Tennessee Titans 2022 NFL Mock Draft
The Tennessee Titans passing game will look different in 2022 thanks to Tim Kelly.
While it hasn’t been officially confirmed by the team, Chase McCabe broke the news that Kelly’s title will be “Senior Offensive Assitant/Passing Game Coordinator” for the Tennessee Titans (tweet below).
There are a couple of reasons why this is important, the most obvious one is that this is essentially Mike Vrabel admitting that hiring Todd Downing was a mistake.
Vrabel is too loyal to fire Downing and he obviously thinks that he has some value as a position coach/run game coordinator, but that loyalty isn’t enough to let him tank the offense again in 2021.
The other main reason why this is important is that this gives us a clear picture of what the Titans need to add in the offseason.
Per source: Tim Kelly will be given the title of “Senior Offensive Assistant/Passing Game Coordinator” on Mike Vrabel’s 2022 #Titans staff. @JFowlerESPN reported that the Titans were hiring Kelly yesterday.
— Chase McCabe (@ChaseOnGame) February 5, 2022
Instead of hearing false promises of “continuity” people have a clear idea of what Tim Kelly will want the offense to look like based on his stint as the play-caller in 2020 and 2021 with the Houston Texans.
Over the past few seasons, Tennessee Titans GM Jon Robinson has done a great job bringing in veterans who patch needs on offense so that they can let the draft come to them. That is how players like Jeffery Simmons, Elijah Molden, Jonnu Smith, Nate Davis, Dillon Radunz, and Harold Landry have ended up on the roster even though there might not be an immediate need at the position.
You can even go back to Robinson’s first draft where he took pure value in the draft when he picked Derrick Henry and Kevin Byard in the top-100 even though they weren’t instant starters.
Even with holes patched, there are some players that would make Kelly’s job much easier. To illustrate that, this is a 2022 NFL mock draft that shows what fans should be hoping for and the players who will or won’t be there.
The first 25 selections
I’m not an expert on all 32 NFL teams, so to make things fair and to make sure that I didn’t manufacture an elite player falling down the boards to the Titans (though that might happen on draft day) I used TDN’s mock draft machine.
You can find that here if you want to try for yourself. Since the Tennessee Titans have the 26th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, these are the 25 players that were drafted before their selection:
1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Evan Neal OT, Alabama
2. Detroit Lions: Aidan Hutchinson EDGE, Michigan
3. Houston Texans: Kyle Hamilton S, Notre Dame
4. New York Jets: Ikem Ekwonu OT, NCST
5. New York Giants: Kayvon Thibodeaux EDGE, Oregon
6. Carolina Panthers: Trevor Penning OT, Northern Iowa
7. New York Giants: Charles Cross OT, Mississippi State
8. Atlanta Falcons: Jordan Davis DL, Georgia
9. Denver Broncos: Malik Willis QB, Liberty
10. New York Jets: Derek Stingley Jr. CB, LSU
11. Washington Commanders: Kenyon Green iOL, Texas A&M
12. Minnesota Vikings: Sauce Gardner CB, Cincinnati
13. Cleveland Browns: Jermaine Johnson EDGE, FSU
14. Baltimore Ravens: David Ojabo EDGE, Michigan
15. Philadelphia Eagles: Travon Walker EDGE, Georgia
16. Philadelphia Eagles: Andrew Booth Jr. CB, Clemson
17. L.A. Chargers: George Karlaftis EDGE, Purdue
18. New Orleans Saints: Treylon Burks WR, Arkansas
19. Philadelphia Eagles: Matt Corral QB, Ole Miss
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Daniel Faalele OT, Minnesota
21. New England Patriots: Devin Lloyd LB, Utah
22. Las Vegas Raiders: Tyler Linderbaum C, Iowa
23. Arizona Cardinals: Trent McDuffie CB, Washington
24. Dallas Cowboys: Devonte Wyatt DL, Georgia
25. Buffalo Bills: DeMarvin Leal DL, Texas A&M
Players the Tennessee Titans should consider
There is an assumption here that Rodger Saffold will be cut and that the Titans will head to the draft with an offensive line that still includes Taylor Lewan, Nate Davis, and Ben Jones with Dillon Radunz starting at the other tackle spot.
The next man up is Aaron Brewer who should be penciled in at left guard where Rodger Saffold played in 2021, but if the Titans let Ben Jones walk then they could enter the draft with two openings in on the offensive line.
If that is the case then the top three needs for the Titans are (in no order): iOL, WR, and TE
Offensive lineman: The only interior lineman the Titans will consider here is Zion Johnson who is someone they could absolutely fall in love with throughout the process (and they may already be in love with him).
Wide receivers: Jameson Williams, Jahan Dotson, Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and Drake London are all receivers who should go in the top-40 but you could make a case against each of them inside the top-20. With no clear standout here, it is more about which player fits what the Titans want.
Tight ends: Isaiah Likely and Trey McBride are both being talked about as tight ends that might slip into the first round. While the idea of taking an interior lineman, tight end, off-ball linebacker, safety, or a non-pass rushing defensive lineman almost never is worth the price, the Titans need some talent at that position.
The Tennessee Titans top-100 picks
Knowing how the board fell in the first round and the options that the Tennessee Titans had, it might be obvious who I selected for them here.
Round 1, pick 26: Jameson Williams WR, Alabama
We have seen the Tennessee Titans swing for the fences in the first round over the last few years and despite the fact that Jameson Williams doesn’t pass the Matias Wodner rule, he is an easy fit.
The least important thing on his resume but the most important thing for Mike Vrabel is that he plays special teams. He plays with aggression as a gunner on the punt team and he had 2 touchdowns on just 10 punt returns this season, so the Coach of the Year will sign off on this immediately.
If the prompt is trying to build an offense that fits Tim Kelly, then giving him a young version of Brandin Cooks seems like a great place to start. The Tennessee Titans have A.J. Brown to be the WR1 and they have Julio Jones (when he is healthy) to be the chain moving WR2 and occasional deep threat. What they don’t have is a speed demon with soft hands that almost single-handedly broke the best defense in college football.
The ACL injury won’t bother the Titans too much because they have gambled on injured rookies and have seen it pay off, and also because Tennessee just doesn’t play rookies early. They force players to earn snaps and even when they are clearly better than the veteran in front of them (see Radunz, Dillon) they don’t get to see the field early.
Round 3, pick 90: Cade Otton TE, Washington
Otton is a big, physical tight end with four years of experience in a system that asks him to block all over the field. Those are things that the Titans are going to look at and every now and then he flashes some high-level football I.Q. that shows you that he is going to interview well.
At the end of the day, the Titans don’t need an elite, toolsy guy at tight end. What they need is a big Jonnu Smith type guy who can wall defenders off as a blocker, make tough catches in the air, and force defenders to tackle him instead of just falling down. Otton can be that guy.