"And I've made up my mind. I ain't wasting no more time. Here I go again." - Whitesnake

In this spot last week, we discussed the number of Vols selected in the first round of the NFL draft between 2003 and 2005 - zero. That's the longest streak without a first-rounder since the 1970s.

The game-changing "playmakers" that UT so routinely turned out in the 80s and 90s simply aren't on campus anymore. If they were, the NFL would be beating a door to Knoxville for first-rounders.

That was MY take anyway.

But many of you weren't buying. "What about all the mid- and late-round guys?" "What about the undrafted free agents who are still playing in the NFL?" "The Vols still have plenty of players going into the league."

That's fine and good, but it wasn't the point I was making. More than likely, if a guy is an undrafted free agent, then he probably wasn't a game-changing star for Tennessee. And that's what Tennessee has been missing lately. Where was an Al Wilson, John Henderson, Jamal Lewis or Peerless Price vs. Vandy last year? Answer: Not in Knoxville.

But just for the sake of argument, why don't we go ahead and look at ALL the former Vols who are still on a roster (according to NFL.com)? Let's look at ALL the facts. That'll put an end to my "talent drop-off" theory, won't it?

In a word no.

"This is how we do it." - Montell Jordan

First the raw data prior to the start of yesterday's draft, 39 former Vols were residing on NFL rosters. Those players were taken between 1998 and 2005.

For those feeling old like me, that means Peyton Manning (entering his ninth season) is the elder statesman of ex-UT players in the NFL (along with Leonard Little and Trey Teague).

In 1998, UT had eight players drafted. They had six in '99, nine in 2000, five in '01, and an amazing 10 in '02. Then came the slide. Eight in 2003, four in 2004 (not one player drafted in the first three rounds), and three players in '05.

The average career of an NFL player is just under four years. So those 21 players who came into the league prior to '02 have all beaten the average. They're old timers. But are the Vols who joined the league in 2003, 2004 and 2005 really their equals?

"This time, Darling, it's just not the same." - Social Distortion

Let's say you're the GM of your favorite NFL club. You make the call on which group of players you would rather have at a given position, the pre-'02 Vols or post-'02 Vols.

Quarterback is literally "no contest" since Manning is the only guy available. Old timers win.

What about running backs? The still-active pre-'02ers are Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and Shawn Bryson. The post-'02ers are Cedric Houston and Troy Fleming. I'll go with the first group. Not even close.

Receivers come next. Eric Parker, Peerless Price, Donte Stallworth and Cedric Wilson all went in 2002 or before. Tony Brown (inactive last year), Mark Jones (a return man) and Kelley Washington (third string at best) are the receivers who've gone since 2002. Easy call, the older guys are better.

Tight ends? David Martin (pre-'02) vs Jason Witten (post-'02). Finally, a spot where the new guy is better than the old guy. Witten's a playmaker and he gets the nod.

On the offensive line Cosey Coleman, Chad Clifton, Trey Teague and Fred Weary are the old guard. The young guns are Anthony Herrera and Scott Wells. Old guys win again.

Now to the defense, starting with defensive ends. You could have Sean Ellis and Leonard Little. Or Omari Hand and Constantin Ritzmann. I'm guessing you picked Ellis and Little. Edge to the pre-'02ers.

Next, would you rather have defensive tackles Darwin Walker, Albert Haynesworth and John Henderson or post-'02ers Aubrayo Franklin and Demetrin Veal? See a trend?

Linebacker is tricky. Al Wilson is the only pre-'02 linebacker still in the league. Eddie Moore and Kevin Burnett are the guys who've joined the league since 2002. Two-for-one might lead you to go with the young guns, but they combined for all of six tackles last year. Wilson made 73. And he led UT to a national title. I believe I'd go with Wilson.

The secondary is a close call. Andre Lott and Deon Grant are 2002-and-before guys. Julian Battle (did not play last year), Gibril Wilson and Jabari Greer are the 2002-and-since fellas. I'll take the more-recent Vols, but that's a tough one.

Finally, the only punter/kicker UT has in the league is Dustin Colquitt, so the edge automatically goes to the post-2002 crowd.

But just look at the names of the players still active. Not only have first-round "playmakers" become a rarity at UT, but even their mid- to-late-round players don't stack up to the Vols who've come and gone before them.

From guys like Manning, Lewis, Henry, Walker, Haynesworth, and Henderson to role players like Franklin, Hand, Jones, Ritzmann and Battle.

Still think there hasn't been a talent drop-off?

John Pennington hosts The Hall's Salvage Sports Source on Sunday at 11 a.m. on WATE. He also writes a blog at govolsxtra.com.