Combine Invitees Titans Should Be Watching Closely

The 2023 NFL Combine kicks off on February 28 and runs through March 6. There are some prospects that the Titans’ scouts and fans should be paying close attention to.

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans have a lot of work to do this offseason and one of the biggest pieces of the offseason schedule is just over a week away. The NFL Combine is an important step in the offseason. NFL hopefuls arrive in Indianapolis, Indiana to meet with teams, do medical evaluations, get measured and do on-field testing. There are certain positions and prospects the Titans will want to keep a close eye on.

Quarterbacks

The Titans quarterback position has been one of the most discussed situations surrounding the team. Will the Titans move on from Ryan Tannehill? Will they trade up in the draft for a passer? We most likely won’t have an answer to those questions by the start of the combine so these are some prospects worth monitoring.

C.J. Stroud – Ohio State

Bryce Young – Alabama

Will Levis – Kentucky

Anthony Richardson – Florida

Tanner McKee – Stanford

Hendon Hooker – Tennessee

The top four passers are all potential top ten picks and if the Titans go quarterback early, it will be one of those four. For the final two, if the Titans decide to take a quarterback later in the draft, a player like McKee or Hooker could be what the doctor ordered.

Running Backs

The Titans still have Derrick Henry, but how long will that be the case? Henry already has a monster cap hit in 2023($16 Million) and is approaching 30 years old. The Titans also don’t have a viable pass-catching back on the roster at the moment. So, whether it be a compliment back, a future Henry replacement or both, the Titans may need to keep an eye on the backs in Indy.

Bijan Robinson – Texas

Jahmyr Gibbs – Alabama

Zach Charbonnet – UCLA

Evan Hull – Northwestern

Kenny McIntosh – Georgia

Tyjae Spears – Tulane

Sean Tucker – Syracuse

Eric Gray – Oklahoma

Gibbs would be a perfect compliment to Henry as a back with great receiving ability. Some have compared Gibbs to Alvin Kamara. Whether that comparison comes true or not, Gibbs could instantly be a fit with Henry and have the potential to take over in 2024. Tucker is a do-it-all back in the same realm who could work as a third-down weapon to start, but be a full-time player soon.

Wide Receiver

Receiver is one of the most glaring needs the Titans have and this class has a ton of mid-round options that could make sense for the Titans. There are names at the top of the class that could make sense in the first round as well. What the Titans do at wide receiver will be one of the most fascinating things to watch this offseason.

Jordan Addison – USC

Zay Flowers – Boston College

Quentin Johnston – TCU

Jaxon Smith-Njigba – Ohio State

Jalin Hyatt – Tennessee

Cedric Tillman – Tennessee

Kayshon Boutte – LSU

Josh Downs – North Carolina

Nathaniel Dell – Houston

Grant DuBose – Charlotte

Xavier Hutchinson – Iowa State

Charlie Jones – Purdue

Jonathan Mingo – Ole Miss

Rashee Rice – SMU

Jayden Reed – Michigan State

Parker Washington – Penn State

Michael Wilson – Stanford

The list is endlessly and there are a ton of great options out of these names. The Titans must leave the 2023 NFL Draft with one of them.

Tight Ends

The Titans found a great young tight end in Chig Okonkwo last year, but the tight end revolution can’t end there. Grabbing one of these names to pair with Okonkwo would give the Titans a nice duo at the position for the next five years.

Michael Mayer – Notre Dame

Dalton Kincade – Utah

Darnell Washington - Georgia

Luke Musgrave – Oregon State

Tucker Kraft – South Dakota State

Payne Durham – Purdue

Sam LaPorta – Iowa

Cameron Latu – Alabama

Josh Whyle – Cincinnati

In this group you can find in-line tight ends, move tight ends or guys who can give you a bit of both. What the Titans decide to do will give us a good idea of how they view the position going forward in a Tim Kelly offense.

Offensive Tackle

Clearly, the Titans biggest need of them all is at offensive tackle. You would have a hard time finding anyone interested in the Titans disagreeing with that. There are a slew of names at this year’s combine who could end up in Nashville. Potentially more than one if the Titans considering moving Nicholas Petit-Frere inside to guard.

Paris Johnson Jr. – Ohio State

Broderick Jones – Georgia

Dawand Jones – Ohio State

Darnell Wright – Tennessee

Jaelyn Duncan – Maryland

Anton Harrison – Oklahoma

Blake Freeland – BYU

The Titans should be attacking tackle early in the draft if they don’t address it in free agency. One of these names above could very well be on the Titans before we get to the Saturday of the draft.

Interior Offensive Line

Peter Skoronski – Northwestern

O’Cyrus Torrence – Florida

Cody Mauch – North Dakota State

Steve Avila – TCU

John Michael Schmitz

Joe Tippmann – Wisconsin

Andrew Vorhees – USC

Luke Wypler – Ohio State

Nick Broeker – Ole Miss

Jarrett Patterson – Notre Dame

The expectation should be that the Titans get one of these names during the draft as well. There are plenty of needs on the offensive line outside of tackle. The Titans could be replacing four out of five spots and if so, they will need multiple draft picks to help them do it.

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Interior Defensive Line

This should be the lowest on the need list for the Titans. The Titans have Jeffery Simmons, but should be in a position to bring back Teair Tart as well. The Titans have also had a ton of success in recent years with interior defensive line in undrafted free agency. Like Tart, Naquan Jones and even Isaiah Mack in 2019. Wouldn’t expect this to be a position the Titans spend too much time on unless one of the top talents drops to them at pick 11.

Jalen Carten – Georgia

Bryan Bresee – Clemson

Calijah Kancey – Pittsburgh

Mazi Smith – Michigan

Tuli Tuipulotu – USC

Edge Rusher

Edge rusher seems to be a bigger need than it may seem on the surface. The expectation is Bud Dupree will be a cap casualty and that leaves Harold Landry, returning after an ACL injury at the beginning of the 2022 season, and Rashad Weaver as the primary edges for the defense. If Landry is healthy, no doubt he can admirably fill one spot, but Weaver has been up and down to start his career. He played minimal games his rookie year due to injury and played all of last season with mixed results. Weaver has shown flashes, but tends to be undisciplined in his rush lanes and isn’t the factor in run defense you would have hoped for. The Titans would be wise to get a third rusher in the rotation that can spell those two for now and potentially take one of the starting spots soon.

Will Anderson – Alabama

Myles Murphy – Clemson

Lukas Van Ness – Iowa

Keion White – Georgia Tech

Tyree Wilson – Texas Tech

Nolan Smith – Georgia

Andre Carter II – Army

BJ Ojulari – LSU

Derick Hall – Auburn

Will McDonald IV – Iowa State

Off-Ball Linebacker

This is another sneaky need for the Titans depending on how the offseason plays out up to the NFL Draft. If the Titans re-sign linebacker David Long, odds are the Titans don’t have a need for a linebacker. If they do not, it becomes an instant top-level need as the only remaining folks on the depth chart are Monty Rice, Jack Gibbens and Chance Campbell with the expectations that Zach Cunningham is cut for cap purposes. The Titans’ interest in this position pre-draft could tell us a lot about what direction they may go.

Jack Campbell – Iowa

Drew Sanders – Arkansas

Noah Sewell – Oregon

Henry To’oTo’o – Alabama

Dee Winters – TCU

Daiyan Henley – Washington State

Nick Herbig – Wisconsin

Ventrell Miller – Florida

Cornerback

The Titans have so many young players under contract at cornerback. It would be a bit of a surprise to see them go corner in the mid-rounds. If they get in a bad spot due to how the board falls in round one though, you could see them choosing to go talent over need and add a cornerback at pick 11.

Christian Gonzales – Oregon

Emmanuel Forbes – Mississippi State

Joey Porter Jr. – Penn State

Devon Witherspoon – Illinois

Kyu Blu Kelly – Stanford

Riley Moss – Iowa

Kelee Ringo – Georgia

Eli Ricks – Alabama

Darius Rush – South Carolina

Tyrique Stevenson – Miami

DJ Turner – Michigan

Safety

The Titans safety group is maybe the best position on the team. Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker are among the best duos in the NFL. The Titans don’t need a starter here. If they take a safety, like we saw with Theo Jackson and Brady Breeze in the last two drafts, it will most likely be a depth piece who needs to play special teams to make the roster.

Julius Brents – Kansas State

Sydney Brown – Illinois

Ronnie Hickman – Ohio State

Jordan Howden – Minnesota

Brandon Joseph – Notre Dame

Jay Ward – LSU

Specialist/Kicker

The Titans could cut kicker Randy Bullock to save $2 million on the salary cap, if so, they would be smart to get a good look at the kickers participating in the NFL combine. ALL OF THEM.

Jake Moody – Michigan

Anders Carlson – Auburn

Christopher Dunn – NC State

Jack Podlesny – Georgia

B.T. Potter – Clemson

Chad Ryland – Maryland

Titans' Running Back Review: Despite having one of the best running backs in the NFL under contract, the Tennessee Titans have some difficult decisions to make with their ball carrier group this offseason. CLICK HERE

Titans' Quarterback Review: The Tennessee Titans’ quarterback room is one of the most interesting spots on the team. The Titans have a number of different routes they could go and tough decisions to make. CLICK HERE

Titans' Free Agent Fits - Offensive Tackle: The biggest need the Tennessee Titans have on the roster right now is at left tackle. There will be a bevy of viable options to fill that need in free agency this offseason, at all price points. CLICK HERE