Okay, here’s the summary of former Tennessee players taken in the 2006 NFL draft:

• Defensive back Jason Allen was the only player to be taken in the first round, at the 16th overall pick. He’ll play for the Miami Dolphins.
• There were three 5th round picks: defensive end Parys Haralson (No. 140 to the San Francisco 49ers); linebacker Omar Gaither (No. 168 to the Philadelphia Eagles); and defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona (No. 169 to the Tennessee Titans).
• Linebacker Kevin Simon went in the 7th round (No. 250) to the Washington Redskins.
• Guard Cody Douglas, wide receiver Chris Hannon, running back Gerald Riggs, guard Rob Smith, and offensive tackle Albert Toeaina did not get drafted.

Initial thoughts:

Breathe a sigh of relief that Allen playing another year for the Vols didn’t cost him his career. How high would he have been had he not gotten injured? Maybe the Texans would have picked him first.

Mahelona should have gone a lot higher. He was double-teamed all last year and was still a force. He’s a class kid and a steal for the Titans at the 169nth pick. And speaking of the Titans, wow. Vince Young. Lendale White. Mahelona. Cool.

Gaither was always sort of in Simon’s shadow, but no more. He’s a solid player, and it’s nice to see him get credit for it. Of course, who needs credit when you have cash?

Especially sorry for Toeaina, Riggs, and Hannon. They should have been drafted, but they should get a shot with some team somewhere. Smith, we knew could have used another year.

The draft really brings to light Tennessee’s losses on defense. Two starting linemen, two starting ‘backers, and a cornerback were drafted.

Good for them.

Bad for us.

How to squander a first-overall pick:

Step 1: Pass on freaky-good Reggie Bush.

Step 2: Pass on local hero Vince Young.

Step 3: Select a defensive end . . . because linemen last longer.

Absolutely nothing against . . . wait, need to go find his name . . . Mario Williams, but come on.

The Miami Dolphins, who selected 16th in today’s NFL draft, chose former Tennessee defensive back Jason Allen. Allen has made a full recovery from what many feared would be a career-ending injury last October 8th.

Congratulations, Jason, and good luck. We’ll miss you.

FoxSports.com’s Jeff Goodman takes a stab at a way-too-early pre-season Top 25 for men’s basketball. The Vols are at No. 18 behind SEC Rivals Florida (No. 4) and LSU (No. 16).

SportsTalk’s Jimmy Hyams and John Wilkerson chatted with former Tennessee defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona on the radio this afternoon. Mahelona, who is projected to be a second- or third-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft, is cooking three pigs (one in an underground oven, one on a spit over an open fire, and one in a smoker . . . mmmm), a cow (I’d like to see a cow on a spit), and a bunch of fish to commemorate the event. Nothing says party like roast hog.

Audio is courtesy of Sportsanimal99.com, which has more excellent interviews, including those of defensive end Parys Haralson and offensive linemen Rob Smith, Cody Douglas, and Albert Toeaina.

Here’s a list of former Volunteers and where they’re projected to fall in this weekend’s draft:

• First Round. Cornerback/safety Jason Allen. I’ve been getting a lot of hits from NFL fans looking for information on Allen. He’ll be a solid player at the next level, and although there have been rumors that he’s failed some physicals, all of the hard information I’ve seen is that his injury wasn’t as severe as feared and that he has made a full recovery. Check out the Jason Allen category for more.
• Third Round. Defensive end Parys Haralson and defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona.
• Rounds Four and/or Five. Linebacker Omar Gaither, defensive tackle Tony McDaniel, offensive lineman Rob Smith, and running back Gerald Riggs.
• Others. Offensive linemen Albert Toeaina and Cody Douglas, wide receivers Chris Hannon and C.J. Fayton, linebackers Kevin Simon and Jason Mitchell, and defensive end Jason Hall.

SI.com’s Stewart Mandel has come up with a post-spring pre-season top 25 poll. The Tennessee Volunteers are not even “on the cusp.”

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Edgar Thompson is fanning the flames of the Leak-Tebow Non-Controversy:

[After the spring game,] Meyer said there’s no question Leak will be the starter next season.

“There isn’t a quarterback controversy in-house,” he said.

Try telling that to the announced crowd of 45,200 and thousands of other Gator fans already frothing over Tebow.

“That’s a great water-cooler story,” Meyer said. “That’s a great discussion with coffee in the morning.”

Just don’t expect Leak to join in a little java and quarterback talk. He didn’t meet with reporters until 90 minutes after the game, then brushed off questions about Tebow’s performance.

“Since the first day, Urban Meyer has said I’m the quarterback,” Leak said.

“I’m the captain of this team. I’m just real excited to get going.”

Didn’t meet with reporters until an hour and a half after the game? Brushed off questions about Tebow’s performance?

Marvelous. Simply marvelous.

Oh, and there’s this, from Dave Curtis of the Orlando Sentinel:

Two young boys hold posters for Tebow, a freshman quarterback, to sign as he leaves practice. Soon, a teenage girl tucks herself inside Tebow’s golden left arm as a camera captures the moment.

“Any time,” said Tebow, a grin frozen on his face.

Behind the small crowd, Chris Leak, Florida’s undisputed starting quarterback, walks past with the fanfare of a student manager. . . .

But the demand for Tebow, whose first snaps at Florida Field come in today’s Orange and Blue Game, trumps them all. Although he struggles with throwing mechanics and knowledge of the offense, he finishes the spring just as he started it: the prince of Florida football.

Did I say marvelous?

Hat Tip to Swamp Ball.

Super recruit and new Florida Gator Tim Tebow had an excellent spring game, according to Sports Illustrated. Apparently, Tebow went 15 of 21 for almost 200 yards and looked better than incumbent Chris Leak.

Meyer says there is no quarterback controversy. Uh-huh.

Leak is a pure passer. Several times last year, he looked obviously uncomfortable running the ball in head coach Urban Meyer’s spread option. Now, he’s a senior and surely thinking about the pros. Not a good time to get hurt in a running game not designed for your skill set.

And here’s Tebow, recruited into the system for which he is a perfect fit, stealing the show at the spring game.

Tennessee Volunteer fans, now is the time to fuel the Florida Gator quarterback controversy. Fan the flames all summer.

Oh, and did anyone else notice that there were 45,000 fans at Florida’s spring game?

We had . . . uh . . . 15,000.

Shameful.

I’m going with Jon as the winner of last week’s caption contest.

As promised, Jon gets what is likely to be three months of front page presence on VF Rocky Top, as I will be resisting the pull of Ruminant Reporting and mostly working under the hood for awhile.

Here’s the pic:

And here’s Jon’s response:

“the goal is to get my stomach out to here so i can rest my hands on it like so…”

Thanks to the rest for participating, including Peter from Burnt Orange Nation:

TN head football coach Phil Fullmer tries to explain how catching a football is like jazz piano, as a freshman receiver looks on. “Coach told me to be more like Herbie Hancock.”

Freaktoe:

“The itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the water spout . . .”

and, uh, me:

“It’s the weirdest thing, I mean, sometimes it feels like a whole other person is growing right out of my back.”

Until next time then . . . .

On his t.v. show, John Pennington recently held a contest challenging Volunteer fans to design a new uniform for the Tennessee basketball team. Almost all of the entries, including the winning entry, included more black.

Now, word is that University officials are considering some new Adidas designs that include . . . more black.

I like the black, obviously. And for the record, View from Rocky Top has been on a black background (actually very dark gray) since January. Black is good, provided it doesn’t get to the none more black stage.

“It’s like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black.”