Sep 30, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive end Scott Solomon (90) defends against the Houston Texans offense during the game at Reliant Stadium. The Texans defeated the Titans 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The Tennessee Titans drafted DE Scott Solomon with their final pick of the 2012 draft in the 7th round. It was surprising to everyone familiar with the Titans that they didn’t address the DE position earlier in the draft, having Derrick Morgan and Kamerion Wimbley slotted as their starters, Morgan still being surrounded with questions and Wimbley moving from 3-4 OLB to 4-3 DE. None the less, they waited until the 7th round to pick up some depth.
Cue a season where DE Dave Ball ended up on IR before the start and the Titans have a muddle mix of backups behind Morgan and Wimbley. Solomon saw plenty of action this season, much more than I anticipated. I’ve yet to decided whether that’s a good thing or not.
Early in the season, Solomon was completely ineffective, being easily pushed past the pocket and not posing much trouble for any offensive tackles. He became lost in a group of DE’s which consisted of a handful of free agent signings.
Solomon finished the season with four total tackles. He needs to grow headed into his sophomore season if he’d like to make an impact and stick with the team. Some of his biggest areas of growth need to come from better utilization of his legs and arms. Solomon looks top heavy on tape. He needs to lean forward more and lower his stance so he can get under tackles. He’s a strong guy, but when he runs vertically and tries to overpower tackles with his arms, he fails. Getting lower and learning how to better use his arms to avoid tackles are imperative.
It’s hard to be too rough on a 7th round pick when critiquing them. They’re always a bit of a longshot, but you always hope for the best. I gave the Titans an A- when they took him in the 7th round this past draft. Most of that came from Solomon’s reported work ethics and the fact that the Titans needed some DE depth. As for Solomon’s rookie season grade, I’ll give him a C+.
He needs to be more affective in his sophomore year. Perhaps some of his struggles were due to an injured foot that cost him his 2011 college season. I don’t know, but Solomon didn’t make enough of an impression this year to warrant more than a C+.
GRADE: C+
Tune in Thursday for FS Markelle Martin’s review.
You can find me on Twitter @JustinLStewart