Tennessee Titans fans should be more excited about Elijah Molden

In two of the more underrated moves of the Tennessee Titans‘ offseason, both of which occurring on the second day of the most recent NFL Draft, Jon Robinson and his good buddies in the two-tone blue’s brass structure did something none of us saw coming. They added two guys that probably weren’t on anyone’s mock draft.

Tennessee nabbed Monty Rice with the 92nd-overall selection, one they nabbed from the Green Bay Packers. They snatched up Elijah Molden eight spots later at 100. That one was a compensatory pick.

Both of these guys can be seen as two underrated additions that we may someday attach the word ‘steal’ to. Some are already labeling them as such. Let’s focus on the latter here, Mr. Molden, whose father, Alex Molden, was a former first-rounder that played eight seasons in the NFL as a member of the New Orleans Saints, what was then called the San Diego Chargers, and the Detroit Lions.

Tennessee Titans rookie Elijah Molden gets an honorable mention.

Recently, Bleacher Report‘s Brad Gagnon named Molden as the Tennessee Titans’ most intriguing project player as we head into the 2021 season. Now, part of the reason for that could be that he’s probably better suited to play the slot cornerback role at the professional level as he’s five-foot-ten and 191 pounds.

One could also point to his versatility. He’s familiar with the safety position as well and could slide into that role with relative ease if need be.

Gagnon sees things another way. Here’s what he had to say on the subject.

"The Tennessee Titans essentially rebuilt their secondary this offseason, with rookie first-round pick Caleb Farley joining veteran Janoris Jenkins in place of the departed Malcolm Butler and Adoree’ Jackson.That could leave room for third-round rookie Elijah Molden to make an impression early, but sophomore second-round pick Kristian Fulton will have every chance to hold down the nickel job. Molden is pretty much limited to that spot as a result of his small stature.He could get some looks at safety and has experience at that position, but he might lack the speed to play over the top and the bulk and tackling ability to consistently operate in the box, for now, anyway, so while it’s easy to be intrigued by Molden’s instincts and his resume in the Pac-12, the focus is likely on the long term."

It’s hard to disagree with any of that honestly. Look for Molden and the aforementioned Monty rice to surprise some people. As collegiate stars, they made their mark on the respective programs. Rice, though not a sack artist, tallied 219 total tackles, two sacks, and three forced fumbles in 40 career games. Molden notched 153 stops, five picks, four forced fumbles, and 19 pass breakups.

Look for big things from both during the 2021 regular season during their first seasons in the NFL. There isn’t a ton of buzz surrounding either guy but there should be.