Three former Tennessee Vols just pulled off a highly improbably NFL feat on Tuesday

One of the hardest things to do in the NFL is for an undrafted free agent rookie to make an NFL roster.  It reminds me of the famous speech from the Notre Dame coach to Rudy and rest of the walk-ons in the film Rudy . "Out of you 15 dreamers, maybe we'll keep one or two."

As it turns out, the Tennessee Vols had a trio of Rudys on their 2023 roster.  Ramel Keyton, Dee Williams, and Jaylen McCollough didn't hear their name called in the 2024 NFL Draft, but now they find themselves on active NFL rosters after the 4:00 pm deadline for teams to reach their 53-man roster limits.

Keyton signed with the Raiders after the draft, and he started to make his case in camp and preseason with some impressive catches.  However, it was in the preseason finale where Keyton staked his claim to a roster spot.  He finished with a game high 76 yards on 4 catches in Las Vegas' 24-24 tie with the San Francisco 49ers, adding a highlight-reel catch for good measure .  That last impression paid off, as Keyton will continue his NFL career in Sin City on the Raiders' active roster.

Williams has made an impact in Seattle this preseason particularly in the return game, where he was an impact player for the Vols .  However, in today's NFL, special teams aren't enough; you have to be able to play the field, too, at least most of the time.  Williams appeared to show enough during camp to earn his spot with the Seahawks.

McCollough seemed to be on the right side of the cut line, having earned praise recently from head coach Sean McVay while making a quick impact on the field .  If you're earning praise from an offense-minded guy in McVay, you've showed out on the field.  Clearly he had, as he became one of three undrafted free agent defensive backs that the Rams included on their 53-man roster.

Now, Vol fans will have even more teams to keep up with on Sunday.  After all, everyone loves an underdog.

Related: Former Tennessee Vols QB Hendon Hooker gets terrific news on Tuesday among Detroit Lions roster cuts