The Tennessee Titans Should Not Draft a Tight End in the First Round

The Tennessee Titans have a lot of needs that should to be addressed in the upcoming NFL draft. With two first round picks the Titans should not focus on the Tight End position.

The NFL draft is just over two weeks away and there has been a lot of speculation on what the Tennessee Titans will do with their first round picks. As we all know, the Titans have one of the best tight ends in football in Delanie Walker. Even at the age of 32, Walker put up some of the best numbers for a tight end in the league. Why would the Titans waste a high pick on a position that was one of the biggest strengths in Nashville last year?

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There are a lot of options out there at the tight end position. The top two names that analysts keep mentioning are OJ Howard and David Njoku. Both of these players are projected to be first round talents, but how many first round tight ends really make it to being the players we expect them to be? Some of the best tight ends in the NFL were not drafted in the first round. There is no point in reaching for a tight end too early when you can get a very good player in later rounds.

One of those players that the Titans should go after in the third or fourth round is Jake Butt out of Michigan. He is one of the players that does everything right. What do you look for in a tight end? A good blocker that can catch the ball. Any offense you get out of a tight end is a bonus. That thought process is not agreed by all fans, but when you have Walker you do not need another tight end mouth to feed.

There are other positions of need in Nashville

Tight end is one of the positions that the Titans do not need to fix. Walker still has at least another three seasons left of quality production at the tight end position. For instance, the Titans need a lot of help in their secondary. Drafting a cornerback or safety is probably one of the top moves the Titans should make in draft. The biggest hole on the roster, though, is at wide receiver. The wide receiver position may be one Tennessee will not address in the first round though. Another option that would make more sense in the first round would be at linebacker or defensive line. Both of those positions are important for creating a top notch defense. Basically, there are a lot more issues that need to be fixed before the Titans draft a tight end in the first round.

Here are some examples of star tight ends that were drafted after the first round

Delanie Walker – Pick 175, Round 6

Rob Gronkowski – Pick 42, Round 2

Julius Thomas – Pick 129, Round 4

Travis Kelce – Pick 63, Round 3

Martellus Bennett – Pick 61, Round 2

Aaron Hernandez – Pick 113, Round 4

Jason Witten – Pick 69, Round 3

Shannon Sharpe – Pick 192, Round 7

Antonio Gates – Undrafted

Jimmy Graham – Pick 95, Round 3

Basically, some of the best tight ends to ever play the game were not drafted in the first round. There also have been many first round tight ends that have not panned out either. The Titans should look for a new tight end to learn from Delanie Walker, but should not waste a first round pick on that person.