No team in the NFL had a better 2019 draft class than the Tennessee Titans, according to Pro Football Focus.
Perhaps no team in the NFL has gotten more from its 2019 draft class than the Tennessee Titans, and Pro Football Focus certainly agrees.
When ranking the 2019 draft classes of all 32 teams in the league, PFF’s Michael Renner believes the Titans’ group of rookies reigns supreme above the rest and comes in at No. 1 overall.
"The Titans had the only draft where every player they selected was higher on our draft board than the slot they were actually drafted. That’s looking even more prescient by the day."
Renner points to the major contributions of rookies like wide receiver and second-round pick A.J. Brown, defensive lineman and first-round pick Jeffery Simmons, and right guard and third-round pick Nate Davis as being the biggest reasons why the Titans are No. 1.
He even goes as far as to say that Brown would be a top-five pick if the draft were redone today, and it’s hard to argue with that considering Brown looks to be the best receiver out of last year’s draft and has totaled over 1,000 yards through the air this season.
"While Simmons will be a big piece of their defense come playoff time, the real kicker here is A.J. Brown. Selected mid-way through the second round, Brown would be a top-five lock if every team were able to get a re-do today. The first-year pass-catcher has displayed all the skills necessary to be a No. 1 receiver and finished third among all receivers in the NFL in terms of yards per route run. When he’s on the field, good things happen."
The Ole Miss product was also named to PFF’s All-Rookie Team, and he leads all rookie receivers in numerous categories. Brown should be considered one of the top candidates for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Simmons, who Renner believes is the second-best interior defensive lineman from the 2019 draft behind the New York Giants’ Dexter Lawrence, has totaled two sacks in his rookie campaign and has been a disruptive force up the middle even when it doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.
Simmons and Brown both made PFF’s top 50 rookies of 2019.
Davis did struggle out of the gate after he took over the starting job, however the Charlotte product did miss almost all of training camp, which got him off on the wrong foot. Still, Davis has come on strong in the second half, as Renner points out his pass-blocking grade of 68.2 over Tennessee’s final six games.
Safety and fourth-round pick Amani Hooker finished his first campaign with an overall grade of 66.0 and has played consistent snaps all season in what is a loaded Tennessee secondary. Even inside linebacker and sixth-round pick David Long has seen the field this season, albeit sparingly.
The only 2019 pick that didn’t see the field was outside linebacker and fifth-round pick D’Andre Walker, who was put on injured reserve before the season started.
When you look at the picks general manager Jon Robinson made in the 2019 NFL Draft — and in particular, Simmons and Brown — it’s clear there were at least two steals in there for him to hang his hat on.
As a result, the Titans have a great group of young players infused into an already talented roster that has created the promising team Tennessee has become, both this year and into the future.