The Tennessee Volunteers football team had their best season in decades in 2022. With it came the promise of a better future not only for the Tennessee football program itself but for its players with ambitions on making it to the next level in the NFL. Offensively speaking, the Vols are one of the better teams in the country. They had the No. 1 offense in all of college football last season by averaging 46.1 points per game. The result being that all but one of the Vols' five NFL Draft picks were on the offensive side of the ball, including quarterback Hendon Hooker, who was a Heisman hopeful before tearing his ACL.

Hooker, now with the Detroit Lions, relinquished the quarterback duties to Joe Milton III earlier than he would have liked to last season. Much like Hooker coming from Virginia Tech, Milton, a Michigan transfer, seemed to grow confidence in the Josh Heupel-led offense in the few games he had. Specifically, in the Orange Bowl game against Clemson where he threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns.

Milton will now have another full season at Tennessee to make an impression. He'll look to piggyback off Hooker's impressive maneuvering of the offense last season and perhaps look to make a name for himself. The redshirt senior undoubtedly has high hopes of making it to the NFL like his predecessor. There's some glaring evidence even now that Milton can make the transition due to his athletic skills.

If Anthony Richardson can…

Perhaps what is still one of the biggest surprises of the NFL Draft is Anthony Richardson's high selection. Leading up to the draft, Richarson's draft stock rose higher than AMC's did during the pandemic. Richardson was known to have a big arm and elusive running skills, but his last season at Florida left much to be desired. Still, coming out of college, he was said to be one of the most athletic in the entire draft.

But it wasn't until the NFL Combine that Richardson really made everyone aware of athletic abilities.

Richardson set new combine records, turning a lot of heads with his exceptional athleticism. His vertical jump of 40 1/2 inches shattered the previous modern combine record for quarterbacks. Additionally, Richardson's broad jump of 10-foot-9 not only showcased his explosiveness but also tied him with Arkansas' Matt Jones for the best mark in the event among combine quarterbacks. Demonstrating his blazing speed, Richardson raced through the 40-yard dash in an eye-opening 4.43 seconds, earning him a notable fourth place ranking among all quarterbacks who have participated in the combine since 2003.

What Richardson was able to accomplish by being drafted by the Indianapolis Colts at No. 4 overall off his mere combine numbers in comparison to his numbers while at Florida is beyond impressive.

In 12 games in three seasons with the Gators, Richardson had a 54.7 completion percentage, threw for 24 touchdowns and 15 interceptions for 3,105 yards.

But that combine, though.

Milton can leverage Richardson's success

No quarterback had ever blazed the 40-yard dash over 225 pounds in the amount of time Richardson had. At 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds, Richardson simply wowed NFL scouts enough when he showed he can run like a receiver and throw 60-yard bombs with little effort.

So, if Richarson can impress even after having a subpar season in his last year at Florida, what could Milton do coming off a promising end of the year last year, with another year to go under Heupel? Could Tennessee football have its next Heisman winner?

Milton's progress in accuracy and efficiency is evident when analyzing his passing numbers. Last season, he boasted a completion rate of 64.5 percent, a significant improvement from his previous seasons, along with throwing 10 touchdowns to no interceptions. Though it was a small sample size, it's enough to warrant more than a glance at the rocket-armed quarterback moving forward.

The strong arms and powerful running abilities all look great on highlight reels. It's arguably what got Richardson drafted as the Colts' starting quarterback of the future. Milton, who is bound to draw a lot of Richardson comparisons this season and going into the 2024 NFL Draft, has the ability to outperform any of Richardson's performances in his last season at Florida. Which in turn could earn the Tennessee football star a top pick in next year's draft.