Four more Tennessee players went off the board during the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft from Kansas City on Friday night. In fact, all four players went within ten picks of each other.
Hendon Hooker led things off with a selection to the Motor City at No. 68 as wide receivers Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman went back-to-back at No. 73 and No. 74 to the Giants and Browns, respectively. Tennessee EDGE rusher Byron Young then represented the Vols’ first defensive pick at No. 77 as he is heading to the City of Angels.
This also all came after Tennessee offensive lineman Darnell Wright was taken with the No. 10 overall pick by the Chicago Bears on Thursday night.
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Here’s a look at how some of the experts across the NFL Draft landscape graded out Tennessee’s players since the picks came in on Friday night. The final day of the NFL Draft and rounds 4-7 will happen on Saturday afternoon from Kansas City. Stay locked into Rocky Top Insider to see if more Vols are taken off the board throughout the day.
CBS Sports (Chris Trapasso)
- No. 68 Hendon Hooker (Lions): B-
- No. 73 Jalin Hyatt (Giants): B+
- No. 74 Cedric Tillman (Browns): B+
- No. 77 Byron Young (Rams): D+
Sports Illustrated (Matt Verderame and Gilberto Manzano)
- No. 68 Hendon Hooker (Lions): A-
- No. 73 Jalin Hyatt (Giants): A-
- No. 74 Cedric Tillman (Browns): C+
- No. 77 Byron Young (Rams): C+
NFL (Chad Reuter)
- Detroit Lions: B+
- “Landing Hendon Hooker in the third round was a steal, even though he’s coming off an ACL tear.”
- New York Giants: A
- “Trading up for the explosive Hyatt in the third round made sense, as the Giants need more speed on the outside.”
- Cleveland Browns: A
- “They used that pick on a complementary receiver in Tillman, who offers nice size and physicality.”
- Los Angeles Rams: B
- “The Rams received a third-round pick from Miami for three-time All-Pro corner Jalen Ramsey (77th overall), which they used to add the up-and-coming Young to bolster a really thin group.”
Pro Football Focus (Staff)
- No. 68 Hendon Hooker (Lions): Good
- No. 73 Jalin Hyatt (Giants): Good
- No. 74 Cedric Tillman (Browns): Very Good
- No. 77 Byron Young (Rams): Good
Bleacher Report (Brent Sobleski)
- No. 68 Hendon Hooker (Lions): C
- No. 73 Jalin Hyatt (Giants): C
- No. 74 Cedric Tillman (Browns): B
- No. 77 Byron Young (Rams): B
Bright lights. Big stage. Jalin should fit right in 😤@jalinhyatt is headed to the @Giants #NFLDraft | #TogetherBlue pic.twitter.com/5O6uq1aGYV
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) April 29, 2023
