Tennessee Titans: 3 Reactions after rewatching first preseason game

Rashad Weaver really was that good for the Tennessee Titans.

Last night there was one thing that every Tennessee Titans fan agreed on and that was that 4th round rookie Rashad Weaver looked like he may be the steal of the 2021 NFL Draft class.

When it was all said and done, Weaver’s night finished with him picking up 1.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 2 quarterback hits, and a batted pass where he read a boot perfectly and climbed the latter to swat down a pass as soon as it left the quarterback’s hand.

Weaver’s stat line is incredible, but some of that is because he played so many snaps over the course of the game. However, that volume is what makes this stat from PFF so impressive:

To lead the NFL in an efficiency stat like pass-rush win rate, despite playing so many snaps is a testament to just how dominant he was.

He isn’t limited to pass-rushing though, in fact, you could argue that the most dominant part of his game is his run defense. Several times last night Weaver would lock out his long arms and control the point of attack in the run game vs players that outweighed him by at least 40 pounds.

If his pass-rush skills were scoops of ice cream and his power in the run game was the hot fudge, then the cherry on top of this rookie debut was his versatility.

Weaver spent time on both sides of the line winning against offensive tackles as an EDGE, but the Tennessee Titans coaches really looked like they want to see him play inside in sub-packages as a 3-tech. Luckily for everyone, he thrived as much there as he did on the outside and it looks like there is no wrong way to use Weaver.

Going forward, the Tennessee Titans have their starting EDGEs and defensive linemen in Harold Landry, Bud Dupree, Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry, and Teair Tart, but Weaver has made real headway into being a guy who sees a lot of snaps as a rotational player at both positions.