The 2018 NFL Draft takes place April 26-28 this year, and as it stands, the Tennessee Titans have one first round draft pick. General manager Jon Robinson and first year head coach Mike Vrabel currently hold the 25th overall selection. Over the next few weeks, your boy “Big Natural” Stoney Keeley will be taking a look at some of the prospects who are either rumored to be tied to or who make sense for the Titans.
I don’t think there’s a hotter name among NFL mock drafts than Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch. Like….he’s getting a lot of attention. That’s what I mean. I don’t know that Leighton Vander Esch is a hot name in the sense of ‘Carmen Electra,’ ya know? Just wanted to clarify that. Also showing my age a bit that I’m still dropping Carmen Electra as a gauge of hotness.
Anyway, Vander Esch is an aggressive, athletic linebacker who seems to have a nose for the ball and can cover. Great football instincts, as they say in the industry. As an inside linebacker, though, there’s some concern about his tackling ability. He looks a little raw coming out of college, but his combine performance was absolutely insane.
There’s also a bit of a “one year wonder” concern with Vander Esch. He was definitely productive in 2017 – no doubt about that. But, it’s his only year with experience starting in 11-on-11 football. That’s crazy. But, he played eight-on-eight in high school because it was too small to field a full football team.
The Titans definitely need a boost in the pass rush, and Vander Esch’s name is going to continue to soar up draft boards for his potential in that regard. But, keep in mind, this team also lost Avery Williamson in free agency. They still need a guy inside who is able to stuff rushers. Can Vander Esch be that guy? I think that’s the question to ask here if the Titans were serious about drafting him at #25.
Could definitely see him in some sort of pass rush/blitz specialty package. But, the Titans already have a linebacker with similar skills who looks pretty promising in Jayon Brown. I don’t know that Vander Esch is the complete type of ILB the Titans need. Plus, he’s going to be green for awhile. I’d venture he’ll be most useful on a team that can bring him in as a specialist and groom him into a complete ILB. Could the Titans do that? Sure. But, I’d consider Rashaan Evans more of what the Titans need than Vander Esch. The truth is that neither man may be available at #25.
Further Reading: As usual, to the surprise of no one, one of my favorite breakdown guys, Mike Miracles, has an excellent piece on LVE and how he fits the bill as the Jon Robinson type.
Tennessee Titans First Round Options Archives
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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