Tennessee Titans would you rather: 2019 NFL Draft edition
By Will Lomas
Playing through some 2019 NFL Draft scenarios for the Tennessee Titans.
What is the Tennessee Titans biggest need in the 2019 NFL Draft?
That isn’t a rhetorical question, I truly don’t have a great answer. Part of that is because I think they have a pretty solid roster right now, even if it isn’t top-10 yet.
There are plenty of great options to help this team move to the next level. EDGE, iOL and WR are all strong choices in the first round.
I am not alone in this endless loop of options. I saw a conversation on my timeline between Luke Worsham and Mike Herndon that really gave me the idea for this article.
For all intents and purposes the draft is really only about 4-rounds long. After that it is a total crap shoot where the grades on players seem to be much more insignificant than say the drop off between the 50th best player and the 75th.
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Your best bets (obviously) are your highest picks. You really want to find two starters with those picks, so let’s just imagine that these two picks have to be used on one of those positions of need I listed above.
If you assume that after those two picks, the Titans are focused on best player available and not need, then one of these things will probably end up being true:
Option A: Sharif Finch will play 600+ snaps at EDGE
Option B: The offensive line is either going to start Corey Levin or Kevin Pamphile
Option C: The Titans are going into the season believing that Taywan Taylor and/or Tajae Sharpe will play ~1,000 combined snaps.
In a vacuum you may have a decision made, but I will take it a step further. I’m going to go to TDN and make three separate mock drafts where you can see what you get with each of those options.
Mock Draft option A: No EDGE
19th pick: Chris Lindstrom RG, Boston College
51st pick: Marquise Brown WR, Oklahoma
This board fell really well for the Tennessee Titans. Not only did they land the perfect fit for their offensive line in Lindstrom, but they get one of the most dynamic receivers in the draft.
I really like Finch so I am not opposed to this option, but it does have some risk given Brown’s clear red flags with his injury and size.
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Mock Draft option B: No IOL
19th pick: Clelin Ferrell EDGE, Clemson
51st pick: Kelvin Harmon WR, NCST
I think this draft is pretty solid, but probably doesn’t wow anyone. Ferrell is a really good EDGE option, but even as a fan of his I think he will probably hover around 8s sack per year during his peak. That is definitely great to have considering he will be a great run defender as well, but it isn’t necessarily exciting.
The big issue for me is I really had to reach for Harmon. At that point in the 2nd there were no other receivers that projected to be good boundary players. So the choices were either reach for Harmon or take a slot player and force that rookie or Adam Humphries to play out of position.
Mock Draft option C: No WR
19th pick: Garrett Bradbury C, NCST
51st pick: Zach Allen EDGE, Boston College
This is another option I don’t mind. You get a really good run blocking center in the first who fits the system really well. He will probably struggle in pass pro vs power rushers at the next level, but some of that should be negated because of how well he helps set up play action and by how he helps stay ahead of the game by improving the run game.
Allen isn’t a guy who jumps off of the page, but he jumps off the screen as a steady impact player who won all over the defensive line in college. Like Ferrell I think his upside as a pass rusher is lower, but he should be able to stay on the field every snap thanks to his potential as a nickel DT and a technician on the edge.