Pro Football Focus Names Top 3 Players the Tennessee Titans Should Build Around

The Tennessee Titans are in a bit of a transition as a team, but there still have some excellent young pieces to build around. Pro Football Focus recently picked the Titans' top three building blocks.

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans are going all out to win as many games as possible in 2023. The Hopkins signing drove that point home, but there was also an element of future planning to this offseason and from that perspective, the Titans are in a good spot.

Pro Football Focus recently did a list of each team's top-three players to build around and for the Titans it was defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons, wide receiver Treylon Burks and offensive lineman Peter Skoronski.

The Titans have always been a team that focuses on the trenches and that is represented here with the offensive line and defensive line providing two of the three building blocks. The addition of Treylon Burks to that trio though is a very exciting revelation.

After the A.J. Brown trade, it was fair to wonder if the Titans had a good grasp on what the most valuable positions in the NFL are, but the Titans used that trade to add Burks. Burks showed flashes last year of high-level ability, but his second year will really tell us if PFF got this one right. 

Here is what the author of the list, Brad Spielberger, had to say about Burks:

"We’re going with two unproven commodities on the offensive side of the ball. Wide receiver Treylon Burks missed time during his rookie season but put up a solid 1.75 yards per route run. Burks can be a downfield threat using his size-speed combination, he can catch a screen in the backfield and turn on the jets while making defenders miss in space and he’s sure-handed with just one drop on 53 targets in 2022."

While it is fun to talk about skill-position players, as I mentioned before, the Titans are a team that wants to build in the trenches. They committed even further to that philosophy this offseason by extending Simmons and drafting Skoronski in the first round. 

Their two most valuable assets this offseason, a big-time contract and their first round pick, both went to the lines on either side of the ball. Simmons obviously deserved the contract he received and this is what Spielberger said about Simmons:

"The Titans smartly hit the reset button this offseason and took care of the most important business as early as possible, inking Jeffery Simmons to a four-year, $94 million extension after he put up 115 pressures over the past two seasons, which ranked tied for fifth among interior defenders. A healthy Harold Landry III and Arden Key should continue to benefit from all the attention Simmons commands on the interior."

Simmons certainly was worth the money the Titans paid him. Not only do you get a fantastic player, but as the article points out, you get a player you can build an entire defense around. 

Finally, we have Skoronski. Although just a rookie, the Titans were lucky to get Skoronski in the first round of the NFL draft. A team devoid of NFL-level offensive line talent coming into the offseason, Skoronski has a chance to be a decade-long stalwart for the Titans group upfront.

"Skoronski was the first draft pick for new general manager Ran Carthon and was probably a pretty easy card to turn in after earning a 93.0 pass-blocking grade with just six pressures allowed on 475 snaps in 2022 at Northwestern. The offensive line unit still looks like one of the league’s poorest on paper, but Skoronski will be the key to turning that around."

The Titans still have some depth and talent issues on the roster, but with Simmons, Burks and Skoronski in tow, they can at least know they have some solid foundational pieces to continue building around.

Titans Related Stories

Titans Sign Hopkins: The Tennessee Titans have won the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes and will be signing the star wide receiver according to a recent report from ESPN's Dianna Russini. CLICK HERE

Simmons Ranked 3rd: The Tennessee Titans gave Jeffery Simmons a monster contract this offseason because they recognize his talent and impact. It looks like others around the NFL notice it too. CLICK HERE

Treylon Burks, X-Factor: The Tennessee Titans will be relying heavily on the development of second-year receiver Treylon Burks this season, so it was no surprise he was named as the team's "Offensive X-Factor" by CBS Sports. CLICK HERE