Reese Made the Most of Picks That Mattered Most

The Tennessee Titans general manager from 1994-2006 transformed the franchise with first-round draft successes.

NASHVILLE – Floyd Reese often told the story about the 1995 NFL Draft.

As general manager of the then-Houston Oilers, Reese had the third overall pick, and he was pretty sure he knew what would happen with the first two choices. At least he hoped he did.

Throughout the pre-draft process he had his sights set on quarterback Steve McNair. He could barely contain his excitement when the Cincinnati Bengals took running back Ki-Jana Carter first and the Jacksonville Jaguars took tackle Tony Boselli at No. 2—just as Reese had hoped.

Reese had no doubt that McNair was exactly the guy he needed—until he actually made the pick, that is. That’s when his phone began to ring, and several other general managers called to congratulate him on such a “gutsy” move. Gutsy? Reese suddenly began to wonder what he missed and why so many of his counterparts believed his choice was fraught with risk.

History, of course, proved him right. McNair became a three-time Pro Bowler, the NFL’s 2003 co-MVP and the only quarterback ever to lead the Oilers/Tennessee Titans to the Super Bowl. McNair’s performance in a losing effort in Super Bowl XXXIV said as much about him—and Reese’s vision of what he could do for the franchise—as any of his successes did.

McNair was the second of 11 first-round picks Reese made during his 13 seasons as general manager, and nothing defined his time in charge of personnel as what he did with those selections, the ones where mistakes can stunt a franchise’s growth for an extended period. Remember that Reese’s first two successors combined to whiff—to varying degrees—three years in a row with the selections of quarterback Jake Locker (2011), wide receiver Kendall Wright (2012) and guard Chance Warmack (2013). Lest anyone forgot, in 2014 and 2015 the Titans finished tied for the NFL’s worst record amid an eight-year playoff drought.

Reese, who died Saturday at 73 years old, did not always accurately predict how the first round would go. For example, a year after he got McNair, he traded from No. 17 all the all the way out of the first round. Then when running back Eddie George fell farther than expected (two other running backs went among the first eight picks), he jumped all the way back up to No. 14 and grabbed the guy who eventually became the franchise’s all-time leading rusher as well the emotional center of the Super Bowl team.

Almost always, though, Reese knew where to start when it came to stocking up on young talent. Six of his first-round picks played seven years or more for his team. George and quarterback Vince Young (third overall, 2006) won Offensive Rookie of the Year. Defensive end Jevon Kearse (16th in 1999) was Defensive Rookie of the Year. Guys like defensive tackle Henry Ford (26th in 1994) and Keith Bulluck (30th in 2000) were franchise fixtures even if they never became big names throughout the league.

Even when he was wrong, he often was right to a certain degree.

In 2005, Reese and the Titans selected cornerback Pacman Jones, a player with considerable character questions. Still, Reese knew he needed a cornerback and with the sixth overall pick (the team’s earliest selection since McNair) it looked like a choice between Jones and Antrel Rolle. Reese privately made it known that he liked Rolle. Yet he was not convinced that Rolle was best suited to play cornerback in the NFL. It was possible, he said, that Rolle could be a safety, and if you’re looking to get a cornerback at No. 6, you’d better end up with a cornerback.

The choice of Jones quickly became a black eye for the Titans, and the troubled cornerback was released after two seasons and considerable off-the-field issues. Rolle played 11 seasons in the NFL, eight of them as a safety, which effectively meant Reese could not have been right with either choice.

It is likely that his willingness to gamble on Jones was a result of what happened in 1998, when wide receiver was at the top of the team’s wish list. Reese selected Kevin Dyson at No. 16 instead of Randy Moss, who was considered too big of a character risk and eventually went to the Minnesota Vikings. Dyson was a good player who contributed two unforgettable moments to the 1999 playoff run but a far cry from Moss, an NFL record-setter and Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Three years after that draft, the Vikings went 5-11 and fired coach Dennis Green. At the time, Reese believed Moss was “a coach killer,” someone quick to publicly express his dissatisfaction in a way that almost demands change. No numbers Moss had produced at that time convinced Reese he had made a mistake. Ultimately, his greatness was too much to ignore, and seven years later Jones had the kind of hyper-athleticism that made his character issues seem negligible.

The bottom line is this: Had Reese not been Tennessee’s general manager, the franchise might still be looking for its first Super Bowl appearance. Sure, everyone wants to find hidden gems in the draft, and Reese found his share from Derrick Mason (fourth round, 1997) to Benji Olson (fifth round, 1998) to Robaire Smith (seventh round 2000) to Bo Scaife (sixth round, 2005) among many others.

General managers, though, can’t afford to miss in the first round. Reese was right about McNair, and he was right about the vast majority of others he picked at the time, from No. 3 overall to No. 30. Many of them were difference-makers, and that is why Reese’s run as general manager is different than any other time in franchise history.