2013 NFL Draft Report Cards: Some C-ish Grades for Tennessee Titans
Apr 25, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Chance Warmack (Alabama) is introduced as the number ten overall pick to the Tennessee Titans during the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Tennessee Titans fans, it’s time to unite and revolt against all the haters—haterz—h@ter$ or whatever kids call them nowadays.
What are the first impressions for the Titans’ 2013 NFL Draft class? Most experts have graded them within the A-B range. Let’s check some experts who weren’t so friendly with their 2013 NFL Draft report cards.
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports): C-plus
Best pick: Second-round pick Justin Hunter could easily have been a first-round pick with his talent. He will help the passing game in a big way.
Questionable move: With so many other needs, and already having paid Andy Levitre, why draft a guard in the top 10, which is what they did with Chance Warmack?
Third-day gem: Fourth-round center Brian Schwenke could step in and be a starter soon. He is an athletic center who can move.
Analysis: They landed a sure starter in Warmack, and addressed needs with Hunter and third-round corner Blidi Wreh-Wilson.
Let’s dissect this grade and the observations. The Titans landed a sure starter at No. 10, their best pick came at No. 34, they addressed a need at No. 70 and pick No. 107 was considered as a third-day gem who could become an immediate starter.
That equals a C-plus, just a tad above average.
Prisco argues against the Warmack pick because the Titans already paid Levitre. That corrected one-half of the problem; Warmack corrects the other half. Why pay Warmack when they’re already paying Levitre? Um—someone has to get paid. And rookies don’t make extravagant contracts now.
Checking some of the other grades and inconsistent evaluations, Prisco made his report card appear more like a troll piece. Even if his grades were correct in three years, his explanations don’t merit the grades themselves—especially for the Titans.
Evan Silva (Roto World): C-minus
The players acquired look impressive at first glance, but dig deeper and there are concerns about the class as a whole and the costs to put it together…Click for whole quote.
Silva gives a lengthy explanation for his low grade. He believes the Titans surrendered too much to jump up six spots and draft Hunter (Titans traded No. 40, No. 216 and a 2014 third-round pick for No. 34). He has concerns about how Warmack will schematically fit on the Titans’ offensive line. He didn’t believe the Titans did enough to improve their pass defense or become more aggressive.
Sounds like Silva didn’t care for the players who were drafted. Not worried about Warmack. Defensively, Silva may have a point. They didn’t draft a swingman defensive end until Round 5. If the Titans sign John Abraham or Israel Idonije, that DE rotation will look better. Just hope for no injuries to Derrick Morgan or Kamerion Wimbley.
I like wide receiver Justin Hunter in the second. The rest is blah, blah, blah.
Blah, blah, blah? That was so 2010. Get with the times Floyd. Cause all we got is right now (drop it!).
And for what it’s worth, Warmack isn’t “blah, blah, blah…” he’s a “professional griefer” to opposing defensive linemen and anyone who thinks his talents are “blah, blah, blah.” (Deadmau5 reference).
Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): C-minus
Let’s start with the good. The Titans kept up their interior offensive line upgrade theme, adding Alabama guard Chance Warmack and California center Brian Schwenke to join free-agent addition Andy Levitre. But getting wide receiver Justin Hunter from Tennessee is a boom-bust proposition, and both Connecticut cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Missouri linebacker Zaviar Gooden need more polish to be impact players.
A fair and unbiased assessment from Iyer. As far as Wreh-Wilson and Gooden needing more polish, one could say the same thing about almost any player after Round 2. Don’t forget that Wreh-Wilson was projected as a late first-round pick in some mock drafts. No. 70 was solid value.
2013 NFL Draft Class: Tennessee Titans
Round 1, Pick 10: Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama
Round 2, Pick 34: Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee
Round 3, Pick 70: Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB, Connecticut
Round 3, Pick 97: Zaviar Gooden, LB, Missouri
Round 4, Pick 107: Brian Schwenke, C, California
Round 5, Pick 142: Lavar Edwards, DE, LSU
Round 6, Pick 202: Khalid Wooten, DB, Nevada
Round 7, Pick 248: Daimion Stafford, S, Nebraska
You know who gets it? FanSided—and not just us homers at Titan Sized.
Analysis: There is a good chance that the Titans top six players will have an impact on the team. Warmack and Schwenke are interior offensive linemen with a nasty mean stream who can start from day one, while Justin Hunter has the potential to develop in to a number one wide receiver. As far as Blidi Wreh-Wilson, he had generated some late first-round buzz, so the value on his pick was incredible. It was an overall great draft for the Titans.