Tennessee Titans GM Jon Robinson’s 5 best draft picks: Defense
By Will Lomas
4. Harold Landry, EDGE (2nd round, 2018)
2018: 44 tackles, 5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, 14 QB hits
Man, Jon Robinson really nailed the 2018 NFL Draft class despite the Tennessee Titans only having four picks at the end of the day. This should be a lesson that when it comes to draft picks, less can be more if you believe in your scouting department and if you know what you need.
Landry is well on his way to becoming one of the best young EDGEs in the NFL and if you don’t believe me let’s just look at the stats.
Among rookie EDGEs, Landry was:
-4th out of 25 qualifying rookies in total pressures according to PFF
-2nd in QB hits
-T-4th in TFLs
-T-3rd in sacks
And he did all that playing rotational snaps with Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan. Imagine what he is going to do in his first full year as a starter.
Landry is the prototypical high ceiling, high floor player and any site that uses metrics to judge NFL Draft prospects before they come out should have had Landry as either the first or second EDGE in last year’s class and they would have been right.
A lethal combination of athleticism, refined technique, experience, and effort, Landry is tough for offensive linemen to block. Even when an offensive lineman wins initially Landry often makes plays tracking a ball carrier down from the backside or beating an OT late to make a play.
He has everything you could want and in his second year with Mike Vrabel and Dean Pees he should take another step forward.
A storyline that will get a lot of attention this season is Cam Wake taking Landry under his wing and I am absolutely here for it. Wake has said multiple times that when Jason Taylor and Joey Porter were in front of him with the Miami Dolphins, they took time and made the effort to help him and teach him the finer points of rushing the passer.
Wake is committed to giving back as well, and with Landry, Sharif Finch and D’Andre Walker all in the same meeting room with him, I have high expectations for what he can help teach those young guys.