To the surprise of many, the Tennessee Titans did not select a wide receiver in the 2018 NFL Draft. It was a need that many had pegged for the team, some “experts” even had them taking one in the first round. And, really – I guess I should be patting myself on the back. I was banging the drum that the Titans were fine at receiver throughout the whole draft process, and I guess they listened to me. Really, it’s the only plausible explanation. But, even I thought they’d grab a receiver in the draft to come in and compete.
The fact that they didn’t says that they’re content to dance with who brung ’em. And, that may be okay.
This team is obviously high on second year receiver, Corey Davis, who they view as the #1 guy that this team has been missing in years past. He only had 34 receptions for 375 yards last year, but showed flashes of the greatness they drafted him for against New England in the postseason. Davis posted 63 yards and two touchdowns (beating new Titan Malcolm Butler) in that game. He has all of the physical tools to be great in the league.
But, alongside Davis, there’s a corps of guys who have specialized skill sets. Rishard Matthews has been one of the most underrated receivers in the NFL since joining the Titans. His two best seasons as a pro have come in two-tone blue, but specifically, that 2016 season was something else: 945 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s dependable, deceptively quick, and tends to find himself in the right spot. I caught a lot of heat for saying I’d take Matthews over his former teammate Jarvis Landry earlier in the free agency period, but I stand by it. Matthews doesn’t get the respect he deserves for being the weapon that he is.
Taywan Taylor can be the shifty slot guy, or if you are Terry Robiskie, you can just run a million jet sweeps to him and see what happens. I’m intrigued to see what Matt LaFleur draws up for Taylor’s strengths, because I really like his potential with the ball in the open field. He’s a completely different receiver than Davis and Matthews.
The real x-factor in all of this is Tajae Sharpe. After a hyper-productive career at UMass, Sharpe came out of the gate strong in the 2016 training camp and preseason. For a moment, it looked like he was going to take the reins and become this team’s #1. But, his rookie season was inconsistent and he spent all of 2017 on injured reserve. So, his development is still somewhat of an unknown. He’s an excellent route-runner with dependable hands, and the Titans could definitely use that. If he can continue to build upon that potential and make us forget about the question marks, he’ll be a serviceable receiver in this offense.
If you listen to Jon Robinson talk about Michael Campanaro, it definitely sounds like the dude wasn’t just brought in to return punts and kicks, despite only tallying 173 yards in 2017.
These five guys are going to be who this regime is going to ride out at least for 2018. And, that’s okay. This group has a lot of potential. If they live up to it, then it’ll be one of the strongest receiving units in the conference. If they don’t, then I expect it’ll be time to revisit the position early in the 2019 NFL Draft.
But, to fortify the position this year, the Titans brough in several undrafted free agents. Among them are Texas Tech’s Cameron Batson, USC’s Deontay Burnett, Central Oklahoma’s J.T. Luper, Colorado’s Devin Ross, and Cal’s Jordan Veasy. Veasy is particularly intriguing to me – pretty productive career to go with a 6’3″, 225-lb frame. Luper is easily the most productive of the group – tallying 110 receptions for 1,593 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.
The hope is that maybe one or two of these guys step up and claim a main roster spot and provide some quality depth in the 5th-7th receiver position, depending on how many receivers the Titans roll with this season. It’s also worth noting that J-Rob and company will obviously also be keeping an eye on veterans cut during training camp in the preseason. So, the position is definitely not as dire as some of the national media think it is.
And, lest we all forget, this team still has Delanie Walker…so there’s that.
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
Buy our shirt. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Listen on SoundCloud. Watch on YouTube. Shop our store on Redbubble.
