The offseason has been a long and stressful one for Titans fans. The Titans are at a crossroads as an organization right now. There have been multiple rumors for the last couple of months about the most notable players on the Titans roster. As of now, the Titans seem like they want to have a competitive rebuild and haven’t made any major moves outside of extending Jeffrey Simmons, but we can’t rule out anything going into the draft this Thursday.
Me personally, I’ve been all over the place when it comes to what I want the Titans to do in the draft. I don’t believe Tannehill or Henry will be traded, but I can’t say the same about Kevin Byard. Byard has been one of the most celebrated Titans for a long time. He has said on record that he wants to retire a Titan but after refusing to take a pay cut last month, many believe that Byard may be the guy who gets traded during the draft. I don’t want it to happen, but I’ll understand why if he does. That’s pretty much how I feel about Tannehill and Henry as well.
As for who I would like the Titans to draft with the 11th overall pick, I honestly just want them to get it right. I do have a guy in mind and his name is Joey Porter Jr. Now I know the Titans’ biggest needs are on offense, but there’s also a need at CB as well. We need a guy who can consistently play on the outside. Kristen Fulton is a solid CB, but he isn’t consistent when it comes to his availability. Sean Murphy Bunting was a good pick up in free agency in my opinion, but he only signed a 1yr $3.5M contract with the Titans. We don’t know how that situation will play out. I feel like we have solid depth with Roger McCreary, Elijah Molden, and Tre Avery. I’m not even going to get into Caleb Farley.
To me, Joey Porter Jr. is a perfect fit for the Titans. He’s a long and physical CB who loves to press WRs at the LOS. Standing 6’2 193lbs on top of having 4.4 speed, he has the size and speed to defend most NFL WR1s and WR2s. In his senior season at Penn State, he took his game to another level. In 10 games, he played 440 snaps. He recorded 24 tackles, 4 assists, and made 5 stops. In the secondary, he had 9 pass breakups and surrendered a QB rating of 63.6 when he was targeted. Although he only has 1 INT in his college career and can be too handsy at times, QBs tried their best not to throw in his direction. His coverage is sticky and he is an athletically gifted player.
RJ Ellison (Co-Host of The Titans Colosseum Podcast) loves Jaxon Smith-Njigba at the 11th overall pick. JSN is the best route runner of all the WRs in this year’s draft in my opinion. His 2022 season was cut short due to a hamstring injury but in 2021, he caught 95 passes for 1,606 yards and 9 touchdowns. He may not have the top end speed of someone like Zay Flowers, but his superb route running creates space for him not only to get good separation, but to make the first defender miss. I wouldn’t be mad if the Titans take a chance on JSN at all.
Our other Co-Host Leonard Firestone really doesn’t have a favorite guy in the first round but, he has been adamant about the Titans sticking and picking. Firestone’s dream scenario is for the Titans to trade back a couple of spots in order to pick up additional picks. He has been pro Tannehill through and through. Leonard wants a situation to where the Titans fill as many holes as possible before getting the QB of the future.
He does like Jalin Hyatt in the 2nd round though. Hyatt just always seemed to be open in 2022 as he recorded 67 receptions for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was ranked 5th in the nation in yards and tied for 2nd in touchdowns. Hyatt has decent size for a WR as he stands 6ft tall and weighs 180lbs. What makes Hyatt so dangerous is his speed. He ran an official 40 time of 4.40 but, he is so much faster on film. I honestly believe he just had a bad day when it came to running his 40. Some people also believe that he got open a lot because of Josh Heupel’s offense in TN. I like Marvin Mims more but, Hyatt would also give the Titans something that HC Mike Vrabel says that he’s looking for which is speed.
I’m more than ready for the draft this Thursday. The anxiety and Titans PTSD has been strong this offseason. I feel confident in saying Tannehill, Henry, and Byard will be safe if they don’t get traded this week. If that doesn’t happen and the Titans properly address their needs, I feel like the team will be in good shape going forward.
