One of the Clemson players that the Tennessee Titans will really like comes off the board at 8.
The Tennessee Titans have had some pretty flashy picks in the first round over the last few years, but this might not wow fans.
Sometimes when you look at a draft your eyes tend to flash to certain positions. Everyone wants to draft EDGE, WR, CB, LB, RB, or QB with their first round pick because for the most part, that is where the stars of the NFL are.
How many guards or defensive tackles do you see doing commercials for big brands? Heck, how many of those players would you recognize if they had their helmets off?
The fact is that sometimes the guys doing the most important work don’t get nearly the attention they deserve. That’s why this defensive tackle is high on this list.
First, a quick reminder on what this list really is and who is eligible:
-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 8th best option for the Tennessee Titans in the 1st round?
Christian Wilkins iDL, Clemson
The Tennessee Titans are in a weird position at defensive tackle. It feels a lot like it did last year where the DTs (other than Casey) feel like they are all on one-year deals.
I could easily see a purge coming in 2020 to the defensive line similar to the one we are seeing now on the offensive line. This would be a way to get ahead of that situation and give the Titans another DT who is actually disruptive.
Wilkins is a three-time All-American defensive tackle who has solid production and when you adjust his testing numbers for his size, you see an above average athlete.
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Where he shines is as an aggressive, upfield player who wins with hand use and his nice combination of first step quickness and size. I think his future is blurry because he could play so many positions.
As a 1-tech, he has never really been asked to consistently hold the point of attack so there are some concerns. Still, I think if you ask him to line up in the A-gap and you ask him to get into the backfield instead of reading blocks he will cause problems.
If you put him at 3-tech you are probably putting him in the best position to succeed. Here, his contact balance and football IQ are on full display and he could make life miserable for teams that run schemes with pulling guards or ZBS.
You could even line him up at 5-tech if you wanted to. Match him up with lighter tackle who struggle with power and it will benefit whoever is rushing outside of him because as soon as they brace themselves for the bull rush you can switch it up by running a stunt there.
Wilkins isn’t the shiny defensive tackle that will make the Tennessee Titans better by getting 8+ sacks. Instead, think of him as a guy who projects to consistently get 5 sacks per year. Does that sound disappointing? Well here is where that would have ranked among Titans over the last five years:
2018: 3rd (behind Casey, Jayon Brown)
2017: tied-4th with Wesley Woodyard (Casey, Brian Orakpo, Derrick Morgan)
2016: tied-3rd with Casey (Orakpo, Morgan)
2015: tied-3rd with Woodyard (Orakpo, Casey)
2014: tied-2nd with Casey (Morgan)
If you read those names and look at the defense as a whole, it would likely mean that adding Wilkins would probably give the Titans their most dangerous front-four in a long time. You have two guys with 5+ sack potential in the middle and on pass rush downs you will get Cam Wake (hasn’t had less than 6 sacks since 2009) and Harold Landry.
If you are making the Titans better now and for the future, he is a rock solid addition that will push this team back into the top-5 in team sacks.