Tennessee Titans fans need to watch their future tonight.
The 2019 NFL Draft is in Nashville this year and in just 173 days the Tennessee Titans will make their first pick.
Right now with the way the team is going, it wouldn’t shock me to see them select somewhere in the top-12. As hard as that is to believe after an offseason of presumed improvement, here we are.
So, it should come as no surprise to you that my eyes will be firmly glued to the Alabama vs LSU matchup tonight. With how talented the team is, it shouldn’t surprise you that in two of Jon Robinson’s three drafts with the Titans he has selected an Alabama player with a top 45 pick.
The question is, where exactly should I be looking. I turned to Matt Miller’s latest scouting notebook to make sure I checked all the boxes.
I think the Tennessee Titans should look for any truly elite player, but obviously defense is the name of the game in this match up. These are the five players that make the most sense for the Titans to spend a high pick on.
Quinnen Williams DL, Alabama
One of two truly top end players in this game for me. Williams didn’t necessarily come out of nowhere, but is having a huge redshirt sophomore campaign. Not only does he have the strength to dominate the POA, but he is smart and really seems to understand what the OL is trying to do to him.
I would argue that not only is he the best prospect for either team right now, but he is the best defensive player in this draft not named Nick Bosa. If there is one player who can change the Titans run defense immediately it is Williams. Think of Snacks Harrison but $10 million cheaper and a decade younger.
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Devin White LB, LSU
White was screwed in LSU’s last game and will only play the second half. Still, it is going to fun to watch the top linebacker in the class against the best offense in the nation.
We are going to find a lot out about White tonight if the game is close heading into the 2nd quarter:
-Is he an immediate impact player?
-Can he play in man coverage vs the athletic RBs/WRs/TEs of Alabama?
-Is he so good that he changes the way that LSU can call their defense?
Those are some big money questions when you are evaluating a linebacker as a top-10 prospect. If he is a clear boost to the LSU defense when he comes in and shows his versatility then the outcome almost won’t matter in terms of his draft stock.
Jonah Williams IOL, Alabama
I have Williams listed as IOL because of a quote that Matt Miller posted in the same notebook I mentioned earlier:
"“Another Alabama prospect named Williams, this time left tackle Jonah, is a player scouts advised moving down the board. “He’s a guard,” said one scout. There are concerns about Williams’ 6’5″ frame if he doesn’t have the arm length desired for the outside.”"
As a tackle, I don’t think the Titans would touch Williams. However as a big guard, I could really see the Titans considering taking an IOL high. Understand that the only way I would condone this pick is if the Titans either made a huge trade down in the first (like the Packers did last year) or if they took him as a second round value pick.
Still, Tennessee needs to improve the IOL and Williams would give them a solid big body who could give them positional versatility in a pinch.
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Raekwon Davis DL, Alabama
Davis has a lot of potential, but as it stands right now I would not touch him before the 2nd round. He showed he could be dominant for stretches last year, but has completely disappeared at times this year.
Having said that, this is a boom or bust pick that could give the Titans a huge boost on a lackluster DL if it panned out.
Irv Smith TE, Alabama
Again, we are in the 2nd round pick territory but if the Titans feel like they only have a year left of Delanie Walker after this season then they need a better developmental option than Jonnu Smith.
Irv Smith is a player I haven’t seen a lot of, but who has great size and production for a tight end. If he can beat White in coverage a few times it could end up being a really big game for him and it could make him a sleeper 2nd round pick for a team like the Titans who need another playmaker on offense.