Athletic testing puts a damper on a popular Tennessee Titans draft option

Ran Carthon has done a tremendous job upgrading the Tennessee Titans roster this offseason, but the job isn't finished.

It is still likely that the Titans find a starter or two in free agency before the 2024 NFL Draft, but that still leaves holes at positions like left tackle, right tackle, and EDGE.

Since the additions of Calvin Ridley and L'Jarius Sneed, one of the popular things to do in Tennessee Titans mock drafts is to give them Joe Alt or a wide receiver in the first round, and then spend the second round pick on an EDGE.

As long as Alt is the pick in the first round, EDGE makes a lot of sense in the second round. Some common names that have come up as potential fits are Chris Braswell, Chop Robinson, Darius Robinson, and Adisa Isaac.

After looking at the athletic testing numbers, it is clear that one of those players needs to be removed from this list because they will probably be forced to play inside at the next level. That would be Missouri lineman Darius Robinson.

Robinson had a lot of buzz coming out of the Senior Bowl, but that quickly died down. He has gone from a surefire late first-round pick to a guy who will go in the middle of the second round because there just isn't an easy fit for him.

How should the Tennessee Titans view Robinson?

Don't get me wrong, he has tremendous power in his hands and he can wreck an offensive lineman's day. However, that only gets you so far when you don't have any real lateral mobility and you can't change direction well.

That showed up on film and the numbers confirm that it isn't something that can be blamed on the scheme or anything else.

If the Tennessee Titans want him to be a defensive tackle or a versatile player without a real home, then maybe there is a spot for him as a guy who lines up as a 3-tech or a 7-tech depending on alignment, but on the outside, you are going to have all of the same concerns that you have with Rashad Weaver.

With his limitations, it is going to be hard for Robinson to ever really take the step to be an every-down EDGE in the NFL, so the Tennessee Titans need to keep in mind exactly what they want from their second-round pick before they draft him.