Sep 12, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Josh Malone (3) catches a pass for a touchdown against Oklahoma Sooners safety Steven Parker (10) during the first half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee Vols’ Biggest Win Of Each Season Since 2000 by Zach Ragan

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Tennessee Vols wide receiver Josh Malone in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

I’m obviously a bit biased because I’m a fan of the Tennessee Vols (I’m a blogger, it’s allowed!), but I think Josh Malone was one of the most underrated players in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Which is why I was somewhat disappointed he dropped to the fourth round and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Sure, he’ll have a great quarterback throwing him the ball in Andy Dalton, but his path to playing time is murky at best.

Malone, from the start, is going to be behind AJ Green, Brandon Lafell, Tyler Boyd and John Ross (the Bengals’ first round pick this year).

That’s not exactly the best situation for Malone. Talent always rises, but a good situation doesn’t hurt.

Regardless of Malone’s situation, however, Bengals fans are still excited about the former Vol.

Cincy Jungle, SB Nation’s Bengals blog, recently looked at the similarities between Malone and former LSU Tigers wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

Beckham, who was a first round pick of the New York Giants in 2014, obviously had better college numbers, but not by as big of a margin as you might think.

Here’s part of Cincy Jungle’s article:

Even the perceived weaknesses of each of the receivers had their similarities. Beckham needed work on his route running, and Malone’s route running is a work in progress. Both, while able blockers, still needed work in that area. Although Beckham ended up going to the New York Giants with the 12th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, not all experts had him pegged that high. NFL.com profiled him as a first or second round selection, and predicted him as no better than a No. 3 receiver.

I don’t think that Malone is going to be the next Beckham, but I do think he has the potential to be a great player in the NFL — assuming he gets his chance.

Malone probably won’t get much of a chance to contribute in 2017, but he could be ready to breakout by his third year in the league.

LaFell is only under contract through 2018, and I’m not a big believer in John Ross (combine stars scare me).

So while Malone’s situation doesn’t look great right now, it could vastly improve over the next couple of years.