin Harper went 7, 8 and 12 respectively.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
