How the Titans can use the Rams' draft picks to build a contender
Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns and spent the last 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast."
In case you've been living under a rock the past week or so, the Los Angeles Rams have moved up to the first overall pick in the draft to presumably select the face of their franchise in their new home in California. In the process of moving from the first overall pick down to the 15th, the Tennessee Titans added the Rams' first- and third-round picks in 2017, as well as the 43rd, 45th, and 76th overall selections. While Tennessee also sent Los Angeles the 113th and 177th overall picks, it's still quite a haul for the rebuilding Titans. Now, the question arises, what should Tennessee do with its new wealth of draft capital?
On offense, the Titans have a need at offensive tackle and there are many who believe adding a top wide receiver prospect would also be a smart move. The Titans traded for DeMarco Murray to be their workhorse ball carrier, but I have one of their two first-round picks targeted for a first-round running back in the 2017 draft, which looks loaded with premier running backs. On defense, Tennessee needs help basically everywhere. The secondary, in particular, needs a lot of work. The front office has shown it won't hesitate to move around the draft board to get the players it desires. With the wealth of picks the Titans own over the next two drafts, expect them to be very active in the trade market.
Day 1 (Pick 15): With all the speculation of Tennessee taking Laremy Tunsil first overall (before trading out, obviously), the logical move here would be for the Titans to find an offensive tackle with the pick to help open running lanes and, more importantly, protect their very promising young quarterback. If they hang tight at 15, the Titans might land Jack Conklin or, worst-case scenario, Taylor Decker. They could then plug Conklin or Decker in at right tackle and leave Taylor Lewan on the left side.
However, if two quarterbacks go off the board in the top two picks and San Diego doesn't select him, it's possible Tunsil will still be on the board when the Ravens pick at six. The Titans could conceivably move up to sixth or even seventh overall and get the probable No. 1 player on their board while skimming a wealth of extra picks off the top. A more likely scenario would be moving up to snag Ronnie Stanley even later in the first round and sacrificing fewer picks to do so. Tunsil or Stanley would play left tackle and Lewan would go to the right side in these instances, which is a probable upgrade at both starting positions.
But can't the Titans get a right tackle in Round 2, when they have three selections? If they feel comfortable with someone like Germain Ifedi, maybe they opt for this tactic, but to me, you lock off the guy in charge of protecting the franchise's most valuable asset and start plucking the best player on the board from then on. If they disagree and don't go for a tackle in Round 1, Laquon Treadwell would be very hard to pass up. Alternatively, they could grab a defensive player like Jarran Reed, Robert Nkemdiche, Sheldon Rankins, or William Jackson. While they would all be welcome additions, if it was up to me, I wouldn't leave Day 1 of the draft without an offensive tackle, with Decker representing the least attractive option of the potential additions.
Day 2 (Picks 33, 43, 45, 64, 76): Day 2 rolls around and the Titans own three picks in the first 14 selections after having a night to reflect on Day 1 and formulate a plan. Of course, they might have used one or more of the picks to move up the day before, but it still sets up to be a lot of fun. Plus, they can always use one or more of their four third-round picks over the next two drafts in order to get even more Day 2 players to rebuild around.
The one player who I would target relentlessly is Jaylon Smith - but only if my team doctor believes Smith can be back to 100 percent by the 2017 season. The Titans are in pretty good shape on the second level with Avery Williamson and Wesley Woodyard, but many think Smith is the best player in the draft and truly a special linebacker prospect. Newsflash for Titans fans: Your team isn't going to win the Super Bowl in 2017, but someone like Smith could be a key reason why you do in 2018 or beyond. He can have that much of an impact.
If the tackle position is secure and at some point in the second round the Titans take a chance on Smith, the focus for the remainder of Day 2 of the draft should revolve around the defensive side of the ball, with a heavy emphasis on the secondary. Targets should include players such as Xavien Howard, Artie Burns, or Kalan Reed at cornerback, and Karl Joseph, Vonn Bell, Keanu Neal, Sean Davis, and Justin Simmons at safety.
The Titans could also look at a strong safety/linebacker hybrid (think Troy Polamalu in Dick LeBeau's defense) and pursue someone such as Sua Cravens, Deion Jones, Jeremy Cash, or in the later rounds, Jatavis Brown.
In a rich defensive tackle draft class, the big guys up front shouldn't be ignored; players like Andrew Billings, Kenny Clark, Austin Johnson, and Javon Hargrave would be great second-round additions.
You could do worse than Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo coming off the edge in LeBeau's defense. It's important to build for tomorrow and you can never have too much pass-rushing talent. Orakpo will soon be 30 years old and has an extensive injury history, so grooming someone like Kamalei Correa, Shilique Calhoun, Charles Tapper, or Kyler Fackrell isn't just wise, it's imperative. The outside linebacker position could very well be addressed next offseason, when the Titans have a wealth of draft and free-agency capital to further improve their team.
Lastly, if a wide receiver falls on Day 2, Tennessee could pounce, which might eventually give it an abundance of riches at the position if they all work out. Some options that could pay off huge are Sterling Shepard, Michael Thomas, Braxton Miller, Leonte Carroo, Rashard Higgins, and Keyarris Garrett. The Titans could be the perfect team to take Miller and bring him along slowly as he continues to adjust to playing wide receiver.
The Titans' roster is going to look different in the upcoming season, which is a good thing. If done properly, Tennessee could contend in 2017 and well beyond.