Welcome to the weekly Tennessee Titans draft roundup for the 2022 NFL Draft. Over the course of the next several weeks, I’ll be releasing this column once a week with my very professional journalism opinions. You’ll find everything from rumors to wild speculation to actual analysis (sometimes). Titan up!
*Alright, we’re BACK for another year of the weekly Titans Draft Roundup here on SoBros Network – I like to start this thing off every year by establishing some needs, so let’s dive right in. I actually think the Titans are in great shape heading into this draft because of the state of the roster. I don’t think there is a glaring hole anywhere on the field right now, and that enables the Titans to have a little wiggle room with that first round pick. That’s not to say they don’t have needs – I’m sure there is a plan in place for right tackle, guard depth/competition, adding play-makers, and planting depth around the defense. But, there’s not an emergency need as has been the case in years past. This has been the case for a couple of years now. I think they need to find a quality right tackle in the draft. To me, that’s probably the team’s biggest need after acquiring Robert Woods from the Los Angeles Rams. But, I do still think there’s a need for a wide receiver early in the draft. If anything, the Julio Jones trade taught us that the Titans should have a back-up plan when acquiring a player returning from injury just in case. This is also a deep tight end class in which the Titans could find their TE1 of the future. That’s why I’m excited about this draft if I’m a Titans fan – the areas of need match up with positions of strength in this draft class. This is a good year to be in need of offensive line help, wide receivers, and tight ends. So, I’m ranking the most pressing needs as OL, WR, TE.
*The Titans don’t have a 2nd round pick in 2022 – is that a big deal? The list of names that Jon Robinson has drafted in the 2nd round include Kevin Dodd, Austin Johnson, Derrick Henry, Harold Landry, A.J. Brown, Kristian Fulton, and Dillon Radunz. That’s a pretty good hit rate. The jury’s still out on Radunz, Johnson is playing elsewhere, and holy shit you don’t need me to tell you what a disaster Dodd was. But, otherwise, Robinson has been able to find some franchise-changers in the 2nd round. So, is there some secret formula to being able to find those guys in the 2nd round? If so, should the Titans be trying to move back into the 2nd round? Or, is it all just a coincidence? We’ll answer that question and more next week on Unsolved Mysteries.
*Zach Lyons of Football & Other F Words and Broadway Sports wrote a hell of a piece on the prospects of the Titans spending their first round pick on a quarterback. I’m not opposed to the idea at all. I mean, I just mentioned how good of shape I think this roster is in, and that affords them the luxury of being able to take a guy that could be the heir apparent to Ryan Tannehill and extend this team’s Super Bowl window. This quarterback class is better than people are giving it credit for, and there are at least five guys with ‘quality starter’ potential in it (I’m of the opinion that Carson Strong makes six, but we’ll dive into this more on this week’s Unofficial Titans Podcast). So, if the Titans can grab a guy like that in the first round, they are absolutely in a comfortable spot to do so. I’m not saying that the Titans will or should pull the trigger on a quarterback, but I do think that Titans fans should warm up to the idea just in case.
*I’m starting to see Tyler Smith‘s name emerging on mock drafts more and more. I need to dive into the guy a little more, but on the surface, he looks like a “Titans type” along the offensive line – big, nasty, and powerful in the run game. The Titans have a solid track record of developing offensive line prospects (keep your Isaiah Wilson jokes to yourself), so maybe the raw technique issues don’t scare them as much. Smith could be the right tackle of the future, and the idea that he’ll slide into the last few picks of the first round is starting to pick up steam.
*If I see Nakobe Dean mocked to the Titans one more time…*sigh* – and here’s the thing, it’s not that I don’t think the Titans need depth at ILB. They could stand to draft a guy in the later rounds, and I wouldn’t be mad about it (hello, Darrian Beavers). But to think that the Titans have an immediate need at inside linebacker is just failing to do your due diligence. This team has confidence in Zach Cunningham and David Long Jr. to get the job done. They’re high on Monty Rice for good reason – as critical as I was of the pick last spring, I’m happy to eat some crow and say I was wrong. He looks like a promising young linebacker. Could they use a 4th guy for the rotation? Sure. But, let’s end this ‘Nakobe Dean in the first round’ nonsense. Of course, now….it would be just my luck for the Titans to draft Dean in the first round…
*I also wish people would stop mocking Jahan Dotson to the Titans. He doesn’t fit the bill in terms of what this team covets in a wide receiver at all. He has a valuable skill set in the NFL – we just haven’t seen Robinson and company put a premium on a guy like him. I look at a guy like Treylon Burks and think he’s much more of a fit in Nashville.
*The Titans showed up for Cole Strange‘s Pro Day. If you’ve been reading or listening to my work since the Senior Bowl, you already know I’m high on Strange’s versatility and the punch with which he plays the game. He’s a perfect fit for the Titans system and the type of guy they look for in a lineman. I interviewed Strange back in February, which you can check out in podcast form or on the YouTube gimmick.
*As it stands, the Titans currently have seven picks in the 2022 NFL Draft:
- 1st round, 26th overall
- 3rd round, 90th overall
- 4th round, 131st overall
- 4th round, 143rd overall
- 5th round, 169th overall
- 6th round, 204th overall
- 6th round, 219th overall
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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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