‘It’s Just Football’: Vols Prepped and Ready for 2022 Tennessee Pro Day

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Preparing, waiting and dreaming. Those are three defining verbs for any college football player who goes through the grueling, prodding and —

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Preparing, waiting and dreaming.

Those are three defining verbs for any college football player who goes through the grueling, prodding and — on some occasions — extremely rewarding process leading up to the NFL Draft.

And, leading into its 2022 Pro Day, Tennessee has a healthy mix of all three.

In total, nine former Vols will make their final cleat marks inside Anderson Training Center on Wednesday: Ja'Quain Blakely, Matthew Butler, Kenneth George Jr., Theo Jackson, Velus Jones Jr., Cade Mays, JaVonta Payton, Donovan Slates and Alontae Taylor.

Some of them will be looking to increase draft stock, others will be yearning to create a name for themselves in general, and all will be trying desperately to succeed in front of countless NFL scouts and general managers.

For Blakely, Payton, George, Jackson and Slates — none of whom were invited to the NFL Combine — the pressure of Wednesday could not be any greater.

“Everyone’s been telling me this is the biggest job interview of my life,” summarized George on Tuesday.

For others, the situation is a bit smoother.

Jones Jr. timed in at a blazing 4.31 seconds in the NFL Combine’s 40-yard dash — a time that “shocked a lot of people,” Jones said Tuesday. With that time plus Jones’s memory-making week at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, the Mobile native and special teams/offensive hybrid has certainly upped his draft stock.

The same can be said for Taylor — who ran a 4.36 in Indianapolis and impressed scouts with his football I.Q. — and Butler, who went into the Shrine Bowl with a chip on his shoulder before showing teams exactly what Tennessee is so desperate to replace on the defensive line.

Cade Mays produced combine drill numbers that were median at best, essentially slotting him between the ones who didn’t crack the combine and the ones whose draft stocks grew in leaps.

Despite their different starting points for the next level, though, all of these players — or at least the ones we spoke to on Tuesday afternoon — have the same initial mindset for Wednesday: that their preparation at Tennessee has prepared them for this precipice.

“Just want to showcase everything I’ve got,” summarized George. “So going out, knowing I put in the work and I’m prepared the right way, now time to lay it all on the line.”

Following their individual workouts, players will enter the next phase: waiting.

Waiting for more calls. Waiting for more interviews. Waiting to know what’s next.

In terms of the unknown, players are handling it differently.

Jones and Butler emphasized their faith-based approaches, with Jones offering a brief, eloquent sermon on Tuesday: “I’m a man of faith and a Christian man .I believe everything happens for a reason and that your life is already written. The unknown doesn’t worry me anymore. What’s for me will be for me. No man, no body, no obstacle can get in the way of that. 

“I know I’m in good hands. Whatever happens, I can live with it. Throughout all the adversity and all the challenges throughout my college career, I gave it my all. And I can truly say that I can live with where the chips fall.”

Taylor, meanwhile, focused more on the stressful difference between this process and the one that started it all, National Signing Day: “Going into signing day, you kind of have an idea. You know what the environment is like. This situation, you don’t have a clue about anything. You don’t know what coaching staff, what city, the players you’re possibly going to be with, because you don’t have those type of visits. 

“It’s probably the biggest nerve-wracking thing going into the process, just not knowing where you’re going to live in a couple months.”

Still, after cutting through the emotions of the unknown, each of the four players made available reiterated the importance of soaking in these moments — as childhood dreams finally click into place with reality.

“Just saying to myself ’This is what I dreamed of. I’m here now, and I deserve it,’” Taylor reflected. “Just take it all in and enjoy the moment, so I can have a story to tell my kids.”

Before moving too far ahead, though, Taylor reiterated that he’s not looking toward a family, a pro career or even training camp, wherever that may be.

Instead, he’s trying to be “where (his) feet are” — where nine cleated pairs of feet will be on Wednesday.

And, no matter each Vol’s situation, the common desire to succeed helps tie all nine together with one more quality: the simple approach needed to perform well.

“A lot of guys, they make it this big thing, overwhelming (themselves) with anxiety,” Jones said. “Just go out there and have a smile on your face. At the end of the day, it’s still just football.”