Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo, who decided to forego his senior season at Tennessee, was selected with the tenth overall pick in Saturday’s NFL draft by the New England Patriots. The position was a bit surprising since he had initially been given a second or third round grade by the NFL draft’s advisory committee. Heading into today, most experts still only projected him as a mid first-rounder at best.
Mayo’s slot was a surprise to some considering experts projected him to be a middle- to late-round pick. “I knew I was going to go somewhere in the middle, somewhere around there, but I just wasn’t sure,” Mayo said. “It’s a pleasant surprise.
The #10 overall selection is the highest of any Volunteer since John Henderson was taken in the #9 slot in 2002 by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Mayo becomes the highest drafted linebacker in Tennessee history and only the third Vol linebacker to be drafted in the first round. Peyton Manning and Jamal Lewis are the only other former Vols selected in the top 10.
New England could end up being a great situation for Mayo. The Patriots are obviously a team that has the lure of a championship franchise. However, for Jerod, it may be more appealing that their linebackers are one of the oldest groups in the league.
While Mayo is considered by most NFL scouts to be strongest at weakside linebacker, it’s his versatility that may earn him early playing time.
While at Tennessee:
- Was red-shirted in 2004 and only played six games in 2005.
- Started 25 of the last 26 games for Tennessee.
- Had 83 tackles in 2006 while starting all but one game.
- In 2007, after moving to middle linebacker, Mayo led the Vols and the SEC with 140 tackles (79 unassisted), the most of anyone wearing a Tennessee uniform in over 15 years.
- Registered an astounding 19 tackles against Kentucky last year.
- Named second-team All-American by Rivals.com after the 2006 season.
- Accounted for 60 tackles in the last four regular season games heading into the SEC Championship game.
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