Tennessee Titans NFL Team Column

By: Will Baker

Tennessee Titans Mock Draft and Team Needs

            Through sheer will the Titans managed to squeak into the play-offs, losing decisively to the Chargers.  A lack of playmakers became a glaring need in Nashville last season on both sides of the ball. 

            The Titans attack revolves around quarterback Vince Young.  Young did not improve upon his Rookie of the Year 2006 season, tossing 17 INT to only 9 TD though he did complete more than 62% of his passes.  I’m not a big Young fan.  Much like Mike Vick, I believe Young is exciting and can win strictly on gumption alone but has too far to go to be a well-rounded quarterback.  Young’s play is staggeringly up and down and the Titans play with him at QB will mirror that inconsistency in coming seasons. 

            Now, I am a firm believer in building a team.  Specifically, surrounding a young QB with a solid run game and stout defense, two things that appear to be strengths for the team.  The Titans are taking hits again this off-season though.  Tennessee has experienced an exodus at DE.  Cincy and Arizona have welcomed ends Antwan Odom and Travis LaBoy with open arms respectively, leaving Tennessee in the lurch and scrambling to fill out the depth chart at a critical position in their defense.  TE is taking some hits with all 4 of their TE’s eligible for free agency and Ben Harstock already inking a deal with Atlanta.  Heaping things on, up and coming offensive guard Jacob Bell jumped ship to the Rams.  The last two seasons have seemed more like 2 steps back for every step forward this team has taken.  At least the team can hang its hat on keeping standout DT Albert Haynesworth for one more year and re-signing emerging receiver Justin Gage.  Haynesworth was franchised and Gage was locked up to a multi-year deal after posting his best season as a pro.

            So far, the biggest move has been bringing in former Falcon TE Alge Crumpler.  Essentially, the two teams traded Crumpler for Harstock.  Crumpler has played at a high level for the Birds and continues the Titans strong tradition at TE.  His knees are creaky at best and he might only have a few years left, but he still represents the biggest move they’ve made to bring in weapons for Young since last spring.  As it stands, the team will again be relying Gage and Roydell Williams to carry the receiving corps, a pair that is seriously lacking in notoriety. 

            The loss of Odom and LaBoy makes end a distinct possibility in the 1^st round.  With little available in the free agent market, the draft appears to be the only means of brining in an impact pass rusher.  Other areas of need include backup RB, DT, LB and CB.  Playing in a division with powerhouses like Indy and Jacksonville means you constantly need to be bringing in firepower but that Titans have taken a popgun approach to adding talent so far.

Mock Draft:

Round 1/Pick 24- Antoine Cason CB Arizona

            Cason is the best CB available in my opinion.  He can fit in any system and he has the makeup of a true shutdown corner.  The trials and tribulations of Pacman Jones are still frustrating this team and have left them minus a dynamic player.  Cason is a knock-off Pacman who will outperform many of the guys taken before him.

Round 2- Jonathon Goff ILB Vanderbilt

            The Titans used Ryan Fowler and Stephen Tulloch in the middle last year and got middling results.  Goff can slide right in between speedy LB’s Keith Bulluck and David Thornton and add some power to the line up.  He has a throwback mentality and would give the Titans a fast, athletic trio of linebackers behind Haynesworth.  He ran much better than expected in Indy and has put his name into late 2^nd round consideration.

Round 3- Eddie Royal WR/KR Virginia Tech

            One of the fastest players in college last year, Royal’s speed is a sparkplug in any offense.  If Cason can fill the Pacman void at CB, Royal can take care of the kick return part.  His receiving skills need polish but you can’t teach speed and he has that too burn.  Dangerous out of the slot, Royal has jaw dropping open field moves and flows through his breaks and routes seamlessly.  Poor quarterbacking at Tech has really hurt him and leaves his game based more on speed than technique.  If someone can teach him the intricacies of being an NFL receiver they will have one of the most exciting players in the game.  If not, they can start a track team.

Round 4- Chris Harrington DE Texas A&M

            A guts and glory kinda kid, Harrington plays a similar game to former Aggie and current Packers star DE Aaron Kampman.  Both have marginal athletic ability but make the most of it.  The Titans need to replace departing pass rushers so don’t be surprised to see them take one much higher than this.

Round 5- Craig Stevens TE Cal

            All told, Tennessee will likely say goodbye to 3 of their 4 free agent tight ends.  They can keep Bo Scaife because he is a restricted free agent and added Crumpler but they seem to do a great job of developing this position and continue to churn out guys to replace each other.

Round 6- Mario Urrutia WR Louisville

            Urrutia has plummeted down draft boards after his terrible junior year but someone will take a chance on an athletic 6’6” 230-lbs receiver who at they very could move to tight end.  Phenomenal draft bust Mike Williams spent part of last year with the team and they attempted to move him to TE but something tells me that Urrutia may be more receptive to that move than Williams.

Round 7- Trevor Scott DE Buffalo

            A sleeper from a horrible team, Scott played TE for the first three years of his college career.  He switched to DE for the 2006 season and took hold of the position.  He may be better suited to playing OLB in a 3-4 but is pretty athletic for his size and is a good developmental prospect.  19 sacks in only 2 seasons at DE and he is only going to get better.

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