The 2017 NFL Draft takes place April 27-29 this year, and as it stands, the Tennessee Titans have two first round draft picks. General manager Jon Robinson and head coach Mike Mularkey currently hold the 5th overall selection and the 18th overall selection. Over the next few weeks, your boy Big Natural will be taking a look at some of the prospects rumored to be tied to or make sense for the Titans.
Like a lot of positions across the Titans roster, safety isn’t one of dire need. It’s a testament to Robinson’s ability to assemble a capable roster through last year’s draft and his two free agency periods as GM. As it stands, Kevin Byard and Johnathan Cyprien are probably the starters at safety come Week 1. But, Byard isn’t a polished, complete safety. Sure, he’s got elite potential as a playmaking ball haw, but he hasn’t reached that yet. Cyprien is a veteran known for his hard-hitting run support, not coverage skills.
As a whole, the secondary was pretty atrocious last year. Considering the Titans had a decent enough pass rush to generate 40 sacks on the year, you figure the secondary deserves its share of the blame. When it comes to the Titans defense, there was plenty of blame to go around, but the secondary definitely needs some help.
Now, that could come at either safety or cornerback, sure. But, for the purposes of this article, we’re going to talk about the potential of former Ohio State safety, Malik Hooker.
First things first, Hooker is a raw prospect. Any team that drafts this kid is going to have to show some patience. But, in the long run, he could become one of the top safeties in the NFL.
When you hear Hooker’s name, you immediately think of his ball skills. The former Buckeye seems to have an innate ability to find the ball. One of his specialties is his ability to follow the play and understand where the quarterback is going with the ball. He’s also proven capable of helping corners deep when opposing offenses try to hit the home run.
Hooker isn’t a run stuffer, though. He missed quite a few tackles in 2016. But, the biggest criticism of Hooker is the fact that he only has one year of experience. He skyrocketed up draft boards because of his potential, but just doesn’t have a lot of career production.
Ultimately, Hooker just doesn’t seem to be the type of player that Robinson and Mularkey covet. He’s far too raw and had one good season at Ohio State. If given the option, I think they’d take Jamal Adams from LSU first. But, if they’re able to trade down and he’s available later on in the top….12, let’s say…then yeah, maybe he gets a serious look.
Voch Lombardi, at it again:
Catch up on previous first round option reports:
Jamal Adams
Jonathan Allen
Derek Barnett
Corey Davis
Reuben Foster
OJ Howard
Forrest Lamp
Marshon Lattimore
John Ross
Mike Williams
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. A strong advocate of GSD (get shit done) and #BeBetter, he’s down to talk Tennessee Titans and Alabama Crimson Tide football over a beer any day. Check him out covering the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @WrestlingNewsCo
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