Report: Medicals delaying Tennessee linebacker Daniel Bituli’s NFL chances

One name that wasn’t called on Saturday was Tennessee linebacker Daniel Bituli, despite having plenty of fans in the draft media. The productive NFL prospect was Tennessee’s unquestioned leader on defense — that much was evident by how much the unit improved after Bituli returned to the lineup after missing the first two games of the 2019 season.

Not only did Bituli not hear his name called, but there were no reported deals for him after the draft either. Why? According to Wes Rucker of 247Sports, Bituli is waiting on his knee injury to clear up. Bituli is waiting on a medical re-check, which should happen in the next few weeks, per the report.

Bituli missed the first two weeks of the 2019 season after undergoing a knee procedure near the end of fall camp. Those two games turned out to be upset losses for Tennessee, dropping contests against Georgia State and BYU.

Other Tennessee prospects have found homes after the draft. Marquez Callaway signed with the Saints, Dominick Wood-Anderson signed with the Seahawks and Nigel Warrior signed with the Ravens.

The 6-3, 250 pound Bituli was a starter at Tennessee since his sophomore season. He finished his career with 266 tackles, 14.5 of which came for a loss. Bituli was projected to go late on day three, but the medical issues offered too much uncertainty to NFL organizations.

Keep your eyes open for a potential deal sometime during the next month.