Tennessee Titans Should Address Offense In Second-Third Rounds?
By Les Bailey
With the 2015 NFL Draft just over 24 hours away, Tennessee Titans fans can hardly wait to see what kind of a deal Ruston Webster and Ken Whisenhunt will make that could possibly change this franchise for a decade.
The other big need that the Titans could address in the second round, is a right tackle.
We have discussed the trade possibilities for the second overall pick to ad nauseam, so it’s time to start thinking about the second-round pick on Friday evening.
The Titans have made some nifty moves in free agency and have done a lot to shore up a defense that was pathetic in 2014, so maybe it’s time to spend some dollars on the offense with the second and third picks in the draft.
Whether the Titans end up with Marcus Mariota, Philip Rivers or plan to start Zach Mettenberger against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 13th, they are going to need some targets and protection if they hope to improve on the 2-14 record they put up in 2014.
Unless Hakeem Nicks turns back the clock to his New York Giants days, at best he and Harry Douglass will be challenging for the third and fourth options on this team. The best we can hope for Kendall Wright this year, is maybe the second option.
With that being said, the one thing this offense could really use, is a speed burner on the outside that could challenge for the the number one receiver position. A threat that can stretch the field, and open up the box.
With the lack of production from Bishop Sankey and Shonne Green, the running back position needs some help as well, but the draft is rich with wide receivers and running backs, and the running back problem can be addressed in the later rounds.
The really good speedy receivers will be picked over by the fourth and fifth rounds, so they need to address the position in the second or third rounds, prefferably the second round.
I’m projecting five or six receivers to be off the board by the time the first round is over tomorrow night. That puts Mizzou receiver, Dorial Green-Beckham on the receiver bubble heading into the second round. That means Amari Cooper, Kevin White, DeVante Parker, Jaelen Strong and probably Breshad Perriman will be gone before the 33rd pick.
That still leaves some good picks available to the Titans with their second pick. Nelson Aholor from USC and Devin Smith from Ohio State have identical times in the 40 at 4.43 and are almost identical in size and weight.
I like Devin White a little better, he has been well coached by Urban Meyer, has played in a successful program, and has no off the field issues. I probably like him better in the second round than Green-Beckham if only because of the issues he does have off the field.
Third round possibilities are Tyler Lockett from K-State and Stefan Diggs from Maryland. Lockett is smallish at 5’9” and 182 pounds, but has 4.40 speed, can catch the ball out of the backfield, and has return experience.
Diggs is a little bigger, and slower, but would make a nice third-round selection.
The other big need that the Titans could address in the second round, is a right tackle. The big names will be gone by the 33rd pick, but there is still some value there.
Some second-round possibilities are Cedric Ogbuehi from Texas A&M, Donovan Smith from Penn State, and Jake Fisher from Oregon. Most of the higher-ranked tackles are left tackles, it would come down to coach Whiz and his staff to find one that can be re-located to the other side.
Smith is large, but lacks athleticism and Ogbuehi is the better pick, especially if the Titans elect to fill this spot in the second round.
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