The 2022 NFL Draft takes place April 28-30 this year, emanating LIVE from Las Vegas, Nevada. As it stands, the Tennessee Titans have one first round draft pick. General manager Jon Robinson and head coach Mike Vrabel currently hold the 26th overall selection. Over the next few months, 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. Today, we’re lookin’ at South Alabama wide receiver Jalen Tolbert.
We’re back for 2022, and after my trip down to Mobile to cover the Senior Bowl last week, I have a brand new hot take to unveil on the world – that being that Tolbert is a prime candidate to sneak into the last few picks of the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Senior Bowl certainly improved his stock, but I can’t wait to see this guy rise the ranks of big boards across draft Twitter as the spring progresses. He has elite traits.
For the Titans, they need weapons, plain and simple. After seeing how thin the offense was in terms of true playmakers once guys like AJ Brown and Julio Jones missed time, it’s evident that this passing game could use an infusion of some elite level talent and potential. Tolbert could be that guy. He was super productive at South Alabama, wrapping up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with a 2021 campaign that saw him tally 1,474 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 82 catches. He was named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year for his efforts (fun fact: the Titans have already picked up two former Sun Belt Offensive Players of the Year in the past in Antonio Andrews and Darrynton Evans). That offense made a concerted effort to get Tolbert the ball.
And, for good reason. Tolbert is a big play factory with a knack for picking up huge chunk plays because of his speed, separation skills, and his ability to win in contested catch situations. He is a freak athlete that can high point the football with the best of them, he has sticky sticky hands, and he has put plenty of instances of beating double coverage on tape. Beating double coverage regularly may be harder to do in the NFL than it was in the Sun Belt, but the bottom line is that the tape shows true #1 wide receiver potential for a team. If you put one guy on him, he’s going to beat you.
I’d like to see him become a little more well-versed in selling routes to throw defensive backs off his scent, but if he senses separation in the slightest, he has a demonstrated killer instinct to push his route upfield, accelerate, and make defenders pay. I’d say that is my favorite trait of his. What he would bring to the table for the Titans is another bona fide defense stretcher. Regardless of what happens with Jones, Tolbert and Brown could terrify opposing defenses for years to come.
Further Reading: Jalen Tolbert: Senior Bowl week ‘more than I expected’
2022 TITANS FIRST ROUND OPTIONS
- More coming soon!
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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, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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