Tony Pauline’s draft notes that impact the Tennessee Titans

Tony Pauline is one of the few NFL draft writers that can make me go back and really take a hard look at any sort of evaluation I have made.

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His projections and information are nearly always spot on, or at the very least they make a lot of sense. So when he says something I listen, and today he put up some of the draft buzz that he is hearing.

While some of it may not immediately stand out as something the Titans might need to know, there are definitely some nuggets that need to be addressed. So, here are some of the quotes I found most interesting.

QB News:

"“How will this weekend’s reported arrest for driving under the influence affect quarterback Dak Prescott? For the handful of teams who grade him as a second-day pick, Prescott will surely be dropped into the draft’s final day. Most teams had the athletic signal-caller stamped as a last-day choice prior to the incident.”"

Dak Prescott was someone rising up the media NFL Draft boards, which is something I really never understood. He is fine, but I think his performances against a down SEC in his final year are being overstated.

This is interesting because it is one more quarterback that will be pushed down the draft boards now. With players like Prescott, Connor Cook, Christian Hackenberg, and Cardale Jones all falling in that middle tier, it limits the number of quality quarterbacks in the draft.

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At this point it looks like Paxton Lynch may fall out of the first round, and if he does that makes Carson Wentz and Jared Goff even more valuable. That means that the Titans should have a better chance of trading their top pick.

Cowboys thoughts:

"“What are the plans for the Dallas Cowboys in the first round? The team covets defensive back Jalen Ramsey, but feels he’ll be gone by the No. 4 pick so they are presently targeting a pair of Ohio State Buckeyes – Joey Bosa or Ezekiel Elliott.”"

While the team may clearly want Ramsey, they just said that they don’t expect him to be there. Here is a crazy idea, the Tennessee Titans could actually swap spots with the Cowboys and still land a premier player. The draft goes like this:

1. Cowboys: Jalen Ramsey DB, FSU

2. Cleveland Browns: Carson Wentz QB, NDST

3. San Diego: Joey Bosa EDGE, Ohio State (for reasons you can read about here)

4. Tennessee Titans: Laremy Tunsil OT, Ole Miss

So the Titans get a player that they feel like is the best player in the draft, add picks, protect Marcus Mariota, and free themselves up to address DB hard with their extra picks. That will probably never happen, but at this point in the year it is fun to speculate.

Premier CB available in round two?

"“Much has been made about the pedestrian production of cornerback Mackensie Alexander. Over the past two seasons, the redshirt sophomore never intercepted a pass and broke up just 11. NFL decision-makers are not among those concerned. As one executive told me, “You can’t make plays on the ball if no one throws in your direction.” The bigger issue for Alexander is he touches the tape at 5-10, two inches shy of the minimum height required by some teams to be a first-round cornerback.”"

I would love if the Tennessee Titans were able to land Alexander in round two. Despite his size, he does everything well and he competed step for step with some of the best in the country.

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There are some rumors of him falling out of round one, and if Jon Robinson believes he can play up to his tape then there is no reason he should make it past pick 33.

Grab a tackle early?

“Insiders believe there could be a run on offensive tackles early in the first round with as many as three (Laremy Tunsil, Ronnie Stanley and Jack Conklin) ending up as top 12 picks.”

(Again, go read all of Tony Pauline’s stuff at the link above because I am just taking pieces so that you can go dig into what he says for more information.)

If this run happens and the Tennessee Titans don’t take Laremy Tunsil with the first pick, then there could be some big implications. First of all, Robinson’s biggest promise was that he could protect Marcus Mariota if he was the head coach. If that means having Jeremiah Poutasi at right tackle again to start the season, then heads will roll.

Secondly, this team is going to be built around running the ball this year and the Titans will need to be able to seal both edges. If the Titans can’t run it to the right, how are they supposed to keep defensive ends from rushing upfield and sacking Mariota on play action?

Finally, if the Titans have a clear hole in the offensive line, shifts or no it will be tested weekly. The defenses in the NFL are too good to ignore an issue like that, and if the playbook is hindered by Mariota needing to roll to his left every play, then the Titans will have a huge issue this year.

For all of those reason, I believe that despite rumors, Laremy Tunsil should still be your favorite to be the first pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.