Tennessee Titans: Shaun Calderon’s ideal 7-round NFL Mock Draft
Round 3 Pick 93
Darnay Holmes – CB, UCLA
Going cornerback in the first and third might be too rich for many, but this corner class is absolutely loaded. I could see someone like Darnay Holmes slipping to the 93rd pick and being the best player available on the board by the time they are on the clock and he may be too intriguing of a prospect to pass up.
The CB class in the #NFLDraft2020 is a deep group and the #Titans need help at the position. Don't be surprised if they add two CBs from this draft. https://t.co/jihnZ6Lv7e
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) April 21, 2020
Now, I went with Gladney in the first round due to the fact that he will be an immediate upgrade at the nickel back spot after the inevitable departure of Logan Ryan, but I also mentioned that Gladney could be the eventual outside replacement for Malcolm Butler as soon as 2021 should the team decide to create cap space as they often do.
Doing so would create a permanent opening for the slot cornerback spot that could easily be filed by Holmes rather than being in this exact situation again next year.
One expert sees UCLA's Darnay Holmes as the NFL Draft's best nickel back.https://t.co/0eOaA3XRsL pic.twitter.com/AiWwZeh5vJ
— 247Sports (@247Sports) April 18, 2020
In the meantime, the man known as ‘Proway Darnay’ can develop and learn from a fantastic defensive back group and can fill the role left by LeShaun Sims in free agency. The Titans only have five corners on their depth chart as of right now and could definitely use an influx of talent there with Adoree’ Jackson and Malcolm Butler being the only real viable options as of right now.
The former five-star recruit will benefit from a system that allows him the proper time to develop and Tennessee can give him that should the draft play out like this. Holmes plays with good toughness and possesses decent ball skills, but he lacks functional length and struggles to flip his hips and reach top gear quickly which could force him to drop to the middle rounds.
I would have loved to take an offensive tackle here at pick 93, but the likelihood of there being a tackle with a similar ceiling of Holmes’ at this point of the draft is very slim. Therefore, Darnay Holmes goes to Tennessee with the 93rd pick and will help this thin cornerback group go from a question mark, to a strength the second this card gets turned in.