Rashaan Gaulden, DB
Nathanael: 3rd round
Will: 3rd round
William: 3rd round
Charley: 3rd round
Cole: 3rd round
The consensus with the RTI team is that Rashaan Gaulden will be the first Vol off the board in the 2018 NFL Draft, and we all believe he’ll be taken in the third round of this year’s draft.
Gaulden isn’t the biggest defensive back, nor is he the fastest. But he’s one of the more versatile defensive backs available in the draft, and that versatility will make him intriguing to many teams. Most draft projections have Gaulden either inside or close to the top 100 picks in the draft. He’s been pegged everywhere from a top-80 pick to going late in the fourth round.
Tennessee’s defense struggled as a whole in 2017, but Gaulden was one of the few bright spots. He had a solid junior year and announced after the season he would be declaring early for the NFL Draft.
The talented defensive back can play nickel, outside corner, and safety. That kind of versatility will make Gaulden a very appealing player for teams in need of secondary help in the draft.
Gaulden missed the entire 2015 season due to injury, and he was awarded a medical redshirt because of that. He played primarily on special teams in his freshman year in 2014. In his last two seasons with the Vols, Gaulden totaled 133 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 10 passes defended, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and an interception in 25 games.
