For a few years in the early and middle 2010s, the Tennessee Titans were one of the last teams to actually sign their draft classes, but that has changed in recent history. As the final weekend before training camp began, they continued that positive trend by finalizing their deals with the 2021 NFL Draft class.
At the end of last week, the Tennessee Titans made things official with Elijah Molden the versatile defensive back from the University of Washington. That meant that seven of their eight picks were signed and the only player left was fellow third-round linebacker Monty Rice.
Saturday morning that changed when the two managed to get a deal done.
Inked 🖋 #donedeal #shotime pic.twitter.com/NNBQOTofkL
— RICE (@RiceMonty) July 24, 2021
This is good news because Rice was one of the stranger picks the Tennessee Titans made in the 2021 NFL Draft. Not only did he come from Georgia where the team has had a pretty terrible track record, but since the fans expected the Titans to draft a receiver in the top-100, he was a head-scratcher, to say the least.
Now that fans know about the Julio Jones trade (and the ripple effect it had on the roster) it all makes a lot more sense and it is better that he is at camp on time so that fans don’t remember that they didn’t love this pick.
Tennessee Titans 2021 NFL Draft class reminder
Since the entire class is in the books, here is a quick reminder of who all was in the Titans draft class way back in April.
1st round, pick 22: Caleb Farley CB, Virginia Tech #3 (Note: His official roster number on the team site is number 23, but his posts on Instagram and his locker plate seem to indicate that he will be wearing number 3 this season)
2nd round, pick 53: Dillion Radunz OT, North Dakota State #75
3rd round, pick 92: Monty Rice LB, Georgia #56
3rd round, pick 100: Elijah Molden DB, Washington #24
4th round, pick 109: Dez Fitzpatrick WR, Louisville #10
4th round, pick 135: Rashad Weaver EDGE, Pittsburgh #99
6th round, pick 205: Racey McMath WR, LSU #81
6th round, pick 215: Brady Breeze S, Oregon #33
A few other rookies to remember are:
-Briley Moore, Miller Forristall, and Tory Carter, a trio of versatile tight end/H-back players who signed with the team quickly after the NFL Draft.
-Naquan Jones is a high-quality UDFA defensive tackle that picked the Titans and UDFA defensive tackles have an exceptionally good chance at making the Tennessee roster under GM Jon Robinson. Given the lack of depth there now, his talent, and his reviews from camp, Jones might have the best chance of any UDFA to make the roster.
-No one talks about a kicker until you need one, but keep an eye on UDFA Blake Haubeil. He was a respected kicker in college and he doesn’t have much competition for the starting kicker spot. If the Titans don’t sign another kicker, he could easily be the guy for Tennessee this year.