Tennessee Titans: National media mock draft picks, Vol. 1
A look at which players members of the national media believe the Tennessee Titans should or could take a look at in the 2019 NFL Draft.
As the NFL season truly comes to an end on Sunday, NFL Draft season will soon be in full effect. For many other teams, including the Tennessee Titans, it has been draft season for a whole month. The national media never wastes any time getting mock drafts out in the web.
Let’s take a gander at which players and which positions members of the national media believe the Titans should or could take a look at with pick 19 in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Brad Weiss, FanSided
The Pick: Brian Burns, EDGE, Florida State
Burns is a personal favorite of mine and my co-editor Will Lomas. A natural speed rusher who can bend and use his hands very well, Burns could be Harold Landry’s bookend on the defensive line for the next half-decade. In three seasons at FSU, Burns notched 23.0 sacks and a whopping seven forced fumbles. He may be slightly undersized at just 235 pounds, but his 6’5″ frame should allow for more weight to be put on at the next level.
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
The Pick: Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma
Zierlein’s reasoning for the pick is stout: The Titans need a receiver who is dynamic and can make things happen with the ball in his hands. Brown certainly seems to fit that mold, as his dual 1,000 yard seasons at Oklahoma and career 18.3 yards per catch can attest to. He also has some big-play ability in his genes, as star Pittsburgh Steelers WR Antonio Brown in his cousin. But there are some reservations about Brown as a first round pick. Like his cousin, he doesn’t have ideal size, as he’s only 5’10” and 170 pounds. There aren’t many No. 1 receivers in the NFL that have that frame. Brown’s production in college also comes with a caveat because he caught balls from two Heisman Trophy winners in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. That said, Brown would certainly bring some explosion to the Titans’ offense.
Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report
The Pick: Montez Sweat, EDGE, Mississippi State
Another EDGE makes an appearance, which shouldn’t surprise anyone. Brian Orakpo has retired and Derrick Morgan may not be brought back for 2019. The Titans need someone to complement Landry and Sweat could very well be that guy. Sweat is a legitimate physical freak at 6’6″, 252 pounds and with a ridiculous 84.5 inch wingspan. He accumulated 19.0 sacks in two years at Mississippi State after transferring from a community college. Though he’s definitely still raw in terms of pass-rush moves and counters, his upside is tantalizing.
Jason McIntyre, The Big Lead
The Pick: T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa
I understand why tight end is a relatively popular pick for the Titans in mock drafts. Delanie Walker is getting older and coming off of a season-ending injury and Jonnu Smith hasn’t developed into a high-level starter yet. All that said, tight end is pretty low on the list of needs for the Titans. Walker has shown zero signs of slowing down well into his 30s, Smith showed marked improvement last year and Anthony Firkser and MyCole Pruitt showed legitimate ability in their first seasons with the team. Hockenson has been likened to Rob Gronkowksi, though, and that potential could make the Titans pull the trigger on a player at the position.
Kalyn Kahler, Sports Illustrated
The Pick: Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
This pick makes more sense than most people think and it’s a surprise that it’s not as frequent of a selection in mock drafts. Our own Nick Lombardi had some really good thoughts on Wilkins as a potential pick for the Titans in a short twitter thread.
What do Titans fans think about these picks? Are there other players you’d rather have than any of these five? Let us know!