Redrafting the Tennessee Titans’ biggest recent draft misses
By Brady Akins
2013 Draft, Round 1, Pick 10 — Original Pick: Chance Warmack, Guard, Alabama
Redraft Pick: DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson (Taken by the Texans with the 27th overall pick)
In defense of the Warmack pick, this was a home run at the time.
Viewed as a “can’t miss” prospect by just about everybody coming out of Alabama, Warmack was thought of as one of the draft’s most talented prospects who just so happened to fill a position of need on the Titans roster. So when Jonathan Cooper was taken ahead of Warmack and the Crimson Tide powerhouse “slid” to 10th, fans celebrated.
Flash-forward a few years to the 2020 offseason, and Warmack hasn’t started more than half a season with a team since 2015. Sometimes, even the can’t miss guys, miss. But do you know who is still a starter in the league? Arizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Hopkins wasn’t the immaculate prospect coming out of college that Warmack was, but the Clemson product was viewed as a first-round talent by more than a few folks.
Tennessee needed a receiver in 2013, as evidenced by their selection of Justin Hunter with the 34th overall pick, so taking Hopkins wasn’t out of the question at this time.
Hopkins went on to do all-pro, elite, “probably the best receiver in the NFL” type things with the division rival Houston Texans, but there’s a world where he became a Titan and went on to build the best receiving corps in history with AJ Brown and Corey Davis. Assuming the Titans don’t trade him for a backup running back, of course.