The 2025 NFL Draft is just around the corner, and Tennessee Volunteers fans will have plenty to look forward to.

Multiple Vols will walk their first steps as professionals, with guys like Omarr Norman-Lott, Dont’e Thornton Jr., James Pearce Jr., and Dylan Sampson looking like locks to be drafted.

Notably, others expect DT Elijah Simmons to be a sleeper pick as well.

With that in mind, the 6-foot-1 specimen sent all NFL teams a strong message to make a case for why they should take him:

“I’m going to be a consistent player through and through. I’m going to come in and showcase explosiveness at the point of attack. I play with a high motor. I’m going to be the same player you watched at Tennessee, just at a higher level. I’m going to give it 1000%,” Simmons said.

During his days with the Vols, he made a name for himself for his ability to stuff the middle of the defense and open up lanes for the defensive ends.

His numbers weren’t eye-popping by any means, logging 59 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks in his collegiate days, but his physical traits are promising.

He spent five years with the Volunteers and started all 13 games last season.

Of course, positional value often hurts defensive tackles, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Simmons slip down the draft because of that.

Nevertheless, he’s most definitely worth a look as a sleeper pick or undrafted free agent.

He’s currently projected to be this year’s Mr. Irrelevant and go to the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 257.

Then again, as history has shown in the past, it’s never about where you’re taken; it’s about what you do to earn your stripes and prove that you belong in the most competitive league on Earth.

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