Prioritizing The Titans' Draft Needs

NASHVILLE – They had a hell of a finish to the 2019 season.

Three months later, though, the Tennessee Titans are far from a finished product. Yes, they brought back their star quarterback and their star running back and re-signed a handful of role players. But other decisions in recent weeks – and years – have created some obvious holes in the roster.

The next chance to plug some of those gaps is the 2020 NFL Draft, which takes place next Thursday through Saturday.

The Titans have seven picks, three of them in the seventh round. So, it’s not likely they will be able to address all of their needs. They will have to prioritize.

With that in mind, here is a look at Tennessee’s most pressing needs, ranked in order of importance, as they approach the draft.

• Cornerback: The Titans have not drafted a cornerback in the last two years. That is unusual for any team in this pass-happy era of the NFL but not necessarily an issue in its own right. It becomes a problem because Logan Ryan, a starter for the past three years, is still a free agent, and LeShaun Sims, a key backup for the past four seasons, is in Cincinnati. Two others, Tramaine Brock and Tye Smith, were not re-signed either.

Malcolm Butler and Adoreé Jackson are proven starters but there is no clear-cut slot cornerback option and depth is decidedly lacking.

This is a position that must be addressed – and early – in the draft.

• Defensive line: Following the trade of Jurrell Casey to Denver, nose tackle DaQuan Jones, at 28, is the senior member of the defense. However, attempts to beef up the line through free agency in recent years – namely Sylvester Williams (2017) and Bennie Logan (2018) – were unsuccessful. This year, the Titans have added 31-year-old Jack Crawford, who is a role player at best.

Jeffery Simmons, the first-round pick in 2019, is the kind of difference-maker around whom you can build an entire unit. However, behind him, Jones and Crawford are several young players who have yet to establish themselves as anything more than depth guys.

Providing a disruptive partner up front for Simmons so the two can grow together should be a priority, which means a pick somewhere in the first three rounds.

• Offensive Tackle: Presumably, the starting offensive line is set with veteran backup Dennis Kelly set to step in for Jack Conklin at right tackle. But Kelly, 30 years old, is not the long-term answer at the spot, and backup tackles David Quessenberry and Ty Sambrailo are 28 and 29, respectively (Quessenberry will turn 30 before the start of the regular season).

Similar to cornerback, the draft has not added any depth at this spot in recent years. Unlike cornerback, though, there is enough on the current roster to get through this year, if need be, but if the chance arises to select the right tackle of the future (particularly on the second day) expect Tennessee to take it.

• Running back: Derrick Henry is a monster and will be the centerpiece of the offense once again. However, he is not much of a factor in the pass game and part of his success is due to the fact that he has not been overworked during his first four NFL seasons. Following the release of Dion Lewis, there is an opening for a backup/third-down back. Dalyn Dawkins and Shaun Wilson are on the roster and the right type of player, but both have spent the majority of their careers as practice squad guys.

The big question is whether the Titans want someone to serve strictly as an alternative to Henry so that they can expand the playbook, or if they would draft somebody who eventually could supplant Henry as the featured runner – as Henry once did with DeMarco Murray.

If it’s the latter, there could be opportunities to do so as early as the first round. Regardless of what they decide, this is not the most pressing need.

• Wide receiver: With Corey Davis, A.J. Brown and Adam Humphries, the Titans have starters at the three primary wide receiver spots. There also are role players in place, most notably Kalif Raymond who emerged as a downhill threat late last season.

However, Davis’ long-term future with the team is not assured. Thus, it would make sense to draft someone to be the primary backup at all three spots in 2020 and grow into a starter after that. And with an unusual number of highly regarded wide receiver prospects available in 2020, it will be important to get one.

• Quarterback: With Ryan Tannehill, there is no debate about the starter. Logan Woodside, who never has played in a regular season game, is the only other quarterback on the roster, though.

At the very least, the Titans another quarterback to get through the offseason. If they can’t find one in the draft, there will be veteran options on the other side.

• Kicker: This team was historically bad in terms of placekicking in 2019. While the last man standing, Greg Joseph, is still on the roster, he will have to win job in 2020. And he might have to beat out a younger, cheaper option to do so.

Almost no team goes into the draft thinking it will select a kicker, but Tennessee needs to find a long-term solution at that spot – and the draft might just be the place to do so.