VFL In The NFL Update: Week 1 of Preseason; 33 U. of Tennessee players & 12 with local ties

Chiefs OL Trey Smith / Credit: Chiefs Media Site

By Vince Ferrara / @VinceSports

Here’s an updated list of University of Tennessee players in the National Football League, as well as players that were once at UT and other Knoxville area players. This is during Week 1 of the 2021 NFL Preseason.

Look for constant VFL in the NFL updates here on my blog “Vince’s View.” Bookmark my blog page and check back often.

This update does not include coaches with U. of Tennessee ties on NFL coaching staffs or in front office positions around the league. I will list those in a separate post here on my blog.

Rosters are currently at a max of 90. Teams must cut down to 85 players by August 17, 80 players by August 24 and the final roster limit of 53 players for the season by August 31.

Depth chart positions are from our friends at Ourlads NFL Scouting Services.

Notes and Numbers On UT Players
*33 U. of Tennessee players on expanded NFL rosters
*3 rookie VFLs are currently on rosters (T. Smith, J. Palmer & B. Thompson)
*New Orleans has most current UT players with 5
*DL is the largest position represented with 7
*19 of the 32 teams have a UT player on rosters
*There are 6 players that were once at U. of Tennessee but then transferred
*There are 6 players that didn’t attend UT, but have Knoxville/East TN ties
*7 players that went to high school in the Knoxville area are on current rosters (A. Rodgers, B. Colquitt, L. Smith, H. Smith, R. Cobb, T. Higgins, N. Gilliam)

Tennessee Volunteers On 90-Player NFL Rosters as of 8/14/21 (33)
x = Rookie
AFC East (5)
CB – Justin Coleman (27) Miami Dolphins – starting CB
P – Michael Palardy (5) Miami Dolphins – starting P
FB – Jakob Johnson (47) New England Patriots – starting FB
WR – Josh Malone (83) New York Jets – 3rd team WR
DE – Kyle Phillips (93) New York Jets (PUP list)
NONE – Buffalo Bills

AFC North (7)
DB – Nigel Warrior (39) Baltimore Ravens – 3rd team FS
OT – Ja’Wuan James (60) Baltimore Ravens – backup RT
DT – Kahlil McKenzie (69) Cincinnati Bengals – 4th team NT
RB – John Kelly (49) Cleveland Browns – 5th team RB
DT – Malik Jackson (97) Cleveland Browns – starting LDT
DB – Cameron Sutton (20) Pittsburgh Steelers – starting RCB
QB – Joshua Dobbs (5) Pittsburgh Steelers – 4th team QB

AFC South (2)
TE – Luke Stocker (85) Tennessee Titans – 3rd team TE
LS – Morgan Cox (46) Tennessee Titans – starting LS
NONE – Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars

AFC West (5)
ILB – Alexander Johnson (45) Denver Broncos – starting ILB
OL – Trey Smith (65) Kansas City Chiefs – x – starting RG
WR – Joshua Palmer (5) Los Angeles Chargers – x – 4th team WR
DE – Kendal Vickers (93) Las Vegas Raiders – 4th team DT
TE – Alex Ellis (81) Las Vegas Raiders – 6th team TE

NFC East (2)
DE – Derek Barnett (96) Philadelphia Eagles – starting RDE
TE – Jason Croom (81) Philadelphia Eagles – 6th team TE
NONE – Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Redskins

NFC North (2)
OLB – Jalen Reeves-Maybin (44) Detroit Lions – 3rd team ILB
P – Britton Colquitt (2) Minnesota Vikings – starting P
NONE – Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers

NFC South (6)
WR – Cordarrelle Patterson (84) Atlanta Falcons – backup RB & starting KR
RB – Alvin Kamara (41) New Orleans Saints – starting RB
DT – Shy Tuttle (99) New Orleans Saints – starting NT
WR – Marquez Callaway (12) New Orleans Saints – backup WR
CB – Bryce Thompson (31) New Orleans Saints – x – 4th team RCB
TE – Ethan Wolf (86) New Orleans Saints – 4th team TE
NONE – Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFC West (4)
CB – Emmanuel Moseley (41) San Francisco 49ers – backup LCB
WR – Jauan Jennings (15) San Francisco 49ers – 4th team WR
DE – Darrell Taylor (52) Seattle Seahawks – starting LEO “DE-OLB”
TE – Dom Wood-Anderson (49) Seattle Seahawks – 6th team TE
NONE – Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams

Recent VFLs in the NFL that are not currently on rosters
LB – Daniel Bituli
DB – Rashaan Gaulden
QB – Tyler Bray
DT – Dan McCullers
P – Dustin Colquitt
OG – Zach Fulton (retired)
TE – Jason Witten (retired)

UT Players In The NFL By Position (33)
QB – 1
RB – 2
WR – 5
TE – 5
FB – 1
OL – 2
DL – 7
LB – 2
DB – 5
P – 2
PK – 0
LS – 1

One-Time Vols That Transferred To Other Schools On NFL Rosters (6)
x = Rookie
TE – Lee Smith (85) Atlanta Falcons (Powell HS/U. of Tennessee/Marshall) – backup TE
TE – Eli Wolf (87) Baltimore Ravens (U. of Tennessee/Georgia) – 3rd team TE
P – Tommy Townsend (5) Kansas City Chiefs (U. of Tennessee/Florida) – starting P
QB – Nathan Peterman (3) Las Vegas Raiders (U. of Tennessee/Pitt) – 3rd team QB
WR – Preston Williams (18) Miami Dolphins (U. of Tennessee/Colorado St) – 5th team WR
WR – Jalen Hurd (14) San Francisco 49ers (U. of Tennessee/Baylor) – 3rd team WR

Active Knoxville Area Players That Didn’t Play At UT on NFL Rosters (6)
x = Rookie
WR – Tee Higgins (85) Cincinnati Bengals (Oak Ridge HS/Clemson) – starting SWR
WR – Amari Rodgers (8) Green Bay Packers (Catholic HS/Clemson) – x – 4th team WR
WR – Randall Cobb (18) Green Bay Packers (Alcoa HS/Kentucky) – backup WR
RB – Nathan Cottrell (31) Jacksonville Jaguars (West HS/Georgia Tech) – 3rd team RB
OL – Nate Gilliam (65) Los Angeles Chargers (Farragut HS/Wake Forest) – 3rd team C
S – Harrison Smith (22) Minnesota Vikings (Catholic HS/Notre Dame) – starting SS