A pair of Tennessee games in 2016 will feature the most future NFL players, according to a list from NFL.com that came out on Tuesday.
UT at Texas A&M on Oct. 8 checks in at No. 8 on the list with 10 total players in the NFL.com CFB 24/7 Top 100.
“This cross-divisional SEC clash will bring together stellar talent at defensive end, featuring TAMU’s Myles Garrett and Tennessee’s Derek Barnett,” Chase Goodbread of NFL.com wrote. “Volunteers star Joshua Dobbs is an accomplished dual threat at the quarterback position, ranking No. 8 on CFB 24/7’s top 100 list. Texas A&M safety Armani Watts, the Aggies’ leading tackler last season, will be charged with keeping Dobbs in check. The teams combine for six of the top 50 players in CFB 24/7’s top 100.”
And not surprisingly, UT’s battle against Alabama on Oct. 15 also made the list, with 14 total players in the NFL.com CFB 24/7 Top 100 set to play in that game.
“After enduring the embarrassment of being shut out in the 2016 draft, Tennessee should be primed for a bounce back next spring. DE Derek Barnett, LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin and CB Cam Sutton give UT an all-conference talent at each level of the defense. On offense, RB Jalen Hurd is UT’s most talented rusher since Arian Foster. Alabama TE O.J. Howard is one of the nation’s most athletic pass catchers at the position, and electric WR Calvin Ridley returns for his sophomore year to give a new UA quarterback some quality weapons.”
Eleven of the 16 games listed have at least one SEC team playing.
