Redrafting the Tennessee Titans’ biggest recent draft misses
By Brady Akins
2015 Draft, Round 2, Pick 40 — Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
Redraft Pick: Danielle Hunter, DE, LSU (Taken by the Vikings with the 88th overall pick)
When Tennessee drafted Dorial Green-Beckham early in the 2015 second-round, the rationale was clear. The Titans needed weapons on a talent-starved roster, and Dorial Green-Beckham’s potential jumped off the page.
Drafting Green-Beckham was a risk, but one that had worlds of upside. The receiver never put together much tape in college between a series of suspensions, but running a 40-yard dash in 4.49 seconds at 6’6” is gonna catch people’s attention.
Green-Beckham never found his footing in the NFL. Despite showing flashes of potential as a rookie, the receiver was traded next season and was out of the league shortly thereafter. So in to replace Green-Beckham is LSU’s defensive end Danielle Hunter, who has quickly blossomed into one of the NFL’s best pass-rushers.
Not much went right for the Titans in 2015, but their front-seven was one of the highlights of an otherwise “burn the tape and move on” season. Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan were a solid presence at outside linebacker, and Jurrell Casey was playing at a Pro Bowl level for the first time in his career.
Despite this, some more help on the defensive line would have been nice. It wasn’t one of Tennessee’s more pressing needs in 2015, but Hunter’s talent is too great to ignore in a redraft, especially when he would have come in as a day one starter.
In 2015 terms, Hunter would bump Al Woods out of the starting rotation on the defensive line and take the start at defensive end. Jurrell Casey would stay at his home of DT, while Daquan Jones would slide to the NT spot he’s set to start at in 2020.
With Hunter in the mix along with Jeffery Simmons, Harold Landry and the emergence of Jones, the Titans pass-rushing woes would be replaced with one of the more dangerous front seven’s in the league.