EDGE: 6
This is the group that the Tennessee Titans have to desperately hope a player falls because all six of these players would be first rounders every year and probably top-16 picks in most drafts.
Let’s start with the two the Titans won’t have a chance at: Nick Bosa and Josh Allen.
Bosa is the more refined player and he is going to be great in the NFL, though his athleticism wasn’t exactly what I wanted it to be. Josh Allen on the other hand has the chance to be a Pro Bowler in year one.
He is a freak athlete who put it all together in a huge way in his final season by being able to cover and rush the passer at a high level which is the rarest quality in the NFL.
The next tier is the two pass rushers the Tennessee Titans almost definitely would have to trade up to get: Brian Burns and Montez Sweat.
Coaches and GMs alike are going to love Brian Burns, he talks about the EDGE position like he is a seasoned position coach. He has been Florida State’s best defensive player for the last two years and he has all the tools on film and in interviews to make a GM feel safe drafting him anywhere in the draft.
Sweat is a little different because despite amassing an incredible 22.5 sacks over the last two years, no one really thought of him as a first round pick because they thought he didn’t have the bend he needed to for a successful NFL transition.
While many questioned his athleticism about a week ago, not so much now:
Montez Sweat posted a top 15 all time #RAS at the #2019NFLCombine with incredible speed, agility, and explosion scores.
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 3, 2019
*Splits Projected* pic.twitter.com/NzV53UsTNT
I’m not sure why the tweet embeds like that, but the point is Sweat had one of the 15 best performances of any EDGE ever at the NFL Combine. For a player who had elite production but athleticism question marks, this basically makes him an elite prospect.
The two that the Titans have a real chance at are Clelin Ferrell and Chase Winovich.
Ferrell would fill the same role as Derrick Morgan as a run stuffer, except he was more productive as a pass rusher in college and an inch taller.
Chase Winovich is probably the player on this list you are going to be most surprised to see. I think he is a fit in the Mike Vrabel/Jon Robinson defense more than anything. He was a walk on TE that eventually ended up as an EDGE having 35 TFLs and 13.5 sacks in his last two seasons.
He isn’t quite as productive as you may like, but he tested really well and is one of those players that just seems to work non-stop much like Harold Landry who the Titans drafted last year. Pairing two guys together who are both really good athletes that play hard every snap is never a bad idea.