Mock Draft Roundup: Defense First
For all but the teams competing in the Super Bowl two Sundays from now -- the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – attention has shifted to the offseason.
The Tennessee Titans, of course, are one of 30 NFL teams that has turned the page to evaluation mode, planning for 2021 after a quick postseason exit at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens a few weeks ago.
While much can change about a team’s needs ahead of the NFL Draft given that free agency comes first, national media outlets have ramped up their 2021 mock draft projections for each team in recent weeks.
Fresh off an 11-5 season in which they won the AFC South Division for the first time since 2008, the Titans have many holes to plug on both sides of the ball. Early mock drafts, however, suggest that Tennessee will seek to improve their most glaring weakness: their defense. That unit struggled mightily in 2020 and never made substantial improvements in multiple departments as the season progressed. The Titans finished toward the bottom of the league against the pass, had the worst third-down defense and registered the third-fewest sacks.
As the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, gets into full gear, AllTitans rounds up who each national media outlet has the Titans selecting in the first rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft.
First round (pick No. 22), Jaelan Phillips, defensive end, University of Miami: “It's clear that the patchwork signings of Jadeveon Clowney and Vic Beasley turned out to be more of a hope than any real substance. Phillips can provide an immediate pass-rush impact presence.”
Second round: Osa Odighizuwa, defensive line, UCLA
Third round: Tutu Atwell, wide receiver, Louisville
All Titans analysis: Phillips (pictured) is an interesting prospect because he, after two seasons at UCLA, decided to medically retire from football after injury-plagued seasons that included multiple concussions and other ailments.
But he decided to re-start his football career at Miami in 2019. He redshirted that season but came back in 2020 and solidified himself as a first-round talent. In 10 games with the Hurricanes, he registered a career-high seven sacks, 15 1/2 tackles for a loss and 45 total tackles.
With his injury history, though, you have to wonder how durable Phillips will be in the NFL and how much a risk it might be to select him this early in the draft.
Gregory Rousseau, defensive end, Miami: “This has to be an edge rusher, right? The Titans had a putrid pass rush last season, finishing with 19 total sacks, which was only two more than the last-ranked Bengals. They got very little from free-agent signing Jadeveon Clowney, and leading sacker Harold Landry finished with only 5.5. That’s not good enough for a team that thinks it’s a Super Bowl contender. Six-foot-7 Rousseau, another opt-out, had 15.5 sacks in a breakout 2019 season, but he doesn’t have an elite first step and needs to add some moves to his repertoire. With only one year of production and no live football in a year, he’s another wild card in his class. But again, teams love pass-rushers, wo he could be in demand.
Christian Barmore, defensive line, Alabama: “It's easy to peg the Titans with an edge rusher, but they could get pass-rushing help from the interior too. Barmore would give them that.”
AllTitans analysis: With veteran defensive tackle DaQuan Jones set to become a free agent, it would make sense for the Titans to bolster up the interior of their defensive line. In 24 games over two seasons with the Crimson Tide, the 6-foot-5, 310-pound Barmore recorded 10 sacks, 15 1/2 tackles for a loss and 63 total tackles. He also forced three fumbles.
Trevon Moehrig, safety, TCU: “The Titans have work to do to get their secondary back on track, and Moehrig is a step in the right direction. He works well working downhill, especially from split-safety alignments, making him a perfect complement to current free safety Kevin Byard. Moehrig recorded 21 pass breakups and seven interceptions in his three years at TCU, and that playmaking ability and versatile skill set are much-needed in Tennessee’s defensive system.”
AllTitans analysis: It is hard to foresee the Titans taking a safety in the first round given that if they do want to replace veteran Kenny Vaccaro this offseason, they have a solid in-house option in Amani Hooker. The Titans selected Hooker in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft and he took a big step forward this season in a larger role. He finished tied for the team lead in interceptions with four and collected 51 tackles in 16 games (three starts).
Joseph Ossai, outside linebacker, Texas: “Ossai is extremely flexible along his hips, enabling him to move fluidly when dropping into shallow coverage, or turn to shadow receivers down field. He's an explosive talent who creates mismatches with just his presence on the field. Ossai is an ascending talent who gets better and more confident with each game played and nuanced experience. He is rarely fooled twice by the same play even if it's disguised within a different formation. The Titans' defense must improve on third down conversions and Ossai's versatility may camouflage how Tennessee will attack and dismantle offenses.”
