A lot has been made about the number of options the Titans have after trading with the Rams to have two picks in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Obviously the Titans have some work to do on both sides of the ball to shore up some deficiencies and improve upon the year they had last season when they improved by 6 wins. Who knows what Jon Robinson will do as he’s proven to be more than willing to move around the draft board and make deals as evidenced last year by trading up to the #8 pick and taking All-Pro tackle Jack Conklin. It wouldn’t be surprising in the least if Jon were to deal away the #5 pick as the desire for the quarterbacks in this year’s draft class picks up in the next week or two. The good news for the Titans is that this draft is chock full of talent at all of their positions of need. Cornerback, Wide Receiver, and Tight End are the obvious areas the team will most look to add new talent. Assuming that Jon Robinson doesn’t make any changes to the teams draft picks (a pretty big assumption given his record) these are the players most likely to be wearing two-tone blue next season.
Cornerback – Make no bones about it this is one of, if not, the position the Titans will be looking to address heading into this draft. After a poor showing last season that saw veteran defensive back Perrish Cox get cut midseason after the game in Chicago, and a secondary that ranked 30th in passing yards allowed as well as the 26th ranked pass defense the Titans clearly needed some help this offseason. This was clearly the teams focus as they went into free agency and came out with former Patriot Logan Ryan, and former Jaguar safety Johnathan Cyprien. In order to allow Logan Ryan to play in the slot where he’s best the Titans should look to add a corner who can play on the island outside. There is still work to be done on the secondary however and this seems like a great draft to do it in with this class being absolutely loaded with potential future studs in the secondary. Two of the highest graded cornerbacks in this draft are from Ohio State University with Marshon Lattimore and Gareon Conley both expected to be gone in the first round. Of the two Lattimore is the more naturally talented player of the two, but with a more extensive injury history there will be a little hesitation attached to him. Another option in the early first round is LSU CB Tre’Davious White. White is a great playmaker with the ability to see the ball and know where it’s going before it gets there. Alabama CB Marlon Humphrey is another option for a team in need of CB help. Humphrey is a physical corner not afraid of contact with the receiver in the first five yards. A few wildcards to keep an eye on towards the middle and end of the first round if the Titans were to move down include: Adoree Jackson from USC who was electric in the return game, Obi Melifonwu of UConn, and the swiss army knife in human form that is Jabril Peppers of Michigan. Sidney Jones who was a potential first round pick out of Washington seems to have fallen out of the first round after hurting his leg during his pro day, but may be a good potential product player in a later round for a Titans team that could always use an extra corner to look at.
Footnote: The recent release of longtime CB Jason McCourty signals more turnover for this group as well.
Tight End – While a smaller pool of potential fits than in the secondary with the coaching staffs desire to continue their commitment to being an “exotic smashmouth” football team the Titans will continue to run two tight end sets frequently as they look to build on what brought them so much success last year. If the Titans do select a TE you had better believe that player will be expected to block for the AFC’s leading rusher last season DeMarco Murray. A few options for the team this year include Alabama’s O.J. Howard who you may remember as the player who almost single handedly won the Crimson Tide the national title the season before. While Howard is more in the Jimmy Graham mold he’s still able to line up off tackle and block. Another option is Miami TE David Njoku. A player to watch for will in the second or third round will be Michigan’s Jake Butt. Despite tearing his ACL in the Orange Bowl he was a co-captain and good player under former NFL coach Jim Harbaugh. Look for the Titans to potentially add a potential understudy to aging veteran Pro Bowl TE Delanie Walker in this years draft to replace the departed Anthony Fasano.
Wide Receiver – While not as well stocked as the CB position the first round will see a potentially large amount of game changing WR’s being taken. Leading the class will be Clemson WR Mike Williams. He has all the skills to be a WR1 in this league while also adding potential size to a small WR corps for the Titans. In a league built around red zone passing Williams would be a good weapon to pair with QB Marcus Mariota to improve a Titans passing game that exceeded expectations last season. John Ross of Washington got a lot of attention for breaking former Titan Chris Johnson’s 40-yard dash record at the NFL combine. Despite needing surgery to repair a torn labrum all signs point to Ross still going in the first round. A smaller school candidate looking to make a name for himself will be Western Michigan’s Corey Davis. Davis is a big, physical 6 foot 3 receiver who can use his size to create separation along slant routes over the middle which would free up Rishard Matthews and Tajae Sharpe to remain on the outside. Other options may include Chris Godwin from Penn State who had a great showing in Penn State’s Rose Bowl loss to USC, also a player to keep an eye on is USC’s JuJu Smith-Schuster who was once thought to be the best WR in this class. Any of these players could add significant value to a Titans WR corps that’s dangerously thin after Matthews and Sharpe.
It will be interesting to see what the Titans do in the first round this season since they currently have no second round picks this season after trading it away in the Jack Conklin deal. Titans fans will be pleased with that outcome however as they now can boast of having the second best offensive line in the league. That offensive line will be crucial in making sure DeMarco Murray and second year former Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry have holes to run through heading into the 2017 season. Overall the Titans are still reaping the benefits of trading out of the #1 pick last season. I for one am looking forward to seeing how things shake out on April 27th.
Kevin Wilcox
2016 Titans Radio Regular Season Intern
