You know what I love? The NFL Draft. You know what I love more? Setting unrealistic expectations for my team based off what I think is the right thing to do in juxtaposition with what the experts like Jon Robinson see as the best way to run the team.
That is why NFL mock drafts are the best marriage of those two things.
I have done this for a number of weeks now. The goal is to show where the Tennessee Titans need to get better during the offseason.
It also shows which positions can get them beaten if they aren’t careful. Now, I can take a look at what will make them better, not just what lost them a particular game.
With my eyes on the Kansas City Chiefs game, here is my quick fix 2017 NFL mock draft.
As always, thanks to Fanspeak for making this much easier thanks to their mock draft simulator.
Round 1, pick 6: Tim Williams EDGE, Alabama
One of my big concerns lately with the Titans defense isn’t so much coverage, it is their ability to get to the quarterback with just four guys. Dick LeBeau seems set on sending just 3 or 4 early in games and waiting until later in the game to blitz.
That is fine and all, but you need to be one of the deepest units in the league in your front four so that you can constantly get pressure and then rotate fresh bodies in.
Right now I think Kevin Dodd is a nice fit for what LeBeau is doing with the LDE on defense. He wants Derrick Morgan/Dodd to be a run player first who maintains gap integrity and who focuses more on getting underneath the pads of the right tackle and getting push, than he focuses on beating the OT around the edge.
On the other side though, I think he would like a speed rusher to compliment Pro Bowl EDGE player Brian Orakpo. That seems to be where he wants his pass rush to come from most, and Tim Williams is an outstanding talent. You don’t have to believe me (I mean, you should but whatever) just check out Jonah Tuls’ first big board and the new piece by Justis Mosqueda to find people effusive in their praise for Williams.
Round 1, pick 17: Jabrill Peppers S/LB, Michigan
A lot of people are down on Peppers, and I get it. Peppers isn’t a guy with a clear position in the NFL, some people say that he is a nickel linebacker, other people think he is a safety and some people think that he will have to add weight and play in the box full-time.
Here is what I know, Dick LeBeau had a ton of success with Troy Polamalu. That doesn’t mean that I think Peppers is going to be Polamalu, what I mean is LeBeau knows how to use a versatile athlete who seems to have a knack for making plays.
Stylistically it makes a lot of sense for the Titans to take Peppers and start him at strong safety (Byard plays free). Then, on sub packages, take Williamson out who has struggled mightily in coverage and move Peppers to linebacker (or put him in the box).
This kills two birds with one stone and the Titans can be aggressive with this pick since they should be able to grab a guy they love with the Rams pick. I think LeBeau could pound the table for him, and it would give the Titans one of the best safety tandems in the NFL if he panned out.
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Round 3, pick 81: Evan Engram TE, Ole Miss
Engram is a slot receiver and a tight end…much like another tight end Titans fans should be familiar with. In this draft, there are really three jobs for the Titans and Jon Robinson:
1. Fix the pass defense, whether that is through adding DBs, pass rushers or both.
2. Find a way to transition from talented veterans to younger players in the next few years.
3. Add talent when it is dropped in your lap.
This might fit both of two and three. With Delanie Walker getting older, a younger tight end is needed. I don’t know whether Engram will ever be a great blocker, but if he can be a faster Delanie Walker then you have to get this guy given how much Walker has helped Mariota so far in his career.
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Round 3, pick 101: Zay Jones WR, East Carolina
Jones is a very productive receiver who has a big frame and who wins outside. He is reliable and carries his team in the passing game, almost beating South Carolina single handed. Jon Robinson loves guys like Jones and here his talent is just too much to overcome.
While I don’t think Jones is a WR1, I think Rishard Matthews just may be. If he is, then Jones can go to WR2, Tajae Sharpe can play inside where he won’t have to deal with press coverage, and he can rotate in and out with Engram depending on formation.
Round 4, pick 120: Damontae Kazee CB, San Diego State
Kazee isn’t a name a lot of people know, but he is another player that Jon Robinson will love. Kazee is a senior and he has been insanely productive, including 15 interceptions in 2015 and 2016 combined. In fact he ranked 1st this year in picks, and 2nd last year.
He has the ideal size for the position, but because he plays at SDST, he isn’t high on a lot of people’s draft boards. It isn’t unthinkable that he and another 4th round CB (LeShaun Sims) could both be starting for the Titans at CB next year if this pick was made.
