Early mock drafts for 2013 are already flooding in and Tennessee has multiple offensive players projected to go early. Take these two by CBSSports.com analysts Rob Rang and Dane Brugler for example. Brugler has Tennessee wide receiver Justin Hunter as the No. 2 overall pick while Rang has him at No. 17.
SI.com has UT quarterback Tyler Bray as the projected No. 4 pick and Hunter at No. 18 in this early mock.
All of those projections make sense on some levels. Bray and Hunter have the size, the tools and have shown flashes of offensive brilliance during their two years in Knoxville. What they don’t have is experience. The two rising juniors only have a combined 17 starts.
That juxtaposition of talent and inexperience is what makes the Vols’ offense so intriguing -- and unpredictable -- heading into 2012. In the meantime, Bray is trying to not let the preseason draft projections get to his head.
“I haven’t even played a full season yet,” Bray said at SEC media days. “I’m not focused on all of that. I’m just focused on (UT’s opening opponent) State" data-canon="North Carolina Tar Heels" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_TEAM" id="shortcode0"> and getting that first win.”
The 6-foot-6, 215-pound Bray missed five games after fracturing the thumb on his right, throwing hand against Georgia in October. He was on a record-breaking pace before the injury. He broke the UT record, previously held by Peyton Manning, for consecutive games with multiple passing touchdowns with 10. He led the SEC in passing yards per game (315.8) and passing efficiency (165.3).
Hunter, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound former long jumper, also was strong out of the gate in 2011 before going down in week three with a torn ACL against Florida. He had over 300 yards receiving in just two weeks, a mark that led the SEC. In his career, he’s averaged an impressive 22.4 yards per reception.
Losing those two for a large chunk of the season turned a promising 2-0 start into a 5-7 disaster for the Vols in 2011.
“I think it had a bad impact on us,” Tennessee coach Derek Dooley said. “Our sprit was broken. You know what, as the coach, that was my responsibility. I probably didn’t do as good a job as I needed to do keeping that together.”
Despite their lack of experience, Bray and Hunter will need to live up to their lofty projections if the Vols are going to turn it around and potentially save Dooley’s job. They also return the SEC’s leading receiver in Da’Rick Rogers , who could also be an early-round selection in the draft, five starting offensive linemen and tight end Mychal Rivera.
“We have a lot to prove,” Dooley said. “Justin flashed some great things for us, but he only played three games. We have some ability, but we haven’t really proven we can do it. That’s what we are set out to do.”
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