With the Tennessee Titans’ 2020 NFL Draft now in the books, it’s time to take a look back at the biggest takeaways from it.
Here’s what the team’s six selections tell us.
No faith in Dennis Kelly?
After locking Dennis Kelly up to a three-year deal earlier this offseason, it was thought the Titans might forgo taking an offensive tackle in the first round in favor of a bigger need, like cornerback.
General manager Jon Robinson did the opposite and drafted offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson in the first round, which was considered by many to be a reach.
He also said that Wilson and Kelly will compete for the starting job in training camp shortly after making the pick. That doesn’t show much confidence in Kelly as a starter, even though he played well in place of Jack Conklin in 2018.
Kelly may end up having the last laugh, though, as it’s quite possible he beats the rookie for the starting spot.
However, in a perfect world, the Titans would love Wilson to win a starting spot right away, enabling the team to keep Kelly as the high-end, versatile backup he has been during his tenure in Nashville. If any team knows how important it is to have depth and versatility on the offensive line, it’s the Titans.
Plenty of competitions incoming
Some of the players the Titans added during and in the aftermath of the 2020 NFL Draft will create plenty of competition in training camp for starting spots. We already mentioned one of those competitions will occur at right tackle.
Drafting Cole McDonald and the UDFA signing of Missouri kicker Tucker McCann will also ensure competition at both quarterback (with Logan Woodside) and kicker (Greg Joseph), respectively.
It’s also possible that second-round pick Kristian Fulton and 2019 fourth-round pick Amani Hooker will compete to be the No. 1 slot corner. Fifth-round pick Larrell Murchison could have a shot at defensive end against veteran Jack Crawford.
Third-round pick Darrynton Evans is the default favorite to spell Derrick Henry next season, but don’t rule out Dalyn Dawkins or another running back being brought into the mix to challenge him.
JRob does it again
It’s way too early to fully judge Robinson’s 2020 draft class, but so far it’s looking pretty good.
The Titans had needs to fill at defensive line, cornerback, backup running back, backup quarterback, offensive line, EDGE and kicker upon entering the draft.
Robinson addressed five of those seven needs with all six of his picks, and then addressed kicker with a UDFA signing. It’s hard to argue there was much waste in the moves he made.
Furthermore, the need at EDGE, which he has already tried to address with the signing of Vic Beasley in free agency, might be filled even more if the Titans can sign Jadeveon Clowney.
The only gripe I’d have with Robinson’s draft is that he may have reached for Wilson, but that’s somewhat offset by the fact that he got lucky with Fulton falling in his lap late in the second.
For now, Robinson appears to have lived up to his stellar track record in the draft.
There’s no chance Logan Ryan returns
Even before the draft, I didn’t think Logan Ryan was going to return. He was simply too expensive and not fast enough to adequately play in the slot in today’s NFL.
Tennessee was able to land Fulton, who can play both in the slot and on the outside. Most importantly, if he plays in the slot he’d be a significant upgrade over Ryan in the speed department.
The Titans continued adding more speed in the secondary with the seventh-round pick of defensive back Chris Jackson, who is versatile and can play the nickel or safety if he makes the roster.
With their recent additions and some of the players already on the roster (Like Hooker and Adoree’ Jackson), Tennessee now has plenty of options to play nickel, leaving no room for Ryan to return.
Did Clowney impact draft strategy?
Robinson denied that the pursuit of Clowney changed the way he approached the draft and the team was in fact looking at edge defenders.
However, the Titans didn’t take a single EDGE with any of their six picks, despite there being ample opportunity to do so. Robinson even traded his second-to-last pick instead of at least trying to add some depth there.
Perhaps Robinson is simply happy with the current group, didn’t have a crack at anyone he likes, or he knows something we don’t and Clowney is indeed coming to Nashville.
Let’s just hope we get more clarity on the situation sooner rather than later.
The future is bright
Most Titans fans are happy with the draft Robinson had — and rightfully so, he netted some good young players with a lot of potential.
It’s also important to note that the man who has enjoyed so much success drafting players during his tenure in Nashville will have at least eight picks at his disposal in 2021. Robinson was able to add the extra pick by trading one of his seventh-round selections to the Chiefs for a sixth-rounder next year.
Of course, that number of picks for 2021 doesn’t include potential compensatory picks the Titans might add, so there could be more.
Tennessee is already well-positioned to win now, but Robinson is making sure this team can keep winning well into the future.
