The Kansas City selected Tennessee cornerback Kamal Hadden with the 35th pick in the six round (No. 211 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft on Friday night.
Hadden was one of the breakout stars of Tennessee football’s 2024 season proving to be one of the best cover corners in college football before suffering a season ending shoulder surgery in the Vols’ late October matchup against Alabama.
The River Rouge, Michigan native transferred to Tennessee from junior college ahead of the 2021 season. He was a rotational corner for the Vols in 2021 starting seven games before becoming a full time starter in the middle of the 2022 season.
Hadden’s play was lackluster in his first two seasons at Tennessee before he became a star before his injury in the 2024 season. He recorded 19 tackles, 11 pass deflections and three interceptions during the 2024 season and 87 tackles, 18 pass deflections and six interceptions over the course of his three-year Tennessee career.
The 6-foot-1, 197-pound corner’s 85.7 PFF grade ranked 15th amongst cornerbacks that played at least 300 snaps last season while his 90.4 cover grade ranked fourth amongst college corners.
Hadden had a number of notable interceptions during his three-year career including game sealing interceptions in the Vols’ 2022 win over Florida and their 2023 win over Texas A&M. But Hadden’s most notable interception was his pick six last season against South Carolina that sent Neyland Stadium into a frenzy.
Kamal Hadden hit the Prime Time Shuffle after the Pick-Six ⚡️ @Vol_Football pic.twitter.com/j1MgfVCh4M
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 1, 2023
Hadden becomes the third Tennessee player to get drafted during the 2024 NFL Draft joining running back Jaylen Wright and quarterback Joe Milton III.
