Why Titans Need to Address O-line with First Pick
We all know the Tennessee Titans offensive line really struggled in their run blocking this year. That’s a fact. They were actually pretty good in their pass protection, but this team isn’t built to be one dimensional. The Titans have arguably the best back in the league and he struggled to break 1,000 yards this season. It wasn’t all the lines fault but it’s really hard to make positive yards when you get hit in the backfield seven out of ten times.
Here’s a quick look at the top eight teams in both run blocking and pass blocking. Notice anything special about the teams in the top eight run blocking?
Five of the eight teams in the run blocking section made the playoffs. Even more to the point, the top four in run blocking made the playoffs. Flip to the other side of the chart. Out of the top eight in pass blocking, there were still five that made the playoffs but only two of the top four made the playoffs.
Now if we take a look at the top four in run blocking, they all have something in common. They all rank within the top six when it comes to running behind the center/guard (follow link to see stat). Where do the Titans rank? 31st.
Guard Jake Scott is set to be a free agent and should be let go. The current center Eugene Amano has a big fat contract, so he’s not going anywhere, but he could be shifted back to guard where he played well enough. This team needs a quality center. The Steelers and Dolphins both drafted a center first round the past two years (they each own a Pouncey twin) and their run games have been great. Reggie Bush had his first 1,000 yards season since entering the league in 2006. The center is the anchor of the offensive line and Amano just hasn’t been able to hold up there. Putting a solid center on the Titans offensive line would make it better by leaps and bounds.
It’s highly likely that the center Peter Konz from Wisconsin could fall to the Titans at pick 20 and he’d be a solid base for the Titans line. They don’t have to draft a center, as free agency could be sporting a few decent centers. But wouldn’t it be nice to pair Jake Locker with a nice young center that he could possibly play with for the entirety of his career?