After releasing 2020 starting right tackle Dennis Kelly earlier this offseason, it’s very possible that the Tennessee Titans will be looking to find his replacement in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Such a decision would cause quite a stir, as the Titans recently rid themselves of the problem that was offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson, the team’s last attempt to find a right tackle of the future.
But the Titans are back at it in the latest Pro Football Focus mock draft, which comes from Andrew Erickson. He has Tennessee taking Texas offensive tackle Samuel Cosmi at No. 22 overall.
Here’s why:
If there’s anything the Titans know about drafting wide receivers, it’s that there are great ones available outside the first round: A.J. Brown was a second-round pick in 2019 and now sits No. 1 atop my dynasty fantasy football rankings.
So even though there is a glaring need for pass-catchers in Tennessee — they have the second-highest percentage of vacated targets from 2020 —the Titans are likely to take advantage of the depth at the WR position in the draft.
Instead of drafting a receiver, they take another stab at the tackle position with Samuel Cosmi out of Texas. Last season, Tennessee drafted Isaiah Wilson in the first round but ended up releasing him less than a year later due to off-the-field issues.
Cosmi can slide into the Titans’ starting lineup at right tackle. He finished last season as PFF’s third-highest-graded pass-blocker among 2021 draft eligible tackles.
If the Titans do nothing more at the position in the draft or free agency, it’ll be up for grabs between newly-signed Kendall Lamm and Ty Sambrailo, both of whom have spent the majority of their careers as backups.
While it remains to be seen if Cosmi could snatch a starting role right away, he’d at least be a long-term solution on the right side and could be given a year to develop while the Titans deploy Lamm or Sambrailo.
Texas OT Sam Cosmi (6’6”, 314)
▪️ 4.84s 40-yard dash (98th)
▪️ 1.68s 10-yard split (98th)
▪️ 9’9” board jump (98th)
▪️ 4.39s 20-yard split (98th)
▪️ 7.35s 3C (94th)*percentiles are per @PFF's measurables database and factor in both pro day & combine testing
— Austin Gayle (@PFF_AustinGayle) March 12, 2021
Another potential option for the Titans at No. 22 is Oklahoma State offensive tackle Teven Jenkins, a prospect NFL Network’s Charley Casserly says the team has serious interest in. Michigan’s Jalen Mayfield might also be an option and has been mocked to Tennessee on multiple occasions.
Of course, the Titans could look to take a player at a position of slightly bigger need in this spot, like cornerback or wide receiver.
If general manager Jon Robinson does indeed take a tackle early on in this draft, he badly needs to nail it this time, especially if the selection comes in the first round.
