Which of these experts had the worst Mock Draft for the Tennessee Titans
By Will Lomas
The Tennessee Titans need offensive linemen and a wide receiver with a legitimate trump card.
Until a free agent signing or a trade changes those needs, every mock draft should have the Tennessee Titans drafting one of those two positions.
To this point, the vast majority of 2023 NFL Mock Drafts have the Tennessee Titans taking one of those positions including the ones on this list.
One saving grace of the 2022 season was that Mike Vrabel had one of the worst losing streaks in franchise history when he lost seven-straight games to end the season. That meant that instead of limping into the playoffs with half of the starters on I.R., the Titans ended up with the 11th and 41st picks in the first and second rounds respectively
The first round of this class looks loaded with offensive tackle prospects, so the Tennessee Titans should be able to sit back and find the perfect balance of need and value with the 11th pick. Then, they should be able to monitor the receiver prospects and weigh the idea of trading up or staying where they are in a wide receiver class that should have value in the 20-50 range.
Right?
Right?!
Two Tennessee Titans mock drafts that deserve “F” grades
After saying all of that, one of the worst things you can advocate for the Tennessee Titans to do is reach for an offensive tackle. The unanimous top-3 offensive linemen in this class are:
-Paris Johnson LT, Ohio State
-Peter Skoronski T/G, Northwestern
-Broderick Jones LT, Georgia
33rdteam has the Tennessee Titans staying at 11 and drafting Dawand Jones, the “other” offensive tackle from Ohio State.
Essentially, their analysis is that he is big and he fits what the Titans want on offense. I find that a little hard to believe because the Titans don’t have an offensive coordinator or an offensive line coach, and they have had much more success with athletic tackles as opposed to bigger offensive tackles.
Now, I know what you are thinking, “Wow, they must be really high on Jones to make that pick.” Well, not really.
On their own big board, they have him 27th. If you trade way down in the first or if you draft him in the second that is one thing, but if you draft him with the 11th pick you are taking a massive swing and probably wasting resources.
This was a pretty rough read, but it might actually be a better option than what Ian Cunningham proposed for Pro Football Network.
He has the Tennessee Titans giving up the 11, 41, a 2024 2nd-round pick, and a 2024 4th-round pick, to trade up in the draft to number 8 to draft Broderick Jones.
I like Broderick Jones, but this is an insane trade to make. Not only is the value laughably lopsided, but there is no reason to even make this trade.
According to this mock draft, when the Atlanta Falcons are on the clock at 8, there haven’t been any offensive linemen drafted. The Seattle Seahawks aren’t going to draft an offensive tackle after starting rookie offensive tackles last year, and the Philadelphia Eagles will probably draft defense or a Bijan Robinson, so they won’t take a tackle.
The mock has the Tennessee Titans trading up for a player that they could have had at 11, and they are giving up draft capital that is the equivalent of a late first-round pick.
Not only would that cripple any reloading that the Tennessee Titans could do this year and next year, but it would also make the team the butt of every joke this offseason.
If either of these drafts happened, fans would almost immediately be out on Ran Carthon and any goodwill that he and Mike Vrabel have built up in their short time together would evaporate. That is why both mock drafts deserve an “F” at best.