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 Colorado State tight end Trey McBride.
The Titans could stand to add some play-makers on offense. I’d go as far as to say that has to be priority #1 for the offseason now that they’ve hired Tim Kelly to come in and tinker with the passing game. For me, I immediately look at the tight end group as a component of the offense that drastically needs an overhaul. Actually, let’s just blow up the whole tight end room. Sign a big free agent and draft one of the best in the class. Is there a tight end in this draft class that deserves to be a first round pick? I don’t know – I’ve seen analysts that think two will go in the first round, and I’ve seen plenty that think none will go in the first round. Nonetheless, at pick #26, the Titans could be in position to grab the best tight end in this draft class.
To me, that’s pretty easily Trey McBride. Dude is as accomplished as they come – winning the John Mackey Award and being named a unanimous All-American in 2021. He’s a two-time first team All-Mountain West recipient. And, he finished a standout 2021 campaign with 90 catches for 1,121 yards and a touchdown.
McBride has an explosive skill set as a receiving threat from the tight end position. He’s just what you want in a cornerstone type of piece – speed, movement, savvy, good hands, competitiveness. He’s the type of player that you can trust in contested catch situations because he has a large catch radius and plays with the strength to wrestle the ball away from defenders. But, that’s assuming he’s even in a contested catch situation. I like McBride’s ability to separate. I’m leery of lofting a Travis Kelce comparison out there because that’s an unrealistic expectation to put on anyone coming out of the draft, so I need to qualify this careful – McBride has the skillset that, if he were to continue to develop in the NFL, you could utilize in similar fashion to how the Kansas City Chiefs utilize Kelce. He demonstrated an ability to line up anywhere in a formation, beat zone coverage, and reliably make plays.
As far as his weaknesses go, he’s not the most powerful blocker, but he’s capable enough because of how physically he attacks the role. There were concerns about his touchdown production in 2021, but that Colorado State offense wasn’t exactly loaded with play-makers, so McBride saw a ton of attention when the Rams got into the red zone – LOTS of double teams.
McBride had a great week at the Senior Bowl back at the beginning of the month. I noticed how his coaches were utilizing him on both sides of the formation, lining him up in different spots, blocking, in motion, and even on special teams. That versatility could be his most important trait when discussing how he’ll translate to the NFL. He’s a really instinctive route runner – just watch the touchdown he scored in the game. He just seems to have a nose for open field.
This is just the type of tight end that the Titans need to build around. Analysts debate whether or not McBride should be a first round pick, but all of that is just talk. If a guy ends up in the right situation, then their draft status doesn’t even matter. In that context, taking McBride at #26 makes a ton of sense. He would round out this offense alongside Derrick Henry, AJ Brown, and Julio Jones. Plus, the Titans would still have room to go get a couple of blocking specialists…hell, maybe even a second tight end in the draft! You’d alleviate the need for a play-maker at the position without breaking the bank for one of the big money free agents. Not to mention, McBride would be another guy to draw attention away from Brown and Jones, and if not, he’s a guy capable of making defenses pay himself. That’s why I love this guy as a potential Titan.
This is a deep, talented tight end group. You could probably wait until the middle rounds to get a guy that will turn into a quality NFL player. But, I wouldn’t want to when you don’t have a lot of dire needs across the board, and can afford to take a flier on a guy that looks like the best tight end in the class to me. If I could sum McBride up in two words, it would be “big play.” That’s just what the Titans need right now.
Further Reading: Trey McBride is Anything But a Typical Tight End
2022 TITANS FIRST ROUND OPTIONS
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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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