It’s finally draft month and the 2020 NFL Draft, which will take place from April 23 through April 25, is rapidly approaching for the Tennessee Titans and the rest of the NFL.
Throughout the rest of this month, we’re going to be putting out mock drafts just to get some discussion going about where the Titans might go in this year’s draft.
Using the Fanspeak draft simulator, I did a full seven-round mock for Tennessee. Take a look at what I came up with.
Round 1
No. 29 overall: Trevon Diggs | CB | Alabama
Cornerback is one of the biggest needs for the Titans this offseason. It’s growing increasingly likely that the Titans won’t re-sign Logan Ryan, and there’s a chance the highly-paid Malcolm Butler will be a cut candidate in 2021.
That means the start of a secondary rebuild is in order.
Diggs gives the Titans the boundary corner for the future they need and his experience playing at Alabama makes him as pro-ready as you can get. He’ll also have a full year to develop behind both Butler and Adoree’ Jackson and can serve as solid depth in his first season.
Round 2
No. 61 overall: Austin Jackson | OT | USC
The departure of Jack Conklin has made adding an offensive tackle more important this offseason. For now, the Titans have a stopgap in Dennis Kelly, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to start looking ahead at the position.
I was surprised Jackson fell this far in the simulation, but if this happens during the draft and he falls to this spot, the Titans should be all over him. The 6-foot-6, 310-pound tackle started on the left side for USC, but he should be able to transition over to the right side.
Round 3
No. 93 overall: Josh Uche | EDGE | Michigan
The Titans don’t necessarily need an EDGE as much after the addition of Vic Beasley and re-signing of Kamalei Correa, but Josh Uche is a prospect with a lot of upside and I couldn’t help myself with him sitting there late in the third.
The 6-foot-2, 250-pound EDGE didn’t get a ton of playing time at Michigan, but when he did he was productive, totaling 14.5 sacks in 21 games the past two seasons.
If Uche wasn’t sitting there, I likely would have gone with a running back or receiver here, but none were available worth taking in this spot — and especially not over Uche.
Round 5
No. 174 overall: Lamical Perine | RB | Florida
The Titans finally add to their running backs room in the fifth round. Tennessee desperately needs a back who can make something happen on third down, and I like Perine’s chances to be that guy.
Perine was active in the passing game at Florida last season and showed he has the chops to be a solid receiving back at the next level, finishing with 40 catches for 262 yards and five touchdowns. He’s not too shabby as a runner, either, so he can be the guy to spell Derrick Henry.
Now, he’ll need some work in pass protection, but he’s good enough from the jump to not be a negative when he’s on the field in passing situations.
Round 7
No. 224 overall: Rodrigo Blankenship | K | Georgia
With the first of three picks in the seventh round for Tennessee, I went ahead and took a shot on the best kicker in this year’s draft.
Blankenship was as consistent as they come for Georgia and has shown he has the leg to make kicks from 50-plus yards out. He’d be perfect competition for Greg Joseph and could be a long-term solution at the position.
Round 7
No. 237 overall: Steven Montez | QB | Colorado
I rolled the dice on a quarterback here because, quite frankly, what have you got to lose with a seventh-round pick?
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound signal-caller has good size, plus speed and a solid arm. If the Titans don’t add a veteran quarterback in free agency, he could compete with Logan Woodside for the backup job. At worst, he might be a practice squad quarterback for the next few years.
Round 7
No. 243 overall: Trajan Bandy | CB | Miami
The Titans lost some of their cornerback depth with the departure of LeShaun Sims to the Cincinnati Bengals. Trajan Bandy could come to Nashville and compete for a spot on the roster as a reserve player.
Mock review
I’m happy with this mock draft overall, but my failure to address the wide receiver position is a definite flaw.
However, it wasn’t a dire need considering the Titans already have a stellar receiving corps. for 2020. Tennessee can try to address the hole left by the seemingly inevitable departure of Corey Davis next offseason.
Aside from that, the Titans address their four biggest needs, which are cornerback, right tackle, EDGE and running back, while also adding some young competition at kicker and quarterback.
Keep an eye out for version 2.0 next week, where we’ll try to incorporate a wideout into the mix.
