How the Tennessee Titans could get Muhammad Wilkerson and more
By Will Lomas
The Tennessee Titans are the team this year that is expected to trade their pick. Instead of trading down with the San Diego Chargers or Philadelphia Eagles, they may turn their eyes towards New York and the Jets.
Recent news broken by Adam Schefter says that Muhammad Wilkerson is being discussed in potential trades right now. Despite the fact that the New York Jets say they are not looking to trade him, they have said they are listening to offers. This paired with the fact that the New York Jets have expressed a desire to move up could make the Tennessee Titans a perfect trade target.
Here is how this trade works out on paper.
The New York Jets receive:
-#2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Marcus Mariota
The Tennessee Titans receive:
-DE Muhammad Wilkerson
-#6 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft
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Why the New York Jets should do it:
This isn’t a very long explanation and it really shouldn’t be. Geno Smith and Blake Bortles are two of the most disappointing rookie quarterbacks in the last five years, and Geno Smith showed little to no improvement in year two. Even with an elite defense he couldn’t get his team out of picking in the top-10 this year.
Marcus Mariota and Chan Gailey would make a dynamic pair in New York and give the Jets a much needed offensive boost.
Why the Tennessee Titans should do it:
With all the talk of taking Leonard Williams dying down, the Tennessee Titans really don’t have a lot to gain from drafting with the second overall pick unless they are truly sold on Marcus Mariota (which they could be, he is a great prospect). So they should find some way to maximize their draft equity. This is a small move that gives the Tennessee Titans the best 3-4 defensive lineman in the league not named J.J. Watt. Pairing Muhammad Wilkerson and Jurrell Casey on a defensive line coached by Dick LeBeau…wow.
Warning, if you don’t want any more speculation on what the Tennessee Titans could do here, stop reading!
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Ok, so now the Tennessee Titans are picking at sixth overall and have a blue-chipper defensive lineman to pair with him. Ok, so now the 2015 NFL Draft most likely has gone this way.
1. Tampa Bay- Jameis Winston QB, Florida State
2. New York Jets- Marcus Mariota QB, Oregon
3. Jacksonville Jaguars- Dante Fowler EDGE, Florida
4. Oakland Raiders- Amari Cooper WR, Alabama
5. Washington Redskins- Vic Beasley EDGE, Clemson
6. Tennessee Titans- ?
So, that means that Kevin White, Leonard Williams, Davante Parker, Brandon Scherff, and Todd Gurley are all big names left on the board. Well, what is the most fun thing to mock: a trade.
With the news coming that the Atlanta Falcons want to make a small trade up to grab a defensive playmaker, it is safe to assume that they want to move ahead of the Chicago Bears at seventh overall. What if they had a partner in the Tennessee Titans who don’t need the top defender on the board: Leonard Williams.
The Atlanta Falcons get:
-#6 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft
The Tennessee Titans get:
-#8 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft
-#42 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft
Why the Atlanta Falcons should do it:
Look, you need to make an impact in this draft. Jake Matthews and Ra’Shede Hageman were both pretty bad last year, and you need to “win” this draft after a series of disappointing years. New head coach Dan Quinn will want a defensive presence on his roster and the upside of Leonard Williams is too much to pass up.
What the Tennessee Titans do now:
With the 8th pick in the draft, it isn’t unreasonable to say that the Tennessee Titans could land one of the three best players in this draft: Kevin White WR, WVU.
Assuming that they land Kevin White, lets look to the second round. With Randy Gregory being linked to drugs in a deep edge class, there is a possibility he falls out of the first round. With the first pick in the second round the Tennessee Titans can auction off that trade or take the high quality player.
Assuming they take Randy Gregory, the Tennessee Titans will be right on the clock again in nine picks. Here, the Tennessee Titans can land T.J. Clemmings a force at right tackle who will fall a little because of concerns about his foot.
Now the Tennessee Titans have made these additions:
-Muhammad Wilkerson DL
-Kevin White WR
-Randy Gregory EDGE
-T.J. Clemmings RT
With four immediate, impact starters the Tennessee Titans now have one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL bar-none. On top of that, they have solidified the offensive line and given Zach Mettenberger a true number one receiver to target. With two players over 6’2″ that run sub 4.4 40s in Kevin White and Justin Hunter. Pair them with one of the most consistent underneath receivers in the league and a top-10 tight end, now the offense looks a LOT better.
This has a 1% chance of happening, but it is a fun exercise to look at how much better the Tennessee Titans could get in one draft.