Titans Make Risky Selections in Three Round Mock Draft

The Tennessee Titans have some obvious needs just a few weeks out of the NFL draft and while a recent mock draft from The Athletic has them hitting the right positions, the prospects are a bit risky where they are selected.

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans need some serious help on the offensive side of the ball and it would be wise to address them early on in the NFL draft. However, in a recent three-round mock draft from Nick Baumgardner from The Athletic, the Titans address those needs in a questionable manner.

Round 1 – Pick 11: Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia

The Titans will certainly be sad if the draft plays out the way it did here. The top two offensive linemen, Paris Johnson and Peter Skoronski, both go off the board before the Titans’ first selection. Jones is a good prospect as well though. Some draft analyst have him as the top offensive tackle. The issue is he is somewhat of a project after having less than two seasons as a starter in college. Jones isn’t small, but he isn’t the prototypical size of an offensive tackle in the NFL either. Jones is an athletic freak though and would fit in the Titans’ system.

Personally, I would have gone with wide receiver or defense at this point. There are some good offensive linemen that can be had later in the draft for better value. Taking Jaxon Smith-Njigba or even going to the defensive side of the ball for a corner like Devon Witherspoon or a rusher like Lukas Van Ness would have been the better pick to me.

Round 2 – Pick 41: Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State

Musgrave is coming off a 2022 season where he only was able to play in two games because of injury. That is enough to make this a very risky pick for a Titans team that simply can’t afford to take risks on a player with injury history and lack of production. Musgrave’s best statistical season was in 2021 when he had 22 catches for 304 yards. This pick would be all about potential and the Titans need help more immediately than that. Musgrave does have receiving skills, but would he realistically be able to pair with Chig Okonkwo as a blocker? I have my doubts.

I would have gone a different direction here. With the first pick in the mock being offensive tackle, the Titans could have gone wide receiver or back to the offensive line with the options they had. First, receivers like Josh Downs, Cedric Tillman and Tyler Scott were available. Also, offensive linemen like Joe Tippman, Cody Mauch and John Michael Schmitz were there. I would have even preferred to go linebacker in Jack Campbell or running back in Jahmyr Gibbs.

Round 3 – Pick 72: Jayden Reed, WR, Michigan State

This might be my least favorite pick of them all. I just do not see the fit. Reed has some speed, but doesn’t create the separation you would want from a player who is smaller at 5’11”. He had a ton of contested catches in college, but again, being that small you would expect to not need to have so many. He should be creating more separation and in the NFL when those corners are even better, will he win as often? I have my doubts.

Reed is just too similar to Kyle Philips for me to like this pick. He may have some versatility, but to me, Reed is more of a slot receiver and I don’t think he will be able to play in the Titans’ base offense. Typically, the Titans like to run multiple tight end sets that have only two receivers on the field. I don’t think Reed provides a lot of value here and with Rashee Rice and Jonathan Mingo still on the board, this pick is borderline negligence.

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