Tennessee Titans 2018 NFL Draft needs ranked
By Will Lomas
Major Needs
Linebacker
This is a big need both short and long term. Right now the Titans starters going into the season would be Wesley Woodyard (32 at the start of the season) and a rotation of Jayon Brown and Will Compton on the other side.
I really like what Jayon Brown could be with some more polish and I wouldn’t be against putting he and Woodyard out on the field at the same time for the bulk of the snaps. However, when teams want to run inside I am not sure that combination of linebackers is the ideal fit.
There is a good chance that by 2019 Woodyard and Compton will be gone and if the Titans don’t address this need now then they definitely will have to address it then.
Drafting a linebacker high in a deep LB class and letting him develop and work himself in slowly so that he fully understands that defense by the time it is his turn to lead it, makes a lot to me.
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EDGE
This is more of a concern long-term than short term. I think that Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan each have at least two more good seasons in them. But, there is a lot to think about here.
Both players are free agents at the end of this year and the Titans are going to have to pay them next year if they want them back. They are both making about $7 million now and that number should stay the same heading into next offseason.
During that off season the Titans are going to have to pay Taylor Lewan, Delanie Walker, Marcus Mariota, and Rishard Matthews. That is 6 key free agents at huge positions that will need to be dealt with.
While I wish I could say that the Titans have something solid behind them, I can’t. Kevin Dodd has been a bust and Aaron Wallace can’t stay healthy enough to keep the Titans from looking past him.
One way to fix this is to draft an EDGE high in this draft and rotate them into the lineup and slowly work them in on both sides of the line taking pressure off of both Morgan and Orakpo. Then you could make an offer to both players and whichever one says yes first could remain with the team.
Now I would like to keep both long term and still add someone high, but it is hard to keep everyone on a good roster.