Recently, I was asked to take a deep dive into this year’s crop of un-drafted free agent rookie talent on The Unofficial Titans Podcast. Considering it is prime offseason content hours, I figured, “why the hell not?” I have nothing else to write about right now. It’s MAY. So, I dove right in – spent hours last week reading every scouting report I could find, scoured the internet for highlight clips and film studies. And, I can honestly say that there is an incredibly valid reason that most writers just write their ‘these guys might push for a roster spot’ piece and move on. When you’re breaking down these un-drafted guys, you’re finding a lot of glaring issues. There’s a reason they weren’t drafted, after all. So, you have to qualify this statement well. There are around 40-45 guys that look like pretty certain locks to make the roster. Then, you have about 30 more guys competing for about eight spots. So, it’s not likely that any of these guys make the roster. But, there are quite a few that I think could make the race for those last few spots pretty damn interesting. That’s how I’m framing my look at this UDFA class.
Six UDFAs to watch this summer
K Blake Haubeil – Haubeil was 3rd team All-Big Ten in 2019, going 86.7% on field goals and 85/85 on extra points (he actually didn’t miss an extra point his entire career at Ohio State). He has a career long of 55 yards, which was a thing of beauty, against Northwestern. Haubeil also nailed an onside pooch kick against Maryland that was a lot of fun to watch. He drives the football when he’s accurate, kicking that sucker on a frozen rope. While he’s reliable on extra points, he didn’t get a lot of long opportunities. So, 80% accuracy, considering most of his kicks were well within 40 yards, is probably what kept him from being drafted. As it stands right now, the only other kicker in his way to winning the starting job is Tucker McCann, who was an undrafted free agent a year ago, and bounced around on the practice squad, never getting a real shot at dethroning Stephen Gostkowski. If it’s just those two kickers duking it out for the job this fall, then yeah, I think Haubeil has a real shot at taking it. What about McCann’s time with the Titans so far should make us think they have the utmost confidence in him? But, it’s also possible that the competition won’t just be between those two kickers, as the Titans could definitely still bring in a veteran free agent with experience.
FB Tory Carter – It’s hard to imagine that the Titans aren’t pleased with Khari Blasingame’s role as fullback on this team, and I think that’s a huge hill to climb for Carter. But, the way he plays the game is exactly what you want on the back end of your roster, and I think he has that going for him. He’s a competitor. He’s nasty on the field – a hard hitter, and a determined worker. He’s 6’0″, 229 pounds, but he isn’t exactly built like a brick shithouse. In addition to his competitiveness, he’s a versatile guy. LSU lined him up as a tight end during his freshman season in 2017, and he was a core special teams guy at LSU, too. He’s got the intangibles and the versatility that you want out of a guy who’s competing for one of the last few roster spots, and I think that could ultimately work in his favor. Carter also received the most lucrative signing bonus of the UDFA class, getting a nice $4,166 on top of his contract.
OG Cole Banwart – Banwart is a big barrel-chested sumbitch that certainly looks like the prototypical Iowa lineman. I like the fact that he had to wait his turn and work his way up the depth chart to a starting role. It shows character, and he turned that opportunity into 2nd team All-Big Ten honors in 2020. He’s strong, has a nice punch at the line of scrimmage, and can play center should the Titans need him to (again, with the ‘versatility’), though his lateral quickness, or lack thereof, could expose him against athletic rushers spinning inside. It’s a crowded position group, but the Titans need some quality depth at right guard behind Nate Davis, and that just so happens to be where Banwart projects best. The Titans may have tipped their hand a bit by making Banwart one of the four UDFAs to get a little extra in the form of a signing bonus.
DE Justus Reed – He’s 6’3″, 255 pounds, with a nose for the quarterback. There are valid concerns about his age (dude played seven college seasons) and durability after coming off of injury. He’s not too explosive or athletic, but man – he excels at grinding through blocks with straight line power. He’s a good edge setter in the run game, too. Reed had 6.5 sacks in 11 games last season for Virginia Tech. This one’s more of a gut feeling, but he just seems like the type of fiery, competitive, and relentless pass rusher that you’d want as your 4th or 5th guy in the rotation. Beyond Bud Dupree, Harold Landry, and draft pick Rashad Weaver, I think there’s a path for a guy like Reed to carve out a role in the pass rush rotation. Like I said, this one’s just a gut feeling based on his power, production, and style.
DT Naquan Jones – Jones is the guy that everyone in the Titans media seems to be the highest on out of this class, and for good reason. Dude is 6’3″ 313 pounds, and plays defensive tackle in the exact manner that the Titans need a guy to play defensive tackle. At Michigan State, Jones ate up two gaps as a nose tackle, stuffed the run like a brick wall, and served as an anchor, a stabilizing force, on that defensive line. You’re not going to get a lot of pass rush juice out of him, but he is a stoner at the point of attack. But, man – it would be good for this defense to have that sort of pot roast nose tackle that could free up Jeffery Simmons and Denico Autry to do their damn thing. That’s why so many think Jones is the favorite out of this UDFA class to land a roster spot. He also received a signing bonus of $3,333.
TE Miller Forristall – I understand the concerns about Forristall, but I see a project at tight end that could develop into a solid contributor. I’ll put it this way – I don’t see a whole lot of difference between Forristall and some of the tight ends drafted in the middle rounds of this year’s draft. He is a great blocker, showing a good drive back and he finishes his blocks well. But, that wasn’t always the case for Forristall as he came on the scene at Alabama. People thought he was going to be the next great dynamic pass catcher at tight end. He became a great blocker, and that’s promising to see – he can be coached up. But, I wouldn’t sleep on his ability to make plays either. When called upon at Alabama, he showed he can be a nifty runner against zone coverage, and that he has good, soft, natural hands. He does have a bit of an awkward stride, and not a whole hell of a lot of juke, to beat man coverage. But, he’s good on tight end screens with blockers in front of him, and he’s got a nose for finding soft spots in zone coverage. When you’re in an offense as loaded as Alabama’s was, it’s going to be hard to find opportunities to make plays when you’re that low on the totem pole. But, there’s a wealth of potential with Forristall. He even has a background at quarterback, having been relegated to the bench in high school, and ultimately changing positions altogether to tight end, because some kid named Trevor Lawrence came along. We saw a bit of that background in the SEC Championship, when Forristall successfully ran a quarterback sneak against the Florida Gators.
If you want my take on all 10 UDFA rookies, fire up the latest episode of The Unofficial Titans Podcast here:
Listen to “Ep. 62: Rookie Minicamp, the 2021 UDFA Class” on Spreaker.Don’t forget to check out our friends at MANSCAPED, who just launched the new Refined Cologne. Get 20% off your entire order and free shipping with the promo code ‘SOBROSTITANS’ at checkout.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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