Carthon Must Correct Titans First-Round Draft Woes

The Tennessee Titans new general manager Ran Carthon is working with a grace period as he works to fix the team's roster and salary cap issues.

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODA

NASHVILLE - It's no secret that the Tennessee Titans have missed, and sometimes missed badly, on first-round draft picks in recent years. That and other failures led to former general manager Jon Robinson's firing from his position.

Enter Ran Carthon to replace him. While Carthon is working with a bit of a grace period as he attempts to rework the roster, his grace period in the eyes of the fans will begin to dim if he can't correct one of the worst issues of the Robinson era, hitting on round one selection. 

Over the last ten seasons, the Titans have had a total of ten first-round picks, dating back to Taylor Lewan in 2014

Of those ten, only Lewan could earn and play out their second contract with the Titans. Jeffery Simmons signed his second deal on Friday, and last season's first pick, Treylon Burks, is still on his rookie deal. 

The Last Ten Ones 

2014: Lewan just completed his ninth season with the Titans, with his career earnings estimated at over $82 million. He outplayed his rookie deal and could still be on this roster if not for injury issues.  

2015: Marcus Mariota is now the backup quarterback in Philadelphia as a journeyman, having bounced from team to team since leaving Nashville.   

 2016: Jack Conklin is still in the league, playing in Cleveland, where he received a hefty payday on his second deal in free agency. Conklin outplayed his rookie contract for the Titans, but his payday with the Browns was too rich for the Titans to retain their right tackle then. 

2017: The Titans selected Adoree Jackson and Corey Davis in '17's first round.  

The Titans exercised their fifth-year option on Jackson, but a knee injury kept him on injured reserve for most of the 2020 season. He was reactivated on No.11th, 2020, and released in March 2021.  

As for Davis, he came into his own in the final season as a Titan, snagging 65 passes for 984 yards and five scores. He signed a free-agent deal with the New York Jets before the 2021 season.  

2018: Rashaan Evans spent four seasons in Tennessee, where he had moments but never reached the potential the Titans saw in him. Evans spent the 2022 season with Atlanta. 

2019: Simmons has been everything they envisioned when they took the chance on him and his "character" issues. A model citizen and a defense leader, Simmons got his payday and will remain a stalwart of the team for the next four seasons. 

2020: The one that began the end of the Robinson era. Isaiah Wilson, the offensive tackle who was to fix the Titans right tackle woes, quickly turned into the biggest bust in NFL Draft history.  

2021: Caleb Farley came to the Titans with major talent but even more significant injury concerns. Entering his third season with the team, those injury concerns persist. He has yet to contribute much on the field, and his future with this team, after this season, has some doubt if he can not stay healthy and on the field.      

2022: Burks had a so-so rookie season, where he dealt with some injuries and conditioning issues, but showed flashes of the ability that made him the Titans first pick. He will have to produce more than the 29 receptions, 425 yards, and one touchdown of his rookie campaign in year two, or his status will come more into question.   

Conclusion

Of these ten, only Lewan and Simmons, as stated above, produced enough and brought enough value to the Titans to earn their second deals with the team that drafted them. Conklin and Davis earned second deals elsewhere, while Jackson was cut, Wilson never was, and the rest played out their rookie deals and moved on.  

Depending on how you want to score it, the first round has not been kind to the Titans overall in this period, and for Titans fans, whoever the Titans select in round one this year, they need to make an impact.

  

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