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Tennessee Titans 10th best option in the 2019 NFL Draft: Hakeem Butler

By Will Lomas

AMES, IA - NOVEMBER 24: Wide receiver Hakeem Butler #18 of the Iowa State Cyclones is tackled by defensive back Johnathan Durham #6 of the Kansas State Wildcats while linebacker Justin Hughes #32 of the Kansas State Wildcats defends in the first half of play at Jack Trice Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)
AMES, IA - NOVEMBER 24: Wide receiver Hakeem Butler #18 of the Iowa State Cyclones is tackled by defensive back Johnathan Durham #6 of the Kansas State Wildcats while linebacker Justin Hughes #32 of the Kansas State Wildcats defends in the first half of play at Jack Trice Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /
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The final WR on this list for the Tennessee Titans.

The Tennessee Titans have four big needs in this draft: RG, EDGE, iDL, and WR.

Throughout this list I have gone through each of these as well as the two tight ends that are potentially worth the Titans first round pick in a nightmare scenario.

During the draft process, I don’t think there has been a position more heavily debated than WR. I mean look at the discrepancy between two people I really respect:

Meanwhile, Benjamin Solak ranks them like this:

1. D.K Metcalf (5th on Silva’s list)

2. Hakeem Butler (1)

3. Kelvin Harmon (NR)

4. JJ Arcega-Whiteside (NR)

5. Deebo Samuel (6)

6. A.J. Brown (3)

7. Stanley Morgan Jr. (NR)

8. N’Keal Harry (4)

9. Marquise Brown (2)

10. Andy Isabella (8)

So it is going to boil down to personal preference for most of the early selections. Despite that, I think there is a receiver that every team will regret not ranking as the consensus WR1 in two years. Even thought here is depth in this class at wide receiver, he is the 10th best option for the Tennessee Titans in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Before we get into it, your daily reminder of what this list is and who can/can’t be on it:

-Nick Bosa, Quinnen Williams and Josh Allen will be impossible to land barring a trade into the top-3 or 4. They can’t be included in this list.

-This is a list specifically on which of the players available 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.

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Which player is the 10th best option for the Tennessee Titans in the 1st round?

Hakeem Butler WR, Iowa State

Have you ever gone to a movie and really enjoyed it, only to have a friend complain about how he didn’t like the CGI at one point? Or how he thinks “That could totally never happen because why wouldn’t the main character just blah blah blah.”

That is what it is like when I see people complain about Hakeem Butler’s drops.

Ok. I get it. He had drop issues this year and that sucks. Know that we got that out of the way, let’s give the complete picture.

One of the few legitimate 6’5+ receiver prospects to come out in the last few years with real production, Butler did a lot with a little at Iowa State where he was always the sole focus in the passing game.

Often drawing double teams and safety help over the top, it became necessary for Butler to move around and so you will frequently see him moving between X, Z and the slot to keep defenses off balance.

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With elite athleticism, it isn’t a surprise that he has some spectacular plays on tape. He wins in the deep and intermediate game despite having an inaccurate QB and being the focal point of the defense.

It is hard to pick his most intriguing trait. Should you go with his contact balance that makes him a nightmare for teams to take down in the open field? Is it the sheer combination of speed and size? How about his subtle OPI that reminds you of DeAndre Hopkins?

Now, I don’t want to sell Butler as a guaranteed lock for superstardom, he has some issues. He isn’t going to blow anyone away with his acceleration and unless you have him on an in breaking route that you let develop he probably won’t have a ton of separation.

Even knowing those things, I think it is pretty clear that Butler would be a great fit for the Tennessee Titans. It would give them a real deep threat and force teams to back off of the run game. An unspoken bonus to all of this is that now you have two elite blockers at wide receiver in Corey Davis and Butler, and that is without counting Delanie Walker who is really solid as well.

The Tennessee Titans offense would be scary for the first time in a long time. Arthur Smith would get to use 3WR sets which he is seemingly comfortable with given that he was excited for the signing of SWR Adam Humphries.

If the defense tries to load the box and stop the run, you just throw it to Butler, Davis, Walker, or Humphries in one-on-one coverage and let them make a big play after the catch. When the defense backs off to counter this, the Titans would be one of the rare teams with multiple receivers and tight ends that could actually make a difference as run blockers.

When you are talking about the Titans offense right now, you have two main goals. Find a way to get Derrick Henry to the second level and keep Marcus Mariota upright. In a roundabout way this addresses both of those objectives and while it is a deep receiver class, no one can offer what you will get with Hakeem Butler.

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