NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks has the Tennessee Titans selecting edge rusher Marlon Davidson from Auburn in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
The 2019 NFL season has yet to be completed but NFL fans and pundits are already looking forward to the 2020 NFL Draft, and that means mock drafts are being compiled to predict who teams like the Tennessee Titans will be taking.
With the Senior Bowl completed, teams and scouts have gotten a deeper look at some of the prospects in this year’s draft, and now we await the NFL Scouting Combine, which will begin on February 23rd.
NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks has the Titans selecting Auburn edge rusher Marlon Davidson in his first mock draft. This follows suit with NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, who also pegged Davidson to the Titans last week.
"Blue-collar edge defender with versatility and a high-revving motor? Yeah, that fits the Titans’ profile."
The Titans are selecting at the bottom of the first round at No. 29 after putting together a fantastic playoff run. It’s clear that watching the Titans this year that the biggest hole on the roster is at EDGE.
While second-year pro Harold Landry played well, the surrounding cast did not provide enough impact to rattle opposing quarterbacks. It was never more visible than in the AFC Championship game where the Titans struggled mightily to get pressure on Patrick Mahomes.
After starters Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan both retired last offseason, the Titans were left with holes to fill.
The Titans signed Cameron Wake to add some veteran presence. Wake had a strong start to the season with 2.5 sacks in the season opener but struggled to do much more afterward. After dealing with injuries throughout the season, he was placed on IR.
Kamalei Correa took over for Wake for much of the season. While he did relatively well, he is best suited in a reserve role and is not a starting-caliber rusher. The Titans need to go into this offseason and add some talent at pass-rusher if they want to make another playoff run next year.
Davidson is an interesting prospect for the Titans. Standing at 6-foot-3 and 278 pounds, Davidson is a big, physical presence that can wreak havoc in the backfield. As a four-year collegiate athlete, Davidson racked up 14.5 sacks, 6.5 of them coming this past season.
As Brooks mentions in his mock draft, Davidson is best known for his high motor and versatility, which are two key characteristics general manager Jon Robinson and head coach Mike Vrabel have keyed in on in the past few drafts.
During his four years at Auburn, he tallied 174 tackles and a surprising nine passes defended, with three forced fumbles.
The Titans need an every-down rusher that can play inside and out. The Titans have a solid defensive line and safety tandem. I would not be surprised if the Titans opted to go for a cornerback or offensive lineman here, but pass-rusher is the most glaring need.
Davidson might be the right answer for this team.
If not the draft, the Tennessee Titans need to look into free agency and try to bring in a big-time player.