2016 Draft, Round 2, Pick 33 — Kevin Dodd, DE, Clemson
Redraft Pick: James Bradberry, CB, Samford (Taken by the Panthers with the 62nd overall pick)
You all knew this one was coming.
It’s hard to find outright misses in Jon Robinson’s Titans draft classes, like looking for needles in a haystack full of Kevin Byard’s and Derrick Henry’s and Harold Landry’s. But Robinson does have a few whiffs, most infamously his swing-and-miss on Kevin Dodd with the 33rd pick.
Dodd recorded just one sack with the Titans in his NFL tenure and was out of the league quickly. Injuries kept Dodd from ever seeing extended playing time, but even he did make an appearance on the field, he hardly ever made an impact.
If you’re sticking to re-draft lore, the Titans have already found their longterm defensive end in Danielle Hunter, so taking Dodd at all here wouldn’t be much of a hit on a roster in need of an overhaul. Instead, the Titans look for cornerback help in the 2016 second round and come back with James Bradberry out of Samford.
Bradberry has served as the Panthers long-term starter at cornerback since being taken 62nd overall, and while he’s not a headline-grabbing player by any means, he’s been a solid contributor for Carolina and would be the same for the 2016 Titans.
The pick makes sense by 2016 standards and for 2020. With Jason McCourty and Perrish Cox is listed as the day one starters at cornerback, Bradberry would come in and at least take Cox’s job, with a chance of being the teams CB1 in his first-ever pro game.
The secondary looks much improved going into the 2020 season but is still in need of help with Logan Ryan’s status with Tennessee currently in flux. If Ryan leaves this offseason, Bradberry would be a young, more than capable replacement.