Tennessee Titans mock draft fun
The Tennessee Titans haven’t lost back-to-back games in over a year, so after the loss to the New England Patriots, fans are down heading into the bye week.
There will be plenty of time to focus on the Week 14 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars and what the playoff picture looks like at that point. Instead of looking ahead two weeks, let’s look ahead five months.
2022 NFL Mock Drafts have been all over the internet since before the 2021 NFL Draft was even finished. Most aren’t worth mentioning, but when Dane Brugler posts anything about the draft it is must-read content.
On Tuesday he posted his first mock draft of the year (over at The Athletic where you should definitely get a subscription to keep up with Brugler and his content) and he has the Tennessee Titans drafting an explosive receiver with their first pick: Jameson Williams from Alabama.
In his analysis, he highlights that Williams would add explosiveness that the Tennessee Titans offense is desperately missing. Interestingly, last year in his final mock draft he had the Titans taking Elijah Moore which is a decision that I strongly agreed with and still stand by.
Receiver is probably going to be a need for the Titans this offseason, but the dilemma that the front office faces is just how much to invest in the position. Right now they have two second-round picks invested in Julio Jones and A.J. Brown.
Tennessee Titans need at the receiver position
Both A.J. Brown and Julio Jones have struggled with injuries this year, but this may just be a fluke for A.J. Brown. In his first two seasons, he only missed two games and he was incredibly effective when he was on the field.
The coaching staff is infatuated with Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and I would imagine that they are going to pencil in Chester Rodgers or Marcus Johnson to return as a return man/depth receiver.
Given how hard it is for rookies to get onto the field under Mike Vrabel, spending a first-round pick on a receiver is possible but it might not be the best allocation of resources for a run-heavy team.
The problem is, where are the Titans going to add a player? They have already shown that they don’t want to invest high picks in interior offensive linemen, tight ends, safeties, running backs, or situational players/backup quarterbacks.
Given the success of David Long, Jayon Brown, and Monty Rice vs what they have gotten from Rashaan Evans, I think you can also rule out off-ball linebacker being the pick.
Speaking of finding talent later, the Titans have made a habit of turning UDFAs into starters like Teair Tart and NaQuan Jones.
Excluding the Evans pick, Jon Robinson has spent first-round picks on offensive tackle (twice), cornerback (twice), wide receiver, and Jeffery Simmons who was just too valuable to pass up.
So if it is down to tackle, cornerback, receiver, or EDGE which ones make the most sense?
Which position makes sense for the Tennessee Titans in round one?
Cornerback seems to be a deep and talented group for the Titans, so it really doesn’t feel like somewhere the Titans would invest a high pick in this season.
With David Quessenberry set to be a free agent at 31, tackle could be in play especially if Mike Vrabel keeps insisting on turning Dillon Radunz into a guard.
At EDGE, Harold Landry is going to be a free agent but considering everything Landry has done for the Titans they should absolutely re-sign him to a long-term deal and lock down the starting defensive line of Landry, Simmons, Denico Autry, and Bud Dupree.
If it does come down to the best tackle, EDGE, or receiver left on the board here are the other players to consider.
According to Brugler, the top tackle left on the board would be Nicholas Petit-Frere from Ohio State. That is interesting because he has played right and left tackle which adds rare versatility, and he is from Ohio State so you know Mike Vrabel would have the connections to do a thorough background check.
The top EDGE left on the board would be USC’s Drake Jackson who is a little bit of a project but has some nice traits despite average production.
If it came down to Jameson Williams, Nicholas Petit-Frere, and Drake Jackson, I think that Brugler made the right call. While the other two are solid, the dimension that Williams would add to the Titans’ offense would help take some pressure off of Derrick Henry in the future.
Given the job that the Titans have done building the depth on this roster, it is going to take a unique player to break through and get onto the field as a rookie. Out of that shortlist, it does feel like Williams is the one with the best chance to be special out of the gate.