Tennessee Titans: The all Jon Robinson team, offense
By Will Lomas
Offensive line: Nate Solder, Sebastian Vollmer, Donovan Smith, Ali Marpet
This is another strength of Jon Robinson’s. In just a few drafts without a real need at the position (other than in Tampa Bay) he has landed three franchise quality tackles. Vollmer and Solder have been rock solid in New England and there absences has been clear when they have missed time.
However, it was those two that fended off one of the best pass rushes in the nation in 2014 to lead the Patriots to a title after a decade of just barely missing out.
While need plays some factor into drafts for Jon Robinson, it is important to look at the Solder pick as an example of a pure value pick. Robinson has said that they were happy with Matt Light the franchise left tackle for the Patriots at the time. However, Solder was far and away the highest rated player on their board at the time so they took him. Like I said earlier, that decision ended up giving the Patriots the protection that needed to prevent a potential sack which would have been the difference in the Super Bowl that was essentially decided on one play.
The Bucs traded up for Marpet last year, and their beat writers and local reporters have all said that they expect him to be not only their best guard, but their best overall offensive lineman next year. That is something that a Titans team that has been totally bereft of guard talent would love to see in the 2016 NFL Draft.