Two Titans Make PFF's Top 101 of the 2010s

Kevin Byard and Jurrell Casey were third-round picks who became stars for Tennessee

It is fair to say that the Tennessee Titans did not get as much as they wanted from their first-round picks over the last decade.

Taylor Lewan is the only one who – to date – has made a Pro Bowl (he has been to three) and Jack Conklin was an All-Pro as a rookie but did not maintain that level of performance over the following three years.

The third round, on the other hand, paid a couple of pretty significant dividends.

Defensive lineman Jurrell Casey, a third-round pick in 2012, and safety Kevin Byard, a third-round choice in 2016, each made Pro Football Focus’ list of the 101 best players from the 2010s, which was released Thursday. Thus far, each has spent his entire career with the Titans although Casey, traded in March, will suit up for the Denver Broncos in the fall.

Byard, at No. 93, and Casey, at No. 96, barely made the cut.

Also on the list is one of this year’s free agent additions, cornerback Johnathan Joseph, right behind Byard at No. 94, and pass rusher Cameron Wake, who starred for Miami during the first nine years of the decade. Wake, No. 41, signed as a free agent with Tennessee last year and was released after one unproductive, injury-plagued season.

No one from the Titans made the NFL’s official all-decade team for the 2010s.

PFF emphasizes that its ranking is based on “production, efficiency and performance” over the course of the decade. It includes performance in the postseason but does not emphasize one position over another.

Byard became a starter midway through his rookie season and has been a fixture for the defense ever since. He has led the team in interceptions each of the last three seasons and currently ranks among the franchise’s top 20 for career interceptions. He was a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler in 2017.

PFF says: Byard’s NFL career may only be four seasons in length — a little more than 4,000 snaps old including the playoffs — but his play has been so consistently good that he is already able to force his way onto the All-Decade 101. Byard has 18 interceptions and 17 more pass breakups over four seasons including postseason play and has consistently graded well in every facet of play that PFF measures. He is one of the best young defenders in football, and only a lack of playing time relative to others whose careers spanned more of the decade keeps him this low on the list.

Casey started 137 of 139 games he played for the Titans and led them (or shared the team lead) in sacks three times (2013, 2015, 2018). He appeared in five Pro Bowls (2015-19) and turned down the opportunity to play several others.

PFF says: Few players have been more consistently disruptive than Jurrell Casey. A third-round pick in 2011, Casey has yet to grade lower than 70.0 over a season and has notched at least 40 total pressures in every year since a slow first couple of campaigns in the NFL. Casey has been an impressive run defender and pass rusher throughout his career and has often done so with little surrounding help to take the focus off stopping him. Other players have had higher peaks than Casey, but few have been able to sustain his level of play for as long as he has — and he’s still productive.