2021 Rookie Review

Top draft picks Caleb Farley and Dillon Radunz contributed relatively little but Naquan Jones looks like a find among the undrafted talent pool.

Caleb Farley, CB, First Round

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Key stats: 3 games played, 4 tackles, 1 pass defensed

The Titans drafted him despite issues with his medical history, namely a knee injury that cost him one full college season and multiple back surgeries that caused him to drop to the back half the first round. 

Sure enough, a shoulder issue hindered him during the preseason and caused him to miss three of the first four games. Then a torn knee ligament ended his rookie campaign in mid-October.

2022 Outlook: The idea of Farley and 2020 second-round pick Kristian Fulton as a starting duo for the next couple years is appealing, but it also seems like a stretch right now. Franchise officials will have to protect themselves with a veteran and make Farley prove he can stay healthy and play consistently enough to live up to his draft position.

Dillon Radunz, T, Second Round

Christopher Hanewinckel/USA Today Sports

Key stats: 12 games, 1 start, 124 offensive snaps

Radunz was drafted with the idea that he could compete to be the starter at right tackle, but he never got close to landing that job. Optimism about his prospects increased when he started in place of left tackle Taylor Lewan against San Francisco and held up well in what turned about to be an important victory.

2022 Outlook: Based on his draft position and the fact that the Titans had one of the NFL's oldest starting lines this season, it is all but a certainty that coaches will take a leap of faith and make him a starter. The only question is where? It is still not clear whether Radunz is better suited to tackle or guard in the NFL. So, if franchise officials clear a spot for him, they will have to hope he is a good fit.

Monty Rice, ILB, Third Round

George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA Today Network

Key Stats: 30 tackles, 10 games, 4 starts

At what was one of the deepest position groups on the roster, Rice still got opportunities when others were hurt. He was aggressive and physical in a way that created optimism for his long-term prospects. Unfortunately for him, he went on injured reserve in mid-December with a serious ankle injury that likely will impact his offseason training.

2022 Outlook:  It is all but a sure thing that Rashaan Evans and Jayon Brown will be allowed to leave in free agency. The question is whether the Titans hang on to Zach Cunningham or release him. If it is former, Rice will start the year as a reserve behind Cunningham and David Long. If it is the latter, Rice likely will be penciled in alongside Long as a young, physical -- and affordable -- starting pair.

Elijah Molden, CB, Third Round

Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com / USA Today Network

Key Stats: 60 tackles, 1 interception, 4 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble, 16 games

Without question, Molden was the standout performer of this year's draft class. He was the only one who played all 16 games, and he finished fifth on the team in tackles. He responded to a rough performance in Week 2 against Seattle (and being limited to special teams in week 3) with an extended stretch of reliable play as the slot corner.

2022 Outlook: He is not likely to be a starter on the outside, but his versatility will make him a critical part of the defense for the next several years. Expect him to be used more as a blitzer and to match up with all kinds of middle-of-the-field receiving threats, whether wide receivers, tight ends or running backs. He even offers potential as a safety in certain sub packages.

Dez Fitzpatrick, WR, Fourth Round

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Key Stats: 5 receptions, 49 yards, 1 TD, 4 games

Franchise officials traded up 17 spots to get him but cut him at the end of the preseason. He spent the first nine weeks of the season on the practice squad and appeared in just half the games after that. His inconsistency was a factor in quarterback Ryan Tannehill's four interceptions in the loss to Houston. He was a healthy scratch in the regular-season finale and the playoff game.

2022 Outlook: It is highly likely that he won't have the glut of veterans ahead of him on the depth chart that he faced this season, and his draft status will afford him the opportunity to earn a regular role for himself. He will have to be much better than he was as a rookie, though. If not, he just as easily could get cut again -- and maybe this time he is not put on the practice squad. 

Rashad Weaver, OLB, Fourth Round

George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA Today Network

Key Stats: 2 tackles, 2 games played

He had an opportunity to position himself as a future starter opposite Bud Dupree and to provide Harold Landry some long-discussed rest. Instead, after being a healthy scratch in the opener he played just two games before he sustained a season-ending knee injury. There is a lot to like about him, but he is still largely a mystery.

2022 Outlook: It will be difficult for franchise officials to commit to him as a starter so one of two things will happen. Either Harold Landry will be re-signed to a long-term deal and Weaver will play out of his rookie contract as a role player. Or a cheaper veteran will be brought in on a one or two-year deal, and Weaver will have the opportunity to beat out that person for the chance to work as Dupree's partner.

Racey McMath, WR, Sixth Round

Christopher Hanewinckel/USA Today Sports

Key Stats: 2 receptions, 8 yards, 4 special teams tackles

McMath was just as advertised. He is a big, fast wide receiver who excels as a special teams performer but needs work to develop as a wide receiver. He saw more action on special teams than he did on offense, and the difference would have been bigger if not for all of the injury issues at wide receiver.

2022 Outlook: The best-case scenario would be for him to follow the path that Nick Westbrook-Ikhine took. Thus far, though, McMath has not shown as much potential as a wide receiver, and it would be a step in the right direction if he settles into the rotation at one of the wide receiver spots. His special teams play will keep him on the roster and will afford him the opportunity to develop. 

Brady Breeze, S, Sixth Round

Christopher Hanewinckel/USA Today Sports

Key Stats: 5 games

Injury issues during the offseason and the preseason cost him any opportunity to learn the defense and to find his place in it. Thus, after one game on the COVID list and five others on injured reserve to start the regular season, he saw action in five contests exclusively as a special teams player. He was released in early December.

2022 Outlook: The Detroit Lions claimed him off waivers, and he made six tackles in four games for them. He is their project now, and the Titans will have to look to the draft once again in an attempt to get younger at that position.

Naquan Jones, NT, Undrafted

George Walker IV/USA Today Sports

Key Stats: 29 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, 13 games, 5 starts

Jones was considered one of the better players to go unselected in the 2021 draft, and his decision to sign with the Titans was notable, particularly after the free agent departure of DaQuan Jones (no relation). Naquan Jones spent the first two weeks of the season on the practice squad and made his NFL debut in Week 4, primarily as a early-down down performer. As the season progressed, his playing time increased.

2022 Outlook: It is possible that Jones will enter the offseason as the Titans' starting nose tackle. At the very least, he will battle Teair Tart, who was undrafted in 2020, for the role. Jones has a lot of momentum from this season, though, and the Titans need young, cheap players on defense who can produce the way he did.

Tory Carter, FB, Undrafted

George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA Today Network

Key Stats: 2 special teams tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 8 games

He went quickly from the practice squad to an occasional addition to the gameday roster to a spot on the active roster. He even started two games, and in one case, Dec. 12 at Jacksonville, played while incumbent fullback Khari Blasingame was a healthy scratch. He never ran the ball, caught a pass or -- as he did in college -- saw snaps at tight end. Some of that might have happened if not for a knee injury that landed him on injured reserve for the final four games of the regular season.

2022 Outlook: Blasingame is set to be a restricted free agent. So, assuming they are confident Carter will be healthy, the Titans can turn to him as Derrick Henry's lead blocker in a two-back sets and save a little money at a specialty position on the roster. Carter also will have a huge role on special teams.