Tennessee Football: Vols Who Could Shine at Next Year's NFL Combine

The most recent NFL drafts have come and gone without much of a Tennessee tinge to them, but that won't be the case for long, as the Vols have built a football roster rife with future pros.

Especially head coach Butch Jones' past two recruiting classes feature prospects who have the size, speed and ability to make some noise on the next level. 

Even though most of the talent on Tennessee's roster is either young, unproven or both, it's hard to imagine with the way Jones has recruited that there will be a dearth of orange on draft day from now on.

Beginning with next year's NFL draft, the Vols may have several players who draw the attention of NFL scouts. It isn't out of the realm of possibility that UT could become an NFL factory with all the youngsters who could parlay recruiting rankings into college football stardom and a next-level ticket.

ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper is already trumpeting Tennessee on The Paul Finebaum Show (via UTSports.com), so the Vols are firmly on his radar: "I look at Tennessee, and I'm excited about that football team…The guys that are coming back, you've got star power with some of those kids."

There are no "sure things" when it comes to projecting professional prowess, but it's a fun practice nonetheless. Let's take a look at some Vols who'll be draft-eligible next year and could make some noise in predraft workouts.

Joshua Dobbs, Junior Quarterback

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The thought of Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs bolting early for the NFL is a bit far-fetched.

After all, this is a kid who genuinely appears to love school in the midst of getting his aerospace engineering degree, is balancing a lot of things on his plate and really only began to emerge on the football field during the second half of 2014.

Even so, the 6'3", 216-pound junior showcased the infancy stages of the kind of skills that will have NFL teams wanting to see what he can do. With his speed and arm strength, Dobbs is a classic dual-threat quarterback.

What he lacks in top-end speed, he makes up with intelligence and freelancing in the open field.

Accuracy and reading through his progressions are two areas of Dobbs' game that needs significant work, and he'll have to make big strides in those areas to be thought of as a high draft pick in two years, much less after his junior season.

But if he breaks out, posts huge numbers and builds on those things that made the college football world stand up and take notice, watch out. 

Already, NFL.com's Bucky Brooks wrote a glowing review of Dobbs' potential following his performance against South Carolina:

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I'm not ready to anoint Dobbs as the next Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick or Cam Newton based on a single performance, but I'm certainly intrigued by his physical tools, development potential and confidence as a young quarterback. Given the challenges of identifying elite quarterbacks at every level, Dobbs' strong performance will put him on the radar of scouts looking for a potential franchise prospect at the position.

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The new wave of the NFL is gravitating toward athletic quarterbacks with big arms and high-level intelligence. Wilson and Kaepernick fit that mold, and Marcus Mariota will join the ranks this year.

With a huge junior year, Dobbs could forgo his final year and be a combine gem.

Alton "PIg" Howard, Senior Wide Receiver

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He isn't the biggest or the fastest wide receiver, but it's really difficult to keep ignoring the production that Tennessee senior Alton "Pig" Howard has posted throughout his career in Knoxville.

No matter the talent that UT has stockpiled at the position, Howard always seems to stand out. The Orlando native has battled through some personal issues during his time on Rocky Top and is now primed to have a big final season.

He has proved his versatility every step of the way for Butch Jones. The Vols have put him in the slot, where he thrived. With injuries riddling the corps last year, he played on the outside and more than held his own. 

With his speed and quickness, he could be a specialist on the next level or even run the ball some, like Dexter McCluster.

Howard has the ability to be a do-it-all type of player, and if he were to get himself in ideal shape and go out and run a 40 time in the 4.4s, it's not out of the realm of possibility for him to slip into the middle rounds.

Despite a receiving corps that has physical specimens such as Marquez North, Jason Croom, Josh Malone and Von Pearson, Howard is consistently the most consistent threat. He has proven to be a dependable target in clutch situations.

He led the Vols with 44 catches in 2013, gaining 388 yards and scoring three touchdowns. Last year, he upped that total to 54 catches for 618 yards and a score, and he rushed for two more touchdowns.

Howard is never going to be a No. 1 receiver on the next level, but he does have the skills to be a weapon in the slot. When somebody stands out the way he has among such impressive talent, eventually he has to be given his due.

Alvin Kamara, Sophomore Running Back

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Tennessee coach Butch Jones hit the running back recruiting jackpot when former Alabama ball-carrier Alvin Kamara committed to the Vols over Georgia.

UT desperately wanted Kamara—who is the perfect back to thrive in Jones' offensive system—out of Norcross High School, but he ultimately chose the Crimson Tide. Now, the Vols will have the opportunity to turn the 5'11", 200-pound runner into a star.

The nation's second-ranked JUCO running back according to the 247Sports composite rankings (and top-rated overall JUCO player on 247Sports) will come in and immediately command major carries. His presence will allow UT to take some of the pressure off Jalen Hurd.

While many may view Kamara as a scatback, he's far from just that. Yes, he has high-level SEC speed that can enable him to run away from defenders once he gets to the second level, but he also is big enough to have success between the tackles.

The thing that separates him from most other backs is his quickness in space. He possesses the kind of quick-twitch running traits that allow him to side-step would-be tacklers and race toward end zones. If he keeps his head on straight, he'll have an opportunity to shine in Knoxville.

Given the chance to split carries with Hurd, Kamara should be able to showcase his elite skills and stay fresh enough to be coveted by NFL teams down the road. Technically, Kamara will be eligible to leave after this season, but he'd need a dynamite season to do so.

He's got that ability.

Curt Maggitt, Senior Outside Linebacker/Defensive End

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Tennessee hybrid linebacker/defensive end Curt Maggitt did exactly what he needed to do when he elected to return for his fifth-year senior season.

The 6'3", 251-pound rising senior improved as his junior year went on in 2014, finishing with 48 tackles, 11 sacks and 15 tackles for a loss. He teamed with Derek Barnett for a fearsome pass rush that wound up second in the SEC to only Missouri's Shane Ray and Markus Golden.

With Maggitt and Barnett both back in '15, the Vols' pass rush and defense in general could be something special.

Maggitt, meanwhile, has a huge opportunity to raise his draft stock considerably.

All those attributes will serve Maggitt well, but he also has the intangibles NFL teams love. He won the Al Wilson Leadership Award (according to GoVols247's Wes Rucker) for UT in 2014, and he is the emotional and vocal spark plug for the Vols.

He battled back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that kept him out for all of 2013 and the last couple of games in 2012, and he returned better than ever. If he proves to the NFL that he can remain healthy and if he can take a leap forward this year, it's possible he could play himself into the first three rounds.

Maggitt is big, versatile and fast. He has the physical prowess NFL teams love in a strong-side linebacker, so this is a big year for him and his draft future. With his pass-rushing skills and his proven versatility, Maggitt could work his way into the conversation of high draft picks next season.

Marquez North, Junior Wide Receiver

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There's never been a question about the talent and physique of UT 6'4", 221-pound junior receiver Marquez North. The only concern now is if he'll ever live up to massive expectations in Knoxville.

After a freshman season that saw him start virtually from day one and finish with 38 catches for 496 yards and a touchdown, he appeared on the verge of breaking out last year.

Despite beginning to develop a knack for the end zone with four touchdown catches, North never really broke out. He had 30 catches for 320 yards before he was hit with a season-ending shoulder injury that required surgery.

Now, North enters his junior season with most of his accolades being of the preseason variety. NFL.com's Chase Goodbread had high praise for him entering last season:

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With all the quarterback woes Tennessee had last year, there was no way for North to show the nation exactly how good he is. Still, he managed to grab 38 catches for 496 yards as a freshman. With better quarterback play, he could have done far more. He's among the biggest receivers in the SEC and knows how to use his size and strength, yet he can also get open with speed, and make amazing catches like this one. “He has that look in his eye that he is chasing greatness,” said UT coach Butch Jones. 

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North appears to be the perfect candidate to put everything together in 2015. There isn't a more impressive receiver from a physical standpoint around. The Charlotte native's muscles appear to have muscles; he's that framed.

He has always been praised for his work ethic by coaches, and he doesn't have any of the prototypical drama that surrounds receivers with elite skills.

North just has to get more and more comfortable with playing a position he didn't play much of in high school, trust his size and speed and stay healthy. If he does that, not only is he a candidate to be an NFL star, he could leave after this season a year early.

Von Pearson, Senior Wide Receiver

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When Tennessee plucked a little-known JUCO receiver out of Feather River College in the 2014 recruiting cycle, Von Pearson's film hit the Internet and became stuff of minor legend.

Though a high ankle sprain robbed the 6'3", 183-pound playmaker of some of his electrifying speed and change-of-direction in 2014, he still finished with 38 catches for 393 yards and five touchdowns.

While he doesn't have the kind of speed and next-level, off-the-charts skills as former Vol JUCO star Cordarrelle Patterson, he does have a similar game. 

Pearson appears to have the size and speed to be a prototypical slot receiver in the NFL. While that doesn't always translate into a high draft pick (as a matter of fact, CBSSports.com has Pearson as the 21st-rated receiver), Pearson could separate himself from the pack with an exceptional senior season.

If he can stay healthy, he'll have the kind of year that will take pressure off Marquez North and get him noticed by NFL general managers everywhere. When you can juke defenders in the open field the way Pearson can and make spectacular highlight-reel grabs like this, people pay attention.

He is just the kind of player who can show out at the combine and parlay that into a pick in the top half of the draft.

Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Junior Outside Linebacker

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Former Tennessee and current Texas A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis made a career out of turning safeties into outside linebackers and then sending them to the NFL.

Jalen Reeves-Maybin would have fit in nicely with some of those prototype Chavis linebackers.

The 6'1", 230-pound junior became a household name among UT fans in 2014, leading the team with 101 tackles. He also had 11 tackles for loss and displayed the kind of sideline-to-sideline speed the NFL covets despite being smallish.

With A.J. Johnson out of the lineup, JRM boasted a career-high 14 tackles in the TaxSlayer Bowl against Iowa, and he is looking to build on that and have an All-SEC junior season.

If he does, JRM could wind up like the last stud Tennessee linebacker who left school a season early in current New England Patriots star Jerod Mayo.

Reeves-Maybin isn't the same kind of linebacker as Mayo, a 6'1", 250-pound monster in the middle of that defense. JRM doesn't possess the frame to ever get that big and is a long shot to ever leave early due to his size.

JRM has elite tackling ability, but his body had to get used to the added weight last season. With such a lack of depth at linebacker, he played most of the snaps, and his production tailed off somewhat late in the year. After a break to recuperate, he dominated the Hawkeyes.

Prior to last year's UT-Ole Miss game, NFL.com's Chase Goodbread named JRM as one of UT's top three NFL prospects scouts would be watching.

There's no doubt he's on their radar, and though he looks more like a four-year player, JRM could surprise at the combine if he left early.

Cameron Sutton, Junior Cornerback

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Cameron Sutton may be in the national shadow of Vernon Hargreaves III and Senquez Golston, but the junior Tennessee cornerback is a rising star in his own right.

The Jonesboro, Georgia, native quickly earned a starting spot before his freshman season and has never relinquished it. In the process, he has emerged as a real defensive playmaker for UT.

In two seasons, Sutton has five interceptions and has grown into the closest thing the Vols have to a shutdown corner. At 6'1", 190 pounds, he has the size to hold up receivers at the line of scrimmage and the closing speed to bait quarterbacks into throwing errant passes.

He also has elite ball skills, which makes his omission from the All-SEC teams borderline criminal.

Sutton is the kind of player who could break out and have an All-American season as a junior. He has that level of skills. With Golson gone, he could step right up alongside VHIII as the premier cornerbacks in the SEC.

Big, physical cornerbacks are the "it" thing in the NFL these days with the emergence of the Seattle Seahawks defense, and while not quite that big, Sutton has the potential to be dynamic.

With a breakout junior year, he could wind up testing the NFL waters. While his straight-line speed probably isn't going to drop many jaws, Sutton has all the other attributes that can make him a hot commodity.

 All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports composite rankings unless otherwise noted. All stats and roster information gathered from UTSports.com, unless otherwise noted.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.