Tennessee Titans top defensive question marks ahead of training camp

2. Did the Tennessee Titans make two mistakes in Round 3 of the draft?

If you don’t know who Lance Zierlein is, you may want to study up. He’s the guy that does all of those scouting reports on incoming collegiate talent on NFL.com. The guy knows his stuff. This past offseason, he had a couple of nice writeups on Elijah Molden and Monty Rice.

Of the former, in his draft profile of the former Georgia Bulldog, Zierlein says that Rice is a potential backup or special teamer that is a “productive inside linebacker with average speed and athletic ability who makes up for it with clear eyes and nose for finding the football inside the tackles”. His NFL comparison for Rice is Anthony Walker

In his profile of Elijah Molden, he called the former Washington Husky a good backup who could become a starter and laments that this son of former first-round draft choice Alex Molden is someone quite a few NFL teams potentially saw as “a versatile defender whose competitive nature, play strength, and anticipation help him play as big and fast as he needs to”.

Both were taken by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and while some view Rice as a reach (he never really proved to be a sack artist or great in coverage with Georgia), just as many see Molden as a steal.

Both will be asked to contribute immediately and depending on how quickly they can develop, it could mean the difference between one or two more wins on the coming season’s ledger. That could affect playoff positioning and whether or not Tennessee is playing an extra playoff game at home or on the road.