Joshua Huffman

2010 NFL Draft Report Card Fan Grade
Team: Tennessee Titans
Round 1, Pick 16: Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech
Votes: 88
Incomplete: 3
Calculated Votes: 85
Median: 80 (B)
Mode: 80 (B)
STAFF GRADES: Here
FAN GRADE: 80.47 (B)
FAN GRADE W/ CURVE: N/A

Analysis
There wasn’t much disagreement about whether Morgan was a good or bad pick. Had the poll options been more extensive (e.g. include an “85″), the 80.47 grade could’ve easily jumped up a couple points.

Excluding “incomplete” votes, 11 of 85 voters (12.94 percent) chose a grade lower than a “B.” Nobody chose anything less than average. Three voters considered this as an “A,” which is an excellent pick. The three voters who chose “incomplete” probably believed that it was too soon to a evaluate a player who missed all but four games of his rookie season with an injury. They’d prefer to wait until he finishes a complete third season.

For Morgan, the 2013-14 NFL season could go a long way in determining his overall value. The farther removed Morgan has gotten from the ACL injury that he suffered during his 2010-11 rookie season, the better he has gotten. Although Morgan has 10.5 sacks over his first three seasons, 6.5 of those came this past season.

Stay tuned as Titan Sized continues this series of 2010 NFL Draft report cards.

Nov 10, 2012; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Justin Hunter (11) catches a pass against Missouri Tigers defensive back E.J. Gaines (31) during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Missouri defeated Tennessee 51-48 in quadruple overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

After acquiring Alabama guard Chance Warmack with the 10th pick in the first round, most Titans fans and draft experts assumed the staff would then turn their attention to defense.  Most of the off season moves by the organization had gone to help the offensive side of the ball, and the general feeling was that the defense was still lacking.  The Titans surprised everyone with not only drafting a wide receiver, but moving up in the draft to do so.

In order to better understand how high a value head coach Mike Munchak and general manager Ruston Webster actually had on Justin Hunter, we need to take a look at the arguments against drafting Justin Hunter in the second round.

• With only two short term contract safeties and one defensive lineman added as “starters” on the defense, there was still ample room to create competition, or acquire starters, at many defensive positions.  The Titans desperately needed a defensive play maker and difference maker that’s not currently on the roster.
• Outside of the 4th round pick of Brian Schwenke, the rest of the Titans’ draft went to defense after the Hunter pick.  Further reinforcing how badly they need change on that side of the ball.  Schwenke was also taken in part because he was the Titans #1 rated center and still on the board much later than they thought he should have been.
• The Titans aren’t drafting for insurance or the year after next.  Yes, it’s true you need to plan ahead with every move you make, especially for Ruston Webster, but it’s no secret Mike Munchak is on the hot seat and they have to win now.  The Titans wide receiver depth is much better than either it’s defensive end depth or cornerback depth.  The two positions assumed the Titans would have taken in the second round.
• Cornerbacks Darius Slay, Johnthan Banks, David Amerson, Jamar Taylor and Robert Alford all went in the second round after the Titans had taken Justin Hunter.  Obviously the “sweet spot” in the draft to get value at the position.  Not to mention defensive ends  Tank Carradine and Margus Hunt, as well as South Carolina safety D.J. Swearinger, were also still on the board.  The 49ers ended up getting Tank Carradine with the Titans original slot.
• Some have argued that Nate Washington will be cut now due to his $4M salary as well as rumors of him falling in the staffs disfavor at the end of last season.  If he’s taking plays off, then that’s obviously not good for Locker, but otherwise Washington was by far Locker’s most reliable target during 2013.  That’s not someone you want to replace with a rookie if you want your quarterback to succeed.
• The Titans made no secret of trying to find a good slot receiver during the off season.  They strongly felt that moving Kendall Wright back to his natural position outside and moving another player inside would upgrade the receiver packages.  Abandoning this concept by drafting another “Z” receiver seems a bit odd to say this least.

With all of the needs that were higher than wide receiver, combined with all of the quality players still on the board, it was a big surprise the Titans took Justin Hunter.  Even more so that they moved up in the draft to get him.  This speaks VOLUMES of how much they like Hunter.

Head coach Mike Munchak said they made the deal with the 49ers the night before the second day.  Hunter was their #1 rated wide receiver in the draft, over Tavon Austin and other Tennessee wide out Cordarrelle Patterson.  The Titans were well aware of the defensive players on the board as well as their needs at the position.  Even so, the gap between Justin Hunter and filling those needs was so large, that the staff felt they HAD to have him.

Let’s assume for a moment that those saying Nate Washington is gone now are correct and that Hunter will be his replacement. That means, in essence, the Titans gave up a second round pick, a third round pick and Nate Washington in order to have Hunter.  That’s a lot of faith.

Justin Hunter has all the physical attributes to be a great starter in the NFL.  At 6’-4” and 196 lbs.,  his size and speed make him a down field and red zone threat that defenses will have to account for.  Something the Titans haven’t had consistently in a long time.  The coaching staff was quick to point out that he could “take the top off” of a defense, which coincides with their desire to run the ball much more effectively as well.

Hunter was also touted to be the best route runner in the draft.  Making plays with his electrifying moves wasn’t necessarily his specialty, but instead used technique and sharp routes to create separation from defenders.  When making the transition to the NFL, these attributes will go a long way.  He will have to work on his hands a bit, but heck, so do all the Titans receivers.

Make no mistake about it, this is not a developmental prospect.  Considering all the circumstances previously laid out, the Titans didn’t make this move to have Justin Hunter take Damian Williams spot as the 4th receiver and sit on the bench every game.  Expect Hunter to start early and play often.

Webster and Munchak obviously coveted this particular wide receiver above all others.  Fans are more optimistic and excited than I can recall in years.

Let’s hope their valuation was correct.

For Titans articles and chat, you can find me on Twitter  @gunnelsj

Oct 9, 2011; Pittsburgh , PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) looses the ball as he is grabbed by Tennessee Titans defensive end Derrick Morgan (90) during the first half of the game at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Approximately 24 hours have transpired since the conclusion of the 2013 NFL Draft. It’s around that time when draft pundits release report cards on the performance of each team’s draft. Without having seen any of the players take an NFL snap, these experts submit their final grades on which teams had the best and worst drafts. Occasionally, they’ll “re-grade” everything after they’ve had a few seasons to watch these prospects.

I’m not a fan of such “impatient report cards.” Grading players before they’ve played one down is an unfair and unwarranted stamp of approval or disapproval. Teams and players deserve at least three seasons before they’re evaluated with a grade. The “re-grading” process should occur sometime within the 10-year anniversary of that draft class.

This “3-10” process is the idea behind the draft report cards that Titan Sized will conduct. Starting in May, some staff members will issue their personal grades on each individual prospect from the 2010 NFL Draft class. An overall grade for the entire draft will follow that. Repeat process for the 2003 NFL Draft class.

Titan Sized wants to get our readers involved. For each prospect, we’ll poll our readers for a number-grade (100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 20, 0). We’ll add those totals and divide them by the number of votes. This will give one grade from the readers and one grade from staff members.

Let’s begin with a review of the 2010 NFL Draft.

Tennessee Titans: 2010 NFL Draft Class
Round 1, Pick 16: Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech
Round 3, Pick 77: Damian Williams, WR, USC
Round 3, Pick 97: Rennie Curran, LB, Georgia
Round 4, Pick 104: Alterraun Verner, CB, UCLA
Round 5, Pick 148: Robert Johnson, S, Utah
Round 6, Pick 176: Rusty Smith, QB, Florida Atlantic
Round 6, Pick 207: Myron Rolle, S, Florida State
Round 7, Pick 222: Marc Mariani, WR, Montana
Round 7, Pick 241: David Howard, DL, Brown

Of those nine players, Morgan and Verner will enter the 2013-14 NFL season as starters. Smith appears to have a firm grasp on the No. 3 quarterback role—at least for now. Williams and Johnson are barely hanging on to their roster spots. Before Mariani broke his leg, he was a Pro Bowl-caliber return specialist. Curran appeared in nine games, making seven tackles. Rolle and Howard never accumulated a regular-season statistic.

Two starters, a No. 3 quarterback, two average-at-best depth players, a return specialist and three players who provided little-to-no value on the 53-man roster. Morgan is a very good player who’s still improving. With that said, it’s worth mentioning that picks No. 14-15 (Earl Thomas, Jason Pierre-Paul) and No. 17-18 (Mike Iupati, Maurkice Pouncey) all have Pro Bowl selections on their resume. Morgan doesn’t.

An additional note: this was the draft when LenDale White and Kevin Vickerson were traded to the Seattle Seahawks.

Good draft, bad draft, average draft? Answer in the poll below. Staff members will assess their final grades sometime next month. Individual grades will start long before that.