Four questions Tennessee Titans need to answer by the end of the draft
By Will Lomas
Question 2: Can the Tennessee Titans find another disruptive defensive lineman.
Current answer: Looks doubtful
Last year Jurrell Casey led the Tennessee Titans with 11 TFLs and was second in QB hits behind Harold Landry.
To put that in perspective, the trio of DLs that played beside Casey combined for 5 TFLs and they combined for 471 more snaps than Casey did. I know that there is a difference in the position they play and that maybe in pass rush situations they shouldn’t get as many pressures, but the issue is that you still want them to make negative plays when they get one on ones right?
Now, I know everyone wants the Titans to add Dexter Lawrence in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft but hear me out, that is a terrible idea and people should stop saying that.
What the Titans need to do is find a disruptive player that can effect quarterbacks. We forget this time of year, but the objective for the Tennessee Titans is to get to Andrew Luck and Deshaun Watson and hit them. Often.
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You know who isn’t going to do that? A 340 lb. DT. I know the counterpoint is, “But if you blitz a linebacker behind him the are going to have to choose between double teaming Lawrence and letting the RB pick up the LB or single-teaming Lawrence.”
Sure, I hear you but there are two issues with that. Firstly, a giant nose tackle is going to take a long time to actually get to the QB. Secondly, even if that plan works perfectly why wouldn’t you do that with Jurrell Casey? Wouldn’t it make sense to scheme your best pass rusher into a one-on-one situations rather than your nose tackle.
I could keep going on about this, but the point is this. The NFL is a passing league and you need to make moves with the intent of getting to the other team’s QB or helping your own QB.
If you get off that path then you aren’t going to be effective. Be versatile and balanced, sure but there are better ways than spending a 1st round pick on a nose tackle.
Having said all that, it really feels like the Titans are waiting to see how the draft pans out to see if they are going to try to add one of these talented DTs in free agency. With other teams getting their draft boards set, some of them are going to realize that they need a defensive tackle because this draft is not as deep as some people keep saying.
Ultimately that means that the Titans will either have to wait and see if any good DTs are still available after the draft or they are going to have to take one fairly highly in the draft. I think Robinson will ultimately pass on both options and roll the dice with what they have.