It’s been so long since I looked at the Tennessee Titans and their draft needs it feels like I’m visiting an old friend here a good week from the NFL Draft… a friend that just won the lottery.
By making the blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Rams the Titans have set themselves up to be a real power in the AFC over the next decade. The only thing holding them back at this point is their uninspired choice as head coach, Mike Mularkey, but maybe he can turn that around too. The Titans have their quarterback already. Now they need the other pieces to go with the puzzle.
So here’s my new, fresh Perfect Mock Draft for the Titans and their nine draft picks acquired in the third richest draft trade in NFL history, with six in the first three rounds.
Round 1, Pick 15 – Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State
With the trade made with the Rams and by my reckoning the only offensive skill position player they’d want at this spot, Ole Miss wideout Laquon Treadwell, already off the board, the Titans should go with the best offensive tackle available and that’s Decker.
Round 2, Pick 33 – Noah Spence, DE, Eastern Kentucky
Spence is a first-round talent that floats to the second based on an iffy combine performance and the fact that, ultimately, I think four quarterbacks are going in the first round. Couple that with a run on offensive tackles that the Titans will participate in and Spence falls to them at the top of their very rich second-round haul.
Round 2, Pick 43 – Cody Whitehair, OG, Kansas State
If you add one of the best offensive tackles in the first round, why not add the very best offensive guard in the second. Using the first of the Rams’ second round picks to bolster their line to keep Marcus Mariota upright is an easy call. Whitehair and Decker could spend the next decade next to each other on the Tennessee offensive line.
Round 2, Pick 45 – Karl Joseph, Safety, West Virginia
The beauty of having this many picks early is not only can you address your team’s biggest needs, you can do it without reaching in the draft or passing up good players. Tennessee comes into this draft with its biggest needs at offensive tackle, cornerback, safety and defensive end and these first picks seem to fall exactly that way. Joseph is the No. 2 safety on most boards and should slide right into the Titans rotation.
Round 3, Pick 64 – Sean Davis, CB, Maryland
Sean Davis has a second round grade on most draft boards, but thanks again to quarterbacks and offensive tackles pushing everyone down, he’s there in the third for the Titans.
Round 3, Pick 76 – Braxton Miller, WR, Ohio State
The biggest offensive skill position need for the Titans is at wide receiver so I have them using their next two picks on that position, even though those picks are 64 picks apart. Miller could very well end up being one of the best players in this draft. He just needs some time to learn the wide receiver position at an NFL level. Mularkey is actually a decent offensive coach so he and his staff could work out well for Miller. They can use him as a situational playmaker early while he develops as a real weapon down the road.
Round 5, Pick 140 – Robby Anderson, WR, Temple
Anderson is the opposite of Miller when it comes to development. He’s already well on his way to becoming an NFL receiver. He caught 70 passes for 939 yards and four touchdowns for the Owls last season. He’s got a rare combination of height (6-foot-3) and speed (4.36). He’s skinny at 187 pounds, but he can be a deep threat immediately. He just needs to hit the weight room and buffet table.
Round 6, Pick 193 – Willie Henry, DT, Michigan
With late round picks it’s always good to use them to bulk up your offensive and defensive line and that’s where I’m going with these final selections. Henry comes with a Michigan pedigree and at 6-foot-3 and 303 pounds, has the size to take up space and blockers.
Round 7, Pick 225 – Anthony Fabiano, OG, Harvard
If our goal is to protect Marcus Mariota well into the future, let’s add another offensive lineman before out draft weekend is done. In this case it’s Fabiano, a guy good enough to play for any FBS program who has the intelligence to play at Harvard. Hard to miss there.
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