Draft analyst: Vols should stay in school

"You look at (defensive tackle Jesse) Mahelona and (safety Jason) Allen,'' said Coyle, who scouts and publishes the NFL Draft Insiders Digest. "You need time to settle into one position. You can't just play it for one year.''

Coyle said Mahelona has shown potential in his year of Division I football, but NFL teams like to see more before making selecting a player high.

"You're projecting so much with his limited time at Tennessee,'' Coyle said. "It's absolutely a good decision for him to come back. Let him settle into the system for a second time and let his athleticism take over. He could be a high first-rounder next year.''

Coyle said Allen shows the athleticism but not the skills NFL teams look for at safety.

"They have such a hard time scouting a safety in coverage, so unless you've played the position a lot, they almost assume you can't cover,'' Coyle said. "They see an underclassman, they know they played (zone) coverage, but he hasn't played a lot of man coverage.''

Coyle said offensive guard Cody Douglas has been given bad advice if he thinks he'll be selected in the top three rounds.

"First of all, it's a very good year at offensive tackle, and a lot of those tackles project inside to guard, and that strengthens the guard position,'' he said. "If they think that foot needs an operation, they'll wonder if they can get anything out of him and start running away from him even in the sixth and seventh round.

"It's horrible advice for him to come out.''

Coyle said a pair of other junior prospects, Gerald Riggs and Parys Haralson, will do well with another year.

"Riggs needs to develop and get more repetitions,'' he said. "Parys could be a nice player, but he needs development on his technique and needs to get stronger.''