Beasley Provides Another Opportunity With Top 2015 Draft Pick

The Titans are now one of three teams that had a top 10 pick overall that year to acquire another player from among those 10

The Tennessee Titans are not the only team that failed to find a franchise fixture among the first 10 picks of the 2015 NFL Draft.

In fact, they are among the overwhelming majority in that regard.

With the addition of free agent linebacker Vic Beasley, however, they are latest to get a second chance. Tennessee formally announced the signing of Beasley, the eighth overall selection by Atlanta that year on Tuesday. The deal is for a reported one year at $9.5 million and includes bonuses that could allow him to earn as much as $12 million.

Of the top 10 overall picks in 2015, only offensive lineman Brandon Scherff (fifth by Washington) remains with the franchise that selected him. Three of those teams, including the Titans, now have the opportunity to try with one of those players.

Tennessee took quarterback Marcus Mariota second overall but allowed him to leave this offseason as a free agent. He signed with Las Vegas. Now the Titans have Beasley, who spent the last five seasons with the club that selected him, Atlanta.

The Falcons, meanwhile, signed running back Todd Gurley earlier this month, days after the Los Angeles Rams released him. The Rams took Gurley at No. 10 in 2015.

The New York Giants got the ball rolling last October when they traded for defensive lineman Leonard Williams. The New York Jets drafted Williams at No. 6 overall. The Giants had the No. 9 choice that year and used it on tackle Ereck Flowers, who they released in October 2018.

A rundown of the top 10 picks in the 2105 NFL Draft and what their respective career paths:

1. Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay: Free agent, 2019 (unsigned)

2. Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee: Free agent, 2019 (signed with Las Vegas)

3. Dante Fowler, LB, Jacksonville: Traded to L.A. Rams, Oct. 2018; Free agent 2019 (signed with Atlanta)

4. Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland: Traded to Dallas, October 2018

5. Brandon Scherff, T, Washington: Retained with franchise tag, March 2019

6. Leonard Williams, DE, N.Y. Jets: Traded to N.Y. Giants, October 2018

7. Kevin White, WR, Chicago: Fifth-year option declined, did not play in 2019

8. Vic Beasley, OLB, Atlanta: Free agent, 2019 (signed with Tennessee)

9. Ereck Flowers, T, N.Y. Giants: Waived, October 2018; has played for Jacksonville, Washington since

10. Todd Gurley, RB, L.A. Rams: Waived, March 2019 (signed with Atlanta)

Beasley entered the draft that year having been a first-team All-American and the 2014 ACC Defensive Player of the Year at Clemson, where he set a program record with 33 career sacks.

He has been a starter for the majority of his NFL career and led the league with 15.5 sacks and six forced fumbles in 2016. He was a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler that seasons but has not approached that level of production since. He has had 18 sacks in the three seasons since, including eight in 2018, and has forced just three fumbles.

At 6-foot-3, 246 pounds, he will team with Harold Landry, who had team-high nine sacks last season, to form the heart of the Titans’ pass rush.

He also will give Tennessee the opportunity to get a little something more from the top of the 2015 NFL Draft.