Mock Drafts: For Entertainment Only

Mock drafts are all the rage this time of year, and I'd be the first to admit they are entertaining. However, that's all they are, entertaining because no one outside the walls of the headquarters of the 32 league teams knows what's being said and done about the rankings of the team needs or players they like best at each position.

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

NASHVILLE -  Mock drafts are all over the place this time of year, and I'm even considering doing one myself, as I have in the past. However, anyone who takes them as fact needs to be more honest with themselves.   

It's easy to look at a team like the Titans and see the apparent needs of the offensive line, the receiver corps, the secondary, and of course, edge pass-rushing help. The tricky part comes when you try to mock players to a team but need to know what values the team has on those positions and where they might want to spend their resources to address those problem areas. 

For instance, in a recent three-round mock by Pro Football Network, the Titans chose Peter Skoronski, OT-Northwestern, in round one, followed by Georgia edge rusher/linebacker Nolan Smith in the second, and Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman in the third round. 

While that seems like an excellent draft- and it would be because it addresses three need positions, will that be how the Titans brass stack their draft boards and prioritize them? 

That's the thing; we have yet to learn how they rank those needs. 

Also, we must factor in free agency and what positions the team can address before the draft. For example, if the Titans sign three offensive linemen during this period, will they take a tackle with the first pick? 

We still need to find the answer, but it would be a safe bet that if they signed a left tackle, Skoronski wouldn't likely be the guy unless they take him, intending to move him to guard, because of the knock on him having short arms.   

As for the other two picks, they too fall into the same guessing game, though after the first round, picks often become more about who is available and how they are ranked on a team's draft board. 

As for the PFN draft and Skoronski, Smith, and Tillman, those are three names that the Titans would likely be interested in and could select in April. 

Now that I've written all this, it's time to work on a mock draft of our own, but I think I will wait till after free agency to do it, so I might have a better chance of being right about one or two of my projected picks.