PFF's High Praise for a Pair of Tennessee Titans Rookies
By Will Lomas
Former Kentucky QB Will Levis was the Tennessee Titans' most talked about rookie selection, but the most significant contributions are coming from the two Titans drafted immediately before and after him.
According to PFF"s latest rookie rankings, both first-round pick Peter Skoronski and third-round pick Tyjae Spears, are two of the top-15 rookies in the NFL through two weeks.
The Tennessee Titans took Peter Skoronski with the hopes of stabilizing an offensive line that was losing Taylor Lewan, Ben Jones, and Nate Davis. While it has only been one game, the results have been very positive.
Through no fault of his own, Peter Skoronski is going to miss some time after having an appendectomy last Saturday. It will be interesting to see how he responds after missing time, but the good news is that the Tennessee Titans don't need to rush him back thanks to the solid play they are getting from Dillon Radunz.
Just how good is Tyjae Spears for the Tennessee Titans?
It is a small sample size, but Tyjae Spears is showing all the signs of being the perfect running mate for (and eventual successor to) Derrick Henry.
If you want an example of how much faith the Tennessee Titans coaching staff already has in Spears, think about this, on Sunday, it wasn't Derrick Henry who got the first carry in overtime against the L.A. Chargers, it was a 14-yard pitch to Tyjae Spears.
While Henry is still going to get the bulk of the carries for the Titans, Spears clearly has a different gear than Henry in the open field. Not only is he faster and more dynamic, but he looks so much smoother when he decides to cut back.
In the game against the Cleveland Browns this weekend, don't be surprised if Spears has an explosive play when he cuts back against an aggressive defense that worries more about penetration than gap discipline.
As the season progresses, it is going to be fascinating to watch these two grow. Assuming that Will Levis continues to develop and takes over the starting job next season, his job would be much easier with an improved offensive line and a dynamic weapon in the backfield to pair with a veteran group of wide receivers.