Tennessee Titans: Shaun Calderon’s ideal 7-round NFL Mock Draft

Round 5 Pick 174:

Antonio Gibson – RB/WR, Memphis

Antonio Gibson is one of the most position-versatile athletes that jumped onto the scene during his senior year at the University of Memphis.

The second that Gibson walks in your door, you’re getting a four-phase player with the ability to return kicks, cover them and create matchup problems for linebackers out of the backfield or by lining out wide. The sample size is extremely limited, but Gibson has exciting upside at the next level if he can find an offense that best utilizes his skill set.

During his breakout senior campaign, the former Memphis standout was used primarily at wide receiver (38 receptions, 735 yards, 19.3 average, eight touchdowns) but also earned midseason reps at running back (33 carries, 369 yards, 11.2 YPC, 4 touchdowns) while also excelling as a kick returner (23 returns, 645 yards, 28.0 average, 1 touchdown) in 14 games (eight starts).

He also earned second-team All-American Athletic Conference honors as a wideout as well as AAC Co-Special Teams Player of the Year in 2019.

Gibson’s versatility could give this Titans offense a new toy to play with that will ultimately keep defenses on their toes anytime he is on the field. The Titans lacked a real passing threat out of the backfield with Dion Lewis, let alone now that they’ll be without him.

Adding someone like Gibson could give Tennessee that dynamic playmaker out of the backfield on obvious passing situations that they have been yearning for, while also giving the team someone who can occasionally relief Henry of a few carries/series and still maintain a potent offense.

If Gibson is there, I think it would be wise to get someone who can be an offensive weapon in this offense regardless of where he lines up and that is something that I think will intrigue coaches like Mike Vrabel and Arthur Smith who both love to use different alignments when creating an offense.

The fact that Gibson only has one year of real production has some teams being cautious of his skill set and could cause him to drop into the range where Tennessee feels comfortable swooping in to get him or if they’re lucky they could sit tight and hope he falls right into their lap if the board plays itself out that way.

Nonetheless, if a weapon like Gibson is in reach, I think it would be wise for Jon Robinson to sacrifice some of the team’s draft capital in order to ensure he gets someone who will add to both the offense and special teams the second he picks out his new jersey number.