Tennessee’s 2026 season has already started to build some serious individual momentum, and three Vols have now landed on ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s early radar for the 2027 NFL Draft.
With the midway point of the 2026 college football season here, Tennessee sits at 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the SEC, and a Third Saturday in October showdown with Alabama is next on the schedule. Through six games, the Vols have seen several players separate themselves, and that has shown up in Kiper’s first big board for the 2027 class, which dropped Thursday and included 25 players.
None of Tennessee’s players cracked that top 25 list, but defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam, linebacker Arion Carter and running back DeSean Bishop were each singled out among the best at their spots.
Gilliam is currently Kiper’s No. 2 defensive tackle in the class, trailing only Ole Miss’ Will Echoles. He has put together a disruptive season with 22 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Carter checks in as the No. 4 linebacker. He sits behind Georgia’s Chris Cole, Notre Dame’s Kyngston Viliamu-Asa and Auburn’s Xavier Atkins. In five games, Carter has recorded 38 tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack.
Bishop is Tennessee’s lone offensive player to draw mention, landing in Kiper’s “just missed” group at running back. The top five backs listed are Florida’s Jadan Baugh, Miami’s Mark Fletcher Jr., Ole Miss’ Kewan Lacy, Georgia’s Nate Frazier and Texas’ Hollywood Smothers. Bishop has piled up 107 carries for 678 yards and eight touchdowns this season.
The 2027 NFL Draft is scheduled to open on April 29 in Washington, D.C. Round one will be held that day, rounds two and three are set for April 30, and the draft will wrap up on May 1 with rounds four through seven.
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