Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar knew that if his name was called in the 2026 NFL Draft, it would be late on Day 3.
That day has come, and that time is approaching. The NFL draft wraps up on April 25 (noon ET, ESPN, ABC and NFL Network) with Rounds 4-7 from Pittsburgh.
Aguilar, an overachiever who started his journey as a junior college walk-on, is still on the draft board. He is ranked eighth among best quarterbacks available, according to ESPN. The question is whether he’ll remain there.
Aguilar will be 25 years old when the 2026 season starts. And he’s recovering from surgery to remove a benign tumor on his throwing arm.
But Aguilar passed for 13,317 yards and 101 touchdowns in five college seasons, including Diablo Valley Community College (2021-22), Appalachian State (2023-24) and Tennessee (2025). And he led the SEC in passing yards during the 2025 regular season.
Here’s a quick look at Aguilar’s draft stock heading into the final day.
Where Joey Aguilar ranks among best QBs available
Four quarterbacks were selected in the first three rounds of the draft: Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza (No. 1 to Las Vegas Raiders); Alabama’s Ty Simpson (No. 13 to Los Angeles Rams); Miami’s Carson Beck (No. 65 to Arizona Cardinals); Penn State’s Drew Allar (Pittsburgh Steelers).
Aguilar is ranked eighth among quarterbacks remaining on ESPN’s board. Here’s the full list in order of best available:
- Garrett Nussmeier (LSU)
- Taylen Green (Arkansas)
- Cole Payton (North Dakota State)
- Luke Altmyer (Illinois)
- Behren Morton (Texas Tech)
- Sawyer Robertson (Baylor)
- Cade Klubnik (Clemson)
- Joey Aguilar (Tennessee)
- Haynes King (Georgia Tech)
- Joe Fagnano (UConn)
- Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt)
- Jalon Daniels (Kansas)
Which NFL teams might pick Joey Aguilar
NFL.com projected Aguilar as a sixth or seventh-round pick. But he’s appeared in only a few mock drafts.
Aguilar likely would begin his career as a third-string quarterback in hopes of eventually earning a backup spot – that is, if he makes an NFL roster. He could do that as a late-round pick or an undrafted free agent, but there’s little difference between those designations.
That’s why Aguilar odds of being drafted as so unpredictable. It largely depends on whether a team really likes him as a developmental quarterback and if it thinks he’ll be available after the draft.
NFL Network’s Chad Reuter projected Aguilar being picked by the Green Bay Packers with the 236th pick in the seventh round.
Initially, CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards projected that Aguilar would go to the Indianapolis Colts with the 214th pick in the sixth round.
But the CBS Sports cumulative mock draft projected Aguilar going to the Packers with the 255th pick in the seventh round.
Joey Aguilar scouting report in 2026 NFL Draft
Aguilar is an even-keeled confident quarterback who’s been doubted throughout his career, but he’s succeeded at each level. His age, maturity and experience in numerous offenses could be useful as a QB3 in the NFL.
In junior college, Aguilar walked on and beat out an experienced starter for the QB1 job. At Appalachian State, he again went from backup to exceptional starter. And at Tennessee, he won a preseason competition and had one of the most productive passing seasons in program history.
Aguilar is a 6-foot-3, 229-pounder. He hangs in the pocket under pressure. He has a quick release and good touch on deep passes. And he’s aggressive in passing over middle. But his accuracy sometimes slipped, and his aggressiveness led to too many interceptions.
Aguilar produced at the FBS level. In 2023, he passed for 3,757 yards, 33 TDs and 10 interceptions at Appalachian State. And in 2024, he passed for 3,003 yards, 24 TDs and 14 interceptions.
At Tennessee, Aguilar passed for 3,565 yards, 24 TDs and 10 interceptions in 2025.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Joey Aguilar projection in 2026 NFL Draft as Tennessee quarterback