February 28, 2024 – INDIANAPOLIS – Three Tennessee football VFLs, including cornerback Kamal Hadden, quarterback Joe Milton III and running back Jaylen Wright, will represent the program at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine this week at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The four-day event featuring over 300 pro prospects gets underway Thursday at 3 p.m. ET on NFL Network. Coverage continues at 3 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
Hadden kicks things off for the Vols with field work on Friday as part of the defensive backs group. He is coming off his best season despite missing the final six games due to a season-ending shoulder injury. According to Pro Football Focus, Hadden’s 90.4 coverage grade was second-best among SEC cornerbacks and fifth in the nation in 2023. He did not give up a touchdown pass the entire season, allowing only 12 receptions total out of 33 targets.
Hadden tied for the team in interceptions with three. He ranked sixth in pass breakups with eight and still ranked fourth in the SEC in passes defended with 11 despite the injury. The biggest moment for the River Rouge, Michigan, native came when he picked off South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler, also a Combine invitee, and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown in the first half against the Gamecocks.
Wright and Milton will do measurements and field work on Saturday. Wright has the potential to skyrocket his draft status with a solid weekend. Most draft analysts have Wright as one of the top three backs in the draft.
Wright posted the 19th 1,000-yard rushing season in program history last fall, with 1,013 yards on 137 attempts. He averaged 7.39 yards per carry, which led all FBS running backs and was second among all FBS players. That figure also ranked second in UT single-season history (minimum 100 attempts) behind only Hank Lauricella’s 7.94 in 1951. Wright’s combination of speed and durability was on full display as 592 of his 1,013 yards came after contact in 2023.
Tennessee is seeking to have a quarterback drafted for the second straight year as Milton looks to make his mark over the next two months. As a sixth-year senior, he completed 222-of-354 passes for 2,813 yards with 20 touchdowns. In three seasons with the Vols, he fired only five interceptions, and his streak of 216 consecutive passes thrown without a pick ranks second in school history and ninth in SEC history. Milton led the Vols to 13 victories after arriving in Knoxville via Michigan.
Tennessee’s NFL Combine representatives will be on hand for the program’s Pro Day on March 27 as they continue preparations for the NFL Draft, which begins April 25 in Detroit.
Source: UT Sports
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