As each day passes, Tennessee Titans fans are reminded of more and more reasons as to why they have fallen in love with this team. They’re led by one of the game’s great general managers. There’s star power all over the place, and if we’re being frank, they’re a great group of guys.
Often, we see several members of the two-tone blue participating in philanthropic endeavors when they aren’t trying to get better day-in and day-out on the field. This is a great group of characters with high personal character, but it’s fun knowing that they can compete with anybody when the pads go on. Hey, we all want to see these guys win right?
Two young Tennessee Titans stars get some well-deserved shine.
Jon Robinson has done a great job of blending veterans with youthful prospects. Sure, we can talk about draft mistakes, but no NFL team is perfect when it comes to the selection process. Robinson hits the bullseye more often than not, and that’s all you can ask for.
If you need evidence of that, look no further than his first two picks of the 2019 NFL Draft. The first was Jeffery Simmons, a six-foot-four, 305-pound defensive end that Tennessee took 19th-overall. The second Titan added that year was wide receiver A.J. Brown, a six-foot, 226-pound pass catcher that Tennessee added with the 51st-overall selection. It’s safe to say that both picks have worked out pretty well for them.
It appears that Titans fans aren’t the only people who feel that way. Recently, Pro Football Focus mainstay Sam Monson ranked the top 25 players under 25 years of age. A.J. Brown cracked the list at number three. Simmons is ranked 23rd.
Here’s some of what Monson said. We begin with his take on Mr. Simmons. He was the winner of the Conerly Trophy in 2018. That’s an award that is given every year to the best college football player in the state of Mississippi by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
"Simmons is yet to reach the point where he dominates consistently every week, but the glimpses of what he can do each game are intoxicating. The former Mississippi State star recorded 44 total pressures last season to pair with 27 defensive stops, not to mention two single-game PFF grades above 90.0. More of that dominance in year three could put him in the conversation as the league’s best interior defender not named Aaron Donald."
Here’s the skinny on Brown. He won the Conerly Trophy in 2017.
"Few receivers have the physical ability to dominate the way A.J. Brown does, and he may be even more dangerous this season now that Julio Jones is on the other side of the formation. Brown was the third-highest-graded receiver in the league in 2020. He has generated a passer rating of 130.1 since entering the league as a second-round pick in 2019."
Oh, and did we mention that both of these guys were First-team All-SEC nods in 2017 and 2018? How’s that for a winning pedigree?
Since entering the league, Brown has two 1,000-yard receiving seasons on his resume. Simmons has appeared in 28 games with 23 starts over that same span if you include the playoffs. He’s added 87 total tackles, five sacks, and a forced fumble to the Tennessee Titans’ cause over that span.
Yep, as stated, the Tennessee Titans hit the lottery twice with their first two picks in the 2019 NFL Draft. it’s going to be fun to see what both guys do in year three.