5. Warren Burrell, DB
One true freshman who has gotten more and more praise as fall camp has continued is defensive back Warren Burrell. And a health concern with one of Tennessee’s other defensive backs may help him see the field even more.
Burrell has impressed with his physicality and strong instincts so far in fall camp. He’s great at jamming at the line of scrimmage, and he has good enough size to play man-to-man with bigger receivers. But his play alone may not be the only reason he sees a solid chunk of playing time in 2019.
Senior Baylen Buchanan was held out for most of spring practices with an undisclosed injury, and Jeremy Pruitt said at the start of fall camp that Buchanan would be held out for a bit of fall camp as well. Buchanan has been dressed out, but he’s been seeing the athletic training rather than going through drills. Buchanan was thought to be the frontrunner for Tennessee’s nickel corner spot several months ago, but now his status for the upcoming season is in question.
If Burrell continues to improve in camp and keeps giving coaches a reason to play him, he should at least have a role as a nickelback in UT’s 2019 defense. But he could potentially do even more than that.
Tennessee’s defensive coaches have been toying around with playing sophomore Bryce Thompson at the nickel this fall. If Thompson plays more in the slot corner and Alontae Taylor stays on the outside, Burrell could man the other outside spot potentially.
Whatever the configuration of cornerbacks is, Burrell is looking like another true freshman who could contribute in Tennessee’s secondary under Pruitt.
