KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s Trevor Daniel, Rashaan Gaulden, John Kelly and Reginald Kahlil McKenzie Jr.have been invited to the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine, which runs Feb. 27 through March 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
NFL.com has 333 participants listed for 2018 NFL Scouting Combine. The Southeastern Conference leads all conferences with 70 players invited.
NFL Network will have live coverage of the combine from March 2-5.
Kelly and Daniel will participate in on-field workouts on March 2 with the running backs, offensive linemen, placekickers and special teams participants. McKenzie joins his fellow defensive linemen and linebackers for on-field workouts on March 4 and Gaulden will work out with the defensive backs on March 5.
Daniel added to Tennessee’s long tradition of elite punters. He completed a stellar college career with an outstanding 2017 senior campaign in which he ranked second in the nation with a 47.5-yard punting average (a UT single-season record) with 28 pinned inside the opponent’s 20-yard line and 33 going for 50 or more yards. On Sept. 5, 2017, he was named the Ray Guy Punter of the Week following his performance against Georgia Tech on Sept. 4 when he punted six times for a 47.0-yard average with five landing inside the 20, three fair catches and two going for 50 or more yards. He booted a career-long 72-yard punt against South Carolina on Oct. 14, 2017. Daniel, a former walk-on, finished his career as UT’s all-time leader in career punt average at 45.9 yards per punt. His 200 career punts went for 9,185 yards and he pinned 81 inside the 20 and sailed 76 punts for 50 or more yards.
Gaulden played in 36 career games and recorded 140 tackles (96 solo), 9.5 tackles for loss, 10 passes defended, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. In 2016, he established himself as UT’s starting nickelback and enjoyed a breakout year as a redshirt sophomore, finishing with career highs of 68 tackles, 52 solo stops and 6.0 tackles for loss to go with four passes defended and one forced fumble. As a senior in 2017, Gaulden tallied 65 tackles (38 solo) with 3.5 tackles for loss and posted career highs with six passes defended, three forced fumbles and three fumbles recovered. He recorded the first interception of his career against Florida on Sept. 16, snaring a pass from UF’s Felipe Franks in the fourth quarter.
Kelly established himself as one of the most dynamic running backs in the SEC in 2017. As a junior, he rushed for career highs of 778 yards and nine touchdowns on 189 carries. He also tied for the team lead in receptions with 37 for 299 yards. Kelly’s best game was against SEC rival Florida on Sept. 16, 2017, when he rushed for 141 yards and one touchdown and caught six passes for 96 yards. By October, he was regarded as one of the top offensive players in the nation and was named to the watch list for the 81st Maxwell Award. After showing flashes of his potential as a freshman in 2015, Kelly thrived in his expanded role as a sophomore in 2016, rushing for 630 yards and five touchdowns with a 6.4-yard average. He played in 33 career games and totaled 327 carries, 1,573 rushing yards, 15 rushing touchdowns, 43 receptions and 350 receiving yards.
McKenzie heads to the combine after posting the best numbers of his career as a junior defensive tackle in 2017. Over 11 games, McKenzie recorded career highs of 36 tackles (17 solo), 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. He played a major role in Tennessee’s season-opening win over Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, posting a career-high eight tackles. McKenzie, who is the son of VFL and current Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie, finished his career with 31 games played, 72 tackles (31 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, two passes defended and one forced fumble.
UT Athletics
