The Tennessee Titans 7 options
Being an NFL GM is very difficult, especially during the draft, but Jon Robinson has to make sure that the Tennessee Titans walk away with one of these seven players if he doesn’t trade down.
Before I go into my list, let me just make a few things clear. First, players like Aidan Hutchinson, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Evan Neal, etc. that are guaranteed to go in the top 6-12 picks, are not going to be on this list.
Second, my criteria for this are players that can improve the Tennessee Titans both short term and long term. If there is a quarterback with a chance to be a top-10 starter in the NFL, he will be on this list. If there is a can’t-miss linebacker prospect who is going to come in and usurp Zach Cunningham or David Long Jr., they will be on this list.
Finally, who the player is replacing is almost as important as their own upside. If you could guarantee that there was a great tight-end prospect who could come in and replace Geoff Swaim and be a co-TE1 with Austin Hooper, then that is a much bigger improvement than drafting a center who will probably ride the bench behind Ben Jones for a year.
This list can be broken down into three categories.
Tennessee Titans’ dream picks
These are players that have one or two reasons why they might fall, but they are more than likely going to go early in the draft. Every year we see talented players drop into the late teens and early 20s, but it is going to be hard to see any of these guys fall to 26 without a Laremy Tunsil incident.
All of these players have clear strengths and would be a big upgrade for the Titans, but I am going to make an argument on why they could possibly fall.
1. Drake London WR, USC
The only reason why London isn’t on the list of players guaranteed to get drafted in the top-10 is that he didn’t get a chance to run his 40. In fact, he did positional drills during his Pro Day and didn’t do his 40, which is going to make everyone assume that he would have run a time that would have made scouts and GMs nervous.
On tape, he can win at every level of the field so speed has never been an issue in his game, but in a class where the WRs tested really well in Indianapolis, there is a very small chance that teams could pick the prospect that they have more information on.
2. Garrett Wilson WR, Ohio State
Wilson and London are going to fight for the top receiver spot, but there are reports that Jameson Williams is the top receiver on some team’s boards. There is a world where London and Williams are the first receivers off of the board teams like the Green Bay Packers refuse to draft receivers that don’t meet certain size standards.
Wilson is shorter, he had more drops and fewer TDs than his teammate Chris Olave. What makes that sting even more is that you could argue that neither Wilson nor Olave was the best receiver on their team last year. It is highly unlikely, but you can find ways to convince yourself that Wilson isn’t as good as some of the other receivers in this class.
3. Jameson Williams WR, Alabama
Despite reports that he is the top receiver in this class, it wouldn’t be the first time that we have seen teams terrified to take a risk on an injured player. Half of the teams in the NFL passed on Jeffery Simmons in 2019 because of a torn ACL, is Jameson Williams a better prospect than Simmons even when he really only has one year of elite production?
Realistic and big upgrades
These are players who are available when the Tennessee Titans draft in about half of the mock drafts out there. Even though that is an unreliable metric, it is all we have to go on without being able to see the draft boards of all 32 teams.
4. Treylon Burks WR, Arkansas
The one knock on Burks is that he doesn’t have the same athleticism as A.J. Brown (the pro that he is frequently compared to), but people are quick to forget that Brown didn’t test like the elite talent that he is.
Burks: 6’2, 225 lb., 4.55 40-yard dash, 35.5 vertical jump, 10-foot-2-inch broad jump
Brown: 6’0, 226 lb., 4.49 40-yard dash, 36.5 vertical jump, 10-foot broad jump
He also gets knocked for playing in the slot a lot, but do you know who else played in the slot a lot in college? A.J. Brown.
Sure, he can work on his route running a little more, but when he has the ball in his hands he runs like a Titan. Like Derrick Henry or A.J. Brown, his size and strength make it hard for smaller DBs to tackle him and he very rarely loses a foot race because DBs don’t want to get embarrassed when they bounce off of him like he is made out of Teflon.
5. Zion Johnson iOL, Boston College
Never take a guard, safety, tight end, or an off-ball linebacker in the first round…alright, maybe just this once.
Look, Zion Johnson will play guard in the NFL, but he was a starter at left tackle in 2020 and he snapped at the Senior Bowl, so he is more than just a guard. Having said that, he is one heck of a guard.
Whether he is burying linemen and linebackers as a run-blocker or neutralizing pass rushers with his size and technique, he is a flawless example of how a dominant run-blocker can deal with finesse players in the passing game.
6. Chris Olave WR, Ohio State
Olave is the ultimate WR2, and that isn’t a bad thing. He is a really good route runner and he has the speed to threaten every area of the field, and he probably won’t be there at 26 because a lot of teams out there will value that.
However, he is low on this list for a reason. The Tennessee Titans aren’t going to love what he does as a blocker and after the catch. He gets bullied when he tries to help in the running game and he really doesn’t offer much wiggle in space, so it is going to be a hard sell to convince the Titans that he is a top-5 receiver in this class.
Still, he has the tools to help in the passing game and in three-receiver sets, it is better to have Olave on the field than Nick Westbrook-Ikhine because if a team guesses wrong and assumes a run is coming, Olave will blow past the defensive back and rip off a chunk play.
A very solid reach
Like I said earlier, this is a list of the players who will help the Titans the most short-term and long-term. This quarterback class is propped up with wishes and delusions unless you have an incredible offensive mind on your coaching staff, and the Titans don’t have that.
None of the linebackers in this class are elite and the ones that are really good seem to affect plays by blitzing or lining up on the line of scrimmage, neither of those things helps their argument when you look at what the Titans ask from their linebackers.
On paper, Trevor Penning has a lot of upside and he has tools that offensive line coaches are going to like. The problem is, Dillon Radunz is going to be the starter at right tackle and Penning is going to require a lot of coaching before he can get on the field. Maybe you draft him with the hopes of starting Penning and Radunz together in 2023, but I don’t know that Penning is an upgrade over a 32-year-old Lewan honestly.
Personally, I can see why fans are in love with George Pickens and Skyy Moore is a high floor/low ceiling sort of prospect, but both have some reasons why they are going to go in the second round and not the first.
7. Jahan Dotson WR, Penn State
Even though Dotson isn’t a top-20 player in this class like the other names on this list, he is exceptional at a few things that make him worth the pick. He is very fast in his routes and he doesn’t lose speed when he catches the ball which explains why he has been able to produce so many explosive plays in college.
He isn’t a great blocker, but like Olave, he is so good at getting defensive backs off balance and then blowing by them once they are turned around. That is going to come in handy when you are in a run-heavy offense that forces defensive backs to play it safe instead of cheating into coverage.
Combine all of those things with the ability to return punts and his ability to snatch the ball out of the air (only 2 drops in 138 targets last year according to Dane Brugler), mean that he can make a big impact without needing to play every snap on offense in his first year.