Tennessee announced on Thursday that four current football players are on the 2022 Reece’s Senior Bowl watchlist.
The Senior Bowl is typically the first big event on the road to the NFL Draft and is a collection of the most talented college players from the upper draft tiers. In the past, former Tennessee legends such as Trey Smith, Josh Palmer, and Jauan Jennings have all participated in the event.
Seniors Alontae Taylor (defensive back) and Cade Mays (offensive lineman), along with redshirt seniors Velus Jones Jr. (wide receiver) and Princeton Fant (tight end), were nominated to the 2022 watchlist.
The 2022 Senior Bowl will take place on Feb. 5, 2022. The NFL Network will carry the broadcast.
As Tennessee officially wrapped up their first fall scrimmage on Thursday, the team is nearing their season-opener quickly. And with so much change occurring during the off-season, Tennessee is an entirely different team this year. However, they are a team that also has youth and inexperience in the Heupel system. So for the Vols, all four senior players on the watchlist will be crucial to Tennessee’s success in 2021.
The Senior Bowl watchlist is not the first preseason recognition for Taylor and Mays. On July 23, Mays was named a preseason First-Team All-SEC selection. Meanwhile, defensive back Alontae Taylor received a spot on the Third-Team All-SEC list.
The Senior Bowl is an excellent tool for players to sharpen their skills before the NFL Draft. In fact, the Senior Bowl is often the first step on the road to the NFL for many players. And the game has undoubtedly benefitted Tennessee players in the past, as well.
Trey Smith, Josh Palmer, Jauan Jennings, Darrell Taylor, Cameron Sutton, and Josh Dobbs are all former Tennessee players in the last four years that made the NFL after participating in the Senior Bowl.
The 2022 Senior Bowl will take place in Mobile, AL, on Feb. 5, 2022. Taylor, Mays, Jones Jr., and Fant are all on the Senior Bowl watchlist from Tennessee.
