Press Kit: A Final Look At Titans First Round Mock Drafts

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Pictured: Inside the War Room during the 2021 NFL Draft. Photo: Donald Page/Tennessee Titans

Today is the big day: NFL Draft Day. Teams are ready to get on the clock in Las Vegas for the 2022 NFL Draft, which should be high stakes.

Titans General Manager Jon Robinson and head coach Mike Vrabel will have some big decisions to make at pick No. 26 in the first round.

Will they make a move for an offensive tackle after the O-line suffered injuries throughout last season? Or will they go after a wide receiver and give Ryan Tannehill another weapon? Or will the Titans make a bold move and draft a quarterback?

So many discussions have been had all year on who the Titans will add to make them a better championship caliber team. Here’s a look at what the NFL Draft experts say as to who the Titans will draft later tonight.

One name that continues to show up on late Mock Drafts is Texas A&M guard Kenyon Green. ESPN Titans reporter Turan Davenport has Green as the Titans first pick as well as Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Hanson. Josh Edwards at CBS Sports also has Green going at No. 26 to the Titans and it makes a lot of sense.

The Titans lost Rodger Saffold this offseason and had some issues with the offensive line in 2021-22. Adding a young, strong offensive lineman would be a perfect way to get the offense going in 2022-23.

Green has been a standout since his high school football days in Humble, Texas. He started all 13 games of his first year with the Aggies at right guard in 2019 and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. In 2020, Green moved to left guard, starting all 10 games and receiving second-team Associated Press All-American and second-team All-SEC accolades. In 2021, he showed off his experience and skill by playing at four positions (two at right tackle, one at left tackle, two at right guard, seven at left guard) and earned first-team AP All-American and all-conference honors. He was a finalist for the Lombardi Award as the nation’s top lineman last season.

On his NFL.com combine profile, Green is graded at 6.45, saying that he will become a good starter in about two years. Obviously, this is just a projection and anything can happen with good coaches and hard work. But if he is a player that won’t be ready by game one this season, will the Titans want to use their first round pick when they’re already a top AFC contender?

Sport’s Illustrated’s Titans writer John Glennon also have the Titans going in on an offensive lineman with Boston College guard Zion Johnson. The six-foot, five-inch 312 pounder is considered a safe and high-quality pick by Glennon.

Johnson is a workhorse, playing in 58 straight games for BC. In the past two seasons, he’s given up just three sacks in 779 pass-block snaps.

ESPN’s NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper has the Titans going in on an offensive weapon with Penn State wide receiver Jahan Datson.

Last season with the Nittany Lions, Datson played in 12 games with 91 receptions and 1,182 receiving yards. He scored 12 touchdowns for Penn State and averaged 13 yards per catch.

However, NFL.com does say some of his weaknesses include needing additional steps to break off intermediate comebacks, play strength issues show up against clingy coverage, and that he allows too much intrusion into the catch area. They grade him at 6.25, saying he will eventually become a starter. He may need some extra work to become a top target in Tannehill’s offense, but after the immense struggle of Julio Jones, the Titans do need to fill a space at wide receiver.

Luke Easterling with Yahoo! Sports has Georgia wide receiver George Pickens headed to the Titans in the first round.

In his freshman year, Pickens led the team with 49 receptions, 727 receiving yards, 14.8 per reception, and eight receiving touchdowns which earned him a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team and sharing the team’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year Award. One concern is that he tore an ACL in spring 2021 practices. He was able to return for the last four games where he had five catches, 107 receiving yards and 21.4 per reception.

The mock drafts thus far have all consistently predicted an offensive lineman or a receiver but the NFL Draft always has some unpredictability. With the Titans having a late round pick but needing some specific pieces, don’t be surprised if some moves are made.

The 2022 NFL Draft First Round begins at 7 p.m. CT from Las Vegas. Fans can watch it live on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.

Steven Boero
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