Roll Call: The Complete 2022 Draft Class
NASHVILLE – General manager Jon Robinson used three trades to turn seven selections into nine during the course of the 2022 NFL Draft.
The result was the Tennessee Titans’ largest draft class in five years. The last time they made that many was 2017, Robinson’s second year on the job.
The Titans made at least one pick in every round except the final one, the seventh. The last time they had a choice in each of the first six rounds was 2019, a monumental class of six total choices (one in each of the first six rounds) that yielded two Pro Bowlers, Jeffery Simmons and A.J. Brown, and three other current starters, Nate Davis, Amani Hooker and David Long. Brown, of course, is no longer with the team, having been dealt to Philadelphia on Thursday in the first of the weekend’s deals.
This time they made multiple picks in three rounds, including the sixth, which produced their final two selections. One of those was Nashville native Theo Jackson, a defensive back out of the University of Tennessee.
Their nine choices included six players on offense, including their potential quarterback of the future, third-round choice Malik Willis.
“I don’t know that we set out to say, ‘Hey, we need to take X amount of picks or we needed to take this pick and turn it into that,” Robinson said. “It just kind of manifested itself organically. … But it’s always good when you can have extra guys, especially on a day like Saturday when the guys we took we feel really good about coming in, carving out a role on the team and competing.”
Here is the complete Tennessee Titans 2022 draft class:
FIRST ROUND: Treylon Burks, WR Arkansas (18th overall)
What to know: At 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, he has drawn a lot of comparisons to A.J. Brown, who he effectively replaces. Burks does not have elite speed but is tough to bring down when the ball is in his hands.
Notable number: 6 – 100-yard receiving games in 2021, a school record.
Fun fact: He hunts wild boar with just his dogs and a knife.
Burks said: “Honestly, I’ve watched every wide receiver and take everything from them to help my game. I really mimic myself after myself just because I feel like without being myself, I wouldn't be in this position.”
Jon Robinson said: “He's been an exciting player in the SEC, big yards per catch, he's a big target. He's fast. He's competitive. He's a player that we spent time with. He came here on a 30 visit, got to know him, and excited to get him here in the offense and watch him work.”
SECOND ROUND: Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn (35th overall)
What to know: At 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, he won’t be the biggest cornerback on the roster and has some physical limitations, but he is unfailingly competitive in man-to-man coverage, which makes him a fit for what the Titans like to do on defense.
Notable number: 14 – passes defensed in 2021, which led the SEC.
Fun fact: He eats a full plate of baked beans – with sugar – as part of his pregame routine.
McCreary said: “I feel like I will come in and do great with my skillset because I’m a corner that can play a lot of zone too. I know that I can play the nickel too to fit in the secondary, and I can go out to the corner. So, I feel like it's good that going into the system.”
Mike Vrabel said: “When you press play, he is close to his guy, and he is competitive. No nonsense. … Every tape that we watched he is close to his guy.”
THIRD ROUND: Nicholas Petit-Frere, T, Ohio State (69th overall)
What to know: He was a two-year starter at right tackle who occasionally switched to the left side. After the failure with Isaiah Wilson (first round, 2020) and the uncertainty about Dillon Radunz (second round, 2021), Petit-Frere represents the latest attempt to find the right tackle of the future.
Notable number: 40 – pounds gained during his college career. That got him to 315, which is still on the small side by NFL standards.
Fun fact: In 2019, he did an externship at WWE headquarters in Orlando, Fla.
Petit-Frere said: “There's only a few people that you can say, ‘Hey, I got a chance to block for someone you’ll be able to have stories about and to be able to block for someone like Derrick Henry, one of the best running backs in the league, one of the best running backs ever to play college football.’ I mean, oh my God, this is such a blessing.”
Robinson said: “Extremely intelligent. I like the fact that he has played a couple of different spots and he has played a couple of different spots in-game. You can see him. He has kicked over to the right side, kicked over to the left side in a game, and that's sometimes a tough transition for players to do that. I thought he did it pretty well.”
THIRD ROUND: Malik Willis, QB, Liberty (86th overall)
What to know: He started his college career at Auburn but transferred to Liberty after two seasons. He is a little undersized at 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, but he is a dual threat who was Liberty’s leading rusher last season (878 yards, 13 touchdowns) and accounted for 65.9 percent of his team’s offense last season.
Notable number: 40 – touchdowns scored last season (27 passing, 13 rushing), which was a school record and helped him rank eighth nationally in points responsible for.
Fun fact: He wears jersey number 7 because “that’s how many days it took God to make the earth.:
Willis said: “You’re getting somebody that loves the game and loves his teammates. I just want to be the best guy I can be, helping everybody get better as well as myself. I just want everybody to be the best they can be.”
Robinson said: “Good arm, athletic, moves around well. Got a really good skillset. Throws a good ball. He is tough to tackle. He has a lot of work to do, obviously, like all the rookies do, but excited to add him to the team and compete.”
FOURTH ROUND: Hassan Haskins, RB, Michigan (131st overall)
What to know: He was Michigan’s offensive player of the year in 2021 when he rushed for 1,327 yards and set a school record with 20 rushing touchdowns, which ranked fourth in the country. He has ordinary size (6-1, 220) and speed but outperforms his measurables.
Notable number: 6 – six rushing attempts that lost yards in 2021 out of 270 total carries.
Fun fact: In high school, he placed second in the high jump at the Missouri state championship when he cleared 6-7.
Haskins said: “I run angry. I don’t want to get hit in the backfield or none of that. I’m trying to gain yards and get them extra little YAC (yards after contact) yards. I’m just a powerful, aggressive runner.”
Robinson said: "Usually the first guy doesn't bring him down very easily. So, I like -- stylistically -- the way he carries the football."
FOURTH ROUND: Chigoziem Okonkwo, TE, Maryland (143rd overall)
What to know: He is a fast, athletic tight end with a compact build (6-3, 250) that makes him a well-rounded tight end. He is a better-than-average blocker, has the necessary speed and explosiveness (he was the fastest tight end at this year’s combine) to get open and the shiftiness to make tacklers miss once the ball is in his hand.
Notable number: 52 receptions last season, second-most ever by a Maryland tight end to former Titan Frank Wycheck’s 58 in 1990.
Fun fact: His first sport was tennis, which he played from the time he was six years old until he was 12.
Okonkwo said: “You need a tight end to be a mismatch just because the way the game is evolving, there's so much speed involved in the game now. So you want a tight end who can who can win those matchups, and I feel like I'm that person who can win those matchups and beat people with speed and just make plays for us.”
Robinson said: "Extremely smart. Fast. Athletic. ... He is speed, stretch the field vertical, get the ball in his hands."
FIFTH ROUND: Kyle Philips, WR/PR, UCLA (163rd overall)
What to know: A highly productive receiver in Chip Kelly’s offense (he led UCLA in receptions each of the last three seasons), the 5-foot-11, 191-pounder projects as a slot receiver in the NFL. He brings added value as a punt returner who took back two for touchdowns during his college career.
Notable number: 60 – receptions in 2019, the most by a freshman (true or redshirt) in UCLA football history.
Fun fact: His mother was a high school sprinter, and his father was a wide receiver in high school.
Philips said: "I'm a guy that whatever the coach needs, I can go get it done. If you need someone blocking, I'll go block that guy. If they want a third down, I can get that for them, or a touchdown. I'm a reliable guy that kind of puts the team first."
Robinson said: “He knows how to get open and catch. … It just looked like he understood leverage of DBs and [thought], ‘I can set this guy up this way, and he’s going to take it. And I’m going to go that way and get myself some space.’”
SIXTH ROUND: Theo Jackson, DB, Tennessee (204th overall)
What to know: A jack-of-all-trades in the secondary who played cornerback, safety and slot cornerback in college, which makes him the kind of player Titans coaches like to use for specific matchups from week to week. The 6-foot-2, 203-pounder is a Nashville native who played at Overton High School before he went to UT.
Notable number: 9 – tackles for loss last season, tied for most in the SEC by a defensive back (he also had 12 quarterback hits).
Fun fact: He ranked second in the SEC in passes defesned (behind second-round pick Roger McCreary) last season.
Jackson said: "It's the best feeling, to grow up in Nashville, go to school at Tennessee and then come back home for pro ball. So, it’s really like, I can't even think of the words to say right now. I'm just so, so excited. I'm so eager to get to work."
Robinson said: "The thing we liked about Theo is we do think he's got a home in (special teams). And I like his versatility on defense. I think he can play a couple of different positions. ... We were excited he was there."
SIXTH ROUND: Chance Campbell, LB, Ole Miss (219th overall)
What to know: There is no question about his effort or his enthusiasm. He has above average speed and uses it. However, he does not always take the necessary time to process everything he sees. Given the depth at inside linebacker, he will take a familiar route – start on special teams and grow into a role on defense (if he can) over the next several seasons.
Notable number: 3 – fumble recoveries last season, tied for third in the country.
Fun fact: He led all participating players when he raised more $9,000 through Reps for Rare Diseases through his performance at the NFL scouting combine.
Campbell said: "I think that I’m going to try to work hard, put the team first. And I think when you do those things, you kind of keep your head down and just do whatever is asked of you to the best of your ability and things will work out the way that they're supposed to."
Robinson said: "He's traditionally been more of a downhill, between-the-tackles type of linebacker, which certainly lends itself well to special teams. ... A tough, physical inside linebacker. Runs pretty good.