Tight End a Throwback to Recent Titans' Past

Fourth-round pick Chig Okonkwo sees physical and stylistic similarities to former Titans tight end Jonnu Smith.

NASHVILLE – Chig Okonkwo hopes to give Tennessee Titans fans a déjà vu experience in years to come.

That’s because the former Maryland tight end, selected in the fourth round on Saturday, compares his physical make-up – and parts of his playing style – to former Titans tight end Jonnu Smith.

Smith spent four seasons with Tennessee, totaling 114 catches for 1,302 yards (11.4-yard average) and 16 touchdowns. In his final season (2020), he finished third on the team with 41 receptions for 448 yards and led all Titans with eight receiving touchdowns.

Okonkwo is 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds, not so far off from Smith’s measurements of 6-foot-3 and 248 pounds. He hopes to put up comparable statistics -- if not better.

“Jonnu was one of the guys I liked to watch throughout college,” Okonkwo said. “He’s a 6-2 guy, just like me, so he’s one of the guys I like to pattern my game after.”

And playing style?

“(Smith’s) playing style, too, is very physical,” Okonkwo said. “I feel like he’s very good with the ball in his hands. I feel like I’m the same way, that I’m very physical, I’m not afraid to stick my head in there, and that (Smith) is very strong after the catch, so that’s definitely some of the similarities people see between him and me.”

Okonkwo may not be the biggest tight end, but he is speedy and athletic. He ran a 4.51 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine, fastest among all tight ends there. Okonkowo said he was timed at 4.44 in training leading up to the combine.

“I feel like that makes me a very dangerous vertical threat down the field, just being able to beat guys with my speed,” Okonwo said. “That’s definitely a big piece of my game, my speed.”

The 23-year-old Okonkwo may also compare to Smith – now a member of the New England Patriots – and to another former Titans tight end, MyCole Pruitt, in terms of versatility.

He played all over the field for Maryland, and feels accomplished inside, outside or in the backfield.

“Yes, I actually think versatility is my number one asset,” Okonkwo said. “Just because I can line up outside, I can line up in the backfield, I can line up in the wing, I can line up with my hand in the dirt, I can run routes, I can block from any position.”

Those were some of the reasons Okonkwo had such a big final season for Maryland, after he caught 25 passes over his first two seasons (2018-2019). He sat out the 2020 season with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, from which he fully recovered.

But 2021 was a big one for Okonkwo, who caught 52 passes for 447 yards (8.6-yard average) and five touchdowns.

He hopes to carry that production straight into the NFL, where Okonkwo aims to show that – like Smith – he is part of an evolution at the position.

“We’re kind of moving away in our league from just the big blocking tight ends,” Okonkwo said. “You need a tight end who can be a mismatch, just because the way the game is evolving and there’s so much speed in the game now.

“So you want a tight end who can win those match-ups. I feel like I’m that person who can win those match-ups, and beat people with speed and just make plays for us.”