2. Marquez Callaway, WR
There are few players in the SEC who have proven to be better at coming down with 50/50 balls than Marquez Callaway, and that alone makes him extremely appealing to NFL scouts. When you throw in his toughness, decent speed, and ability as a returner, then it’s easy to see why Callaway is one of the Vols’ top pro prospects for the 2020 draft.
As a sophomore in 2017, Callaway instantly grabbed attention by some of his incredible catches against Georgia Tech and early in the SEC schedule for Tennessee. He struggled down the stretch that season, but he showed enough promise to make Vol fans excited.
In 2018, Callaway showed off even more of that potential.
Last season, Callaway led the Vols in receptions (37) and receiving yards (592) while also catching two touchdown passes. He also returned a punt for a touchdown against Charlotte, marking the second punt return score of his career. He had nine receptions for 20 or more yards last season.
Unless he suffers a major injury, Callaway will likely be a mid-round selection in next year’s NFL Draft. The way he can improve on that and maybe even sneak into the second round would be if he shows off more variation in his game.
Callaway was used almost exclusively as a downfield threat last season for Tennessee, and he didn’t get a chance to show off what he could do in the short to intermediate passing game a ton. Jauan Jennings and UT’s running backs were targeted more in those areas.
If Callaway can show more versatility this season, he’ll answer some questions that NFL scouts have about him, and he could make himself millions of more dollars.
