Senior Bowl Director Offers Heavy Praise for Josh Palmer Ahead of 2020 Season

According to Jim Nagy, the Director of the Reese Senior Bowl, Palmer could take a major step forward as a result of a less competitive depth chart.

With the departures of Jauan Jennings and Marquez Callaway from the Vols’ wide receiver core, rising senior Josh Palmer has to take a major step forward in order for Jim Chaney’s offense to function the way the team would like. While Palmer has been overshadowed by Jennings and Callaway throughout the majority of his career, at times he has shown the SEC why the Vols took a chance on the underrated recruit back in 2017.

According to Jim Nagy, the Director of the Reese Senior Bowl, Palmer could take a major step forward as a result of a less competitive depth chart. “Despite having only 34 rec. and 1 TD last year, Vol Football WR Josh Palmer put good stuff on tape,” wrote the former NFL scout and Senior Bowl Director. “One of toughest and best contested ball catchers in ‘21 draft. Senior Bowl expects Palmer to breakout if he gets (the) bulk of Jennings and Callaway targets.”

Despite having only 34 rec. and 1 TD last year, @Vol_Football WR Josh Palmer put good stuff on tape. One of toughest and best contested ball catchers in ‘21 draft. @seniorbowl expects Palmer to breakout if he gets bulk of Jennings & Calloway targets. 🇨🇦📈#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE pic.twitter.com/3PRlAq4b46

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) July 26, 2020

Palmer displays extremely disciplined body control; burning cornerbacks across the sideline while putting his athleticism at the forefront of his playing style. While he does not possess the strength of Jauan Jennings or the elite advantage for contested passes like Marquez Callaway, he arguably has more pure athleticism than either — which makes his potential as a receiver among the best players in the nation. In addition to his athletic talent, Palmer also has experience on his side, as the rising senior has played in 37 games and earned 24 starts during his time with Tennessee — greatly benefiting from a competitive and deep wide receiver core.

Palmer is not the only Volunteer that Nagy has offered praise for, as the Senior Bowl Director also gave his opinion on elite offensive guard Trey Smith; stating that the rising senior was “one of the best prospects and stories in the ‘21 Draft.”

As a former NFL Scout of 18-years and ESPN Analyst prior to becoming the Executive Director for the Reese’s Senior Bowl, Nagy’s opinion on both Palmer and Smith should give Vol Fans plenty to be optimistic about ahead of the 2020 season. The Director was also a member of 6 teams that made a Super Bowl appearance and 4 of which that won the Super Bowl, further solidifying his praise of the Volunteers.

Palmer’s first game of his senior season at Tennessee is currently expected to come against the Charlotte 49ers on September 5th in Neyland Stadium; however, with the SEC under a multitude of pressure to make modifications to their season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible that the first game could instead come against the Florida Gators — the conference is expected to make an announcement regarding its plans in the very near future.