At NFL Combine, here's how Tennessee's Joe Milton, Jaylen Wright, Kamal Hadden can raise stock

Three former Tennessee football players will try to boost their draft stock at the NFL Scouting Combine this week.

Cornerback Kamal Hadden will be on the field with defensive backs on Friday, beginning at 3 p.m.  Quarterback Joe Milton and running back Jaylen Wright will work out on Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m.

It will be televised live on NFL Network.

More: Watch Tennessee football players at 2024 NFL Combine live on Fubo (free trial)

The combine isn’t a make-or-break event. Every player gets additional private workouts and meetings with several NFL teams. But how a player performs at the combine sets the tone for their pre-draft evaluations.

Here’s what each former UT player needs to do to at the combine to help their stock.

Kamal Hadden needs fast 40 and fluid hips, if not injured

Some UT fans might be surprised that Hadden is ranked No. 14 among 42 cornerbacks at the combine by NFL.com. He was a polarizing player for much of his three seasons with the Vols.

Hadden’s on-field antics rubbed some fans the wrong way, and he was blamed for lapses in the secondary in select games.

But Hadden has NFL talent. The only question is how much of it he possesses.

Hadden’s health is the first concern. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in October, so the rate of his recovery could skew results at the combine.

Scouts are curious about his top-end speed. So if Hadden is healthy, a fast 40-yard dash would do wonders for his stock.

Also, there’s a concern that Hadden’s hips may be too tight. So he needs to show a fluid motion in any drills that require him to flip his hips.

Tight hips are a common critique of college cornerbacks. So the combine has plenty of drills to weed out the elite from the rest.

Joe Milton must be accurate at NFL Combine

Milton is ranked No. 11 among 14 quarterbacks at the combine by NFL.com. And ESPN’s Mel Kiper put him at No. 10 in his quarterback rankings.

It’s clear that Milton has a shot to impress NFL scouts if he can accentuate his positives and suppress his negatives. But he tried to do that throughout a six-year college career with only moderate results.

Milton’s tremendous arm strength, size and athleticism are well-documented. So, of course, he needs to show off all those NFL-caliber traits.

But the zip on his passes could be a detriment if he’s inaccurate, especially since wide receivers won’t be defended in drills at the combine. Milton will be throwing against air.

NFL.com’s evaluation said Milton has a “disturbing lack of placement and timing as a deep-ball passer,” so he must show touch on those long throws.

However, Milton’s biggest test will come in the private meetings at the combine. That’s where NFL personnel will test his processing speed in diagraming offense and recognizing coverages.

Milton likely will do well there. But his processing speed on the field is in question, so chalk talks will help scouts pinpoint his deficiencies to determine if they’re fixable.

Can Jaylen Wright be top RB in 2024 NFL Draft?

Wright is ranked No. 2 among 29 running backs at the combine by NFL.com. He’s the No. 4 running back on Kiper’s board.

The combine format should highlight Wright’s best traits, so there’s an opportunity for him to validate his high stock.

Wright scored a 99 out of 100 on the NFL.com athleticism scale, the best of among running backs. He has explosive speed, which scouts will want to see.

Obviously, that makes the 40-yard dash the most important part of Wright’s appearance. Since Chris Johnson ran a 4.24 in 2008, there have been 23 running backs at the combine to run faster than 4.4 seconds. Wright could join that group.

But Wright can also accentuate his receiving skills at the combine. Scouts believe he’s a better pass-catcher than he showed at UT, where he had 30 receptions in three seasons. He’ll need to show that in receiving drills.

Again, most of the criticisms about Wright’s game – his fumbling issues in 2022 and a slight indecisiveness on inside runs – are tested in live tackling in games and practices. But at the combine, he has a chance to thrive.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: At NFL Combine, Joe Milton and Jaylen Wright of Tennessee can raise stock