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Last Minute News: ESPN’s Bombshell Report Exposes NFL’s Blunt Assessment of Tennessee Vols’ Offensive Game
It seems like there is never enough discussion about whether the Tennessee Vols’ offensive style would work in the NFL.
Ever since Heupel moved to Knoxville in 2021, NFL draft experts have argued about whether Tennessee athletes should be assessed differently according to Heupel’s offensive style.
Heupel spreads the defense and gives his playmakers more room by using wide splits. More one-on-one matches and lighter boxes result from this.
As of early this week, NFL teams are “skeptical” about the Vols’ offense, according to ESPN NFL analyst Jeremy Fowler.
“Teams are skeptical of Tennessee’s college-friendly Air Raid system that coaches and scouts say allows quarterbacks to read half the field on on-read plays while stationary, which isn’t life in the NFL,” Fowler said.
The national media made multiple comments this week regarding Tennessee’s unique offensive strategy.
When talking about former Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright, veteran NFL draft analyst Josh Norris joked that the Vols have a “mickey mouse offense”.
The remarks made by Norris and Fowler about Tennessee’s offense last summer are completely at odds with those made by Brian Daboll, the head coach of the New York Giants and former offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills.
“I mean, I wouldn’t say it’s really that different,” Daboll responded when questioned concerning Heupels’s July offense. “I think Josh does an amazing job there; I know everyone.” Executes a great deal of football plays. Jalin (Hyatt) did a good job executing them. Everybody has a unique offensive strategy. Since taking over as coach, Josh’s offense has been rather dynamic, albeit it’s not quite the same.”
I can see how Heupel’s offense could make it more challenging for NFL scouts to assess Tennessee prospects. The offensive doesn’t, however, alter a player’s skill set. What counts is estimating a player’s potential within an NFL offense. A team may lose out on a talented athlete if they discredit what a player accomplished in college since the offense made it possible for them to flourish.
Luckily for the athletes who attended Heupel, the decisions are made by NFL decision-makers—Daboll, for instance, who spearheaded the move to acquire Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt last year—rather than by draft analysts who are only conjecturing.
