Tennessee Titans 17th best option in the 2019 NFL Draft: Marquise Brown
By Will Lomas
The first receiver on the Tennessee Titans countdown.
The Tennessee Titans are scheduled to wait for 18 picks in the 2019 NFL Draft before they can make their selection.
For me, that time will be spent tweeting, DMing, texting friends every time one of my favorite players gets drafted, etc. most importantly though, I will have my draft spreadsheet open checking off names as they are picked.
Some names I get excited about because if everything goes as planned the Titans shouldn’t even be interested in names like Andre Dillard and Jawaan Taylor. So when they get selected it just means Tennessee will have better options.
That is why it was strange doing this exercise backwards. Towards the bottom of this list I have players that I wouldn’t be in love with, but they are still top-30 players in this draft and generally at positions of some need.
In case you missed the last few posts, the goal here is to run down the 19 best players the Tennessee Titans could land in the first round. You can imagine a trade down or trade up or whatever you would like, this is less about value at 19 and more about adding players that make the Titans better now and long term.
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Once again, these are the rules on I set when I was making my list:
–Nick Bosa, Quinnen Williams and Josh Allen will be gone barring a huge 1st round trade that is nearly impossible to imagine. They can’t be included in this list.
-Which of the players available specifically make the Tennessee Titans better.
-Don’t treat this as a big board, some positions won’t be brought up because there is no one talented enough that can come in and be an instant improvement over what the Titans already have.
-While long term help is important, consider what this player does for Tennessee short term and if they will help reduce the hit of free agent departures in the future.
Which player is the 17th best option for the Tennessee Titans in the 1st round?
Marquise Brown WR, Oklahoma
Two months ago Hollywood Brown would have be a top-10 player on this list, and potentially even in the top-5. Very few players have had bigger drops in the predraft process for me than Brown and it really isn’t his fault.
Late in February, Brown suffered a Lisfranc injury and had to have surgery. This was a huge red flag for two different reasons.
First of all, whenever speed receivers struggle with lower body injuries it should be a concern. That speed is Brown’s trump card and he has been beating people with it for the last two years. If that is taken away then what is his ceiling?
The other reason is that it kept Brown from testing at the combine. NFL teams really want to attach numbers to prospects. Brown looks undeniably fast on film, but is that 4.35 speed or 4.28 speed? There is a huge difference and without that his premium just went down.
That wasn’t the only issue, there were always questions about his size but his measurements at the combine were tough to brush aside.
5’9, 166 lb. is almost unheard of in the NFL, combining that with his injury makes him such a difficult projection.
Those are the negatives though. When you look at what Brown can do, you see the best wide receiver in this class.
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His size suggests that he would be locked into a slot receiver role in the NFL, but that would be a mistake. Sure, he could eat up a cushion underneath but he is so much more.
On the boundary he wins with speed first setting up cornerbacks to either give him plenty of space or immediately starting with a hard backpedal. Either way, this keeps defensive backs flat footed or off balance as they try to keep up with Brown.
His route running is also a positive because he understands how to turn those balance issues he creates earlier, into big chunk plays.
He has the underneath ability to take a 3-yard drag route and turn it into a touchdown like Parris Campbell, but the savvy and versatility to beat defenders like A.J. Brown.
The red flags are glaring, but if he passes a medical test and runs well in private workouts with teams (if he can really run) the Tennessee Titans would suddenly have the starting WRs of their dreams.
You have the guy who can do everything in Corey Davis, the reliable slot receiver in Adam Humphries and the dynamic weapon that no one can cover in Hollywood Brown.