Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Avoiding the smokescreens and other pitfalls while watching or following the draft for the Tennessee Titans is a must for any fan, let’s talk about a few pitfalls to avoid heading into the NFL draft on Thursday.
1.) The Smokescreens– You just have to know that there will be false rumors and reports coming out and like they say, “Don’t always believe what you hear”. ex. The Titans may draft D.J. Fluker at #10. Ok, this is out of left field and sounds like a writer is just trying to get his name out there. Sure David Stewart and Michael Roos didn’t have the best seasons last year but they are still very good tackles. Why in the world would the Titans draft an OT at 10 when there are so many other needs? To play him at OG for one season and then move him to tackle? Come on. Total Smokescreen
2.) The Ease of the Trade– While reading multiple reports about multiple teams I tend to come across multiple people at multiple times talking about, “Well hey, if he’s not there then let’s just trade back and get this guy” or “I know what would be good, we just trade our such and such pick and move up and grab this guy, done”, to which I say, Take it easy. There will be trades during the draft, last year there 29 trades during the draft. That may seem like a lot but it’s about one per team, which isn’t that much.
3.) Comparing Boards– Now look, I understand the excitement and I understand how people get so wrapped up into the draft that they make draft boards. Once someone makes a draft board, you are sure to hear, ” I can’t believe they took him, I have him as my 3rd best DT” or “He’s the 12th rated player on my board”. This is the thing, the Titans have a much different board than you do and they also have scouts, personnel men, coaches, and the benefit of playing and being around the game for 10-20 years at the highest of skill levels.
4.) They Were Very High on That Player– No matter what, no matter what, whoever the Titans draft believe me, They will say that they were very high on that player and had him rated high on that player. No team is going to say, “Yeah, we really wanted a TE but we had to settle for this decent C”.
5.) You May Not Like The Player– You may not like the player drafted but just remember, you haven’t seen him play one game for the Titans yet. Give him a chance, there is a reason they drafted him. There is a reason that he’s getting drafted. So just chill, and wait and see how he does.
Ok, hopefully you see that this is a time to sit back and have fun. Unless you are employed by a team, have some serious money on some of the picks, or are just borderline crazy, come Thursday night you should be having some fun watching the draft.
What say you?
Shawn Eagle
You can follow me on twitter @RS1Eagle