Titans 2022 NFL Draft Round-Up

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Pictured (L-R): Head Coach Mike Vrabel, first round draft pick Treylon Burks and General Manager Jon Robinson. Photo: Donald Page/Tennessee Titans

After a whirlwind NFL Draft weekend, the Tennessee Titans made some major moves and picked up some great players, including first round pick wide receiver Treylon Burks and third round pick quarterback Malik Willis.

Thursday night started off as expected with teams drafting the predicted players. The Titans were originally set to pick at 26th with a few solid wide receiver and offensive lineman options, but later in the first round, the New Orleans Saints made a trade up to 11th to pick a wide receiver and things began to heat up.

A few picks later, Tennessee dropped the first massive bomb during the draft, trading receiver AJ Brown to the Eagles for the 18th overall pick and 101st overall pick. The immediate reaction from fans via social media was shock, especially after general manager Jon Robinson said he had no intention of trading Brown just days earlier.

With the pick they selected Arkansas wideout Treylon Burks, who in many ways plays similarly to Brown.

“He’s been an exciting player in the SEC–big yards per catch. He’s a big target. He’s fast, competitive, and a player that we spent time with. He came here on a 30 visit, so we got to know him. We’re]excited to get him here in the offense and watch him work,” said Robinson. “The more we spent time with Treylon and watched the film and dug into it, we felt like that he did a lot of things physically that we like for that position.”

Later, the Titans traded their 26th overall pick to the Jets for the 35th overall pick in the second round. With that pick they selected defensive back Roger McCreary out of Auburn. He played 22 games in his final two seasons with the Tigers and had 135 total tackles in his four years.

In the third round, Tennessee selected Ohio State offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere, who was a much needed addition to the team’s front five. Later in the third round, with the 86th pick, the Titans made a huge move for Liberty quarterback Malik Willis. Willis had some big years for Liberty, throwing 2,857 yards with 8.4 yards per completion in his senior year. He also threw 27 touchdowns and hd a QB rating for 151.1.

“He was the best player on the board, and we’re excited to add him to the team,” Robinson explained. “[He has a] good arm, he’s athletic, and he moves around well. He’s got a really good skillset, throws a good ball, and is tough to tackle. He has a lot of work to do, obviously, like all the rookies do, but we’re excited to add him to the team and compete.”

The Titans had two picks in the fourth round of the draft and picked up Michigan running back Hassan Haskins with the 131 overall pick. He had 1,327 rushing yards in 2021 with 4.9 yards per carry and 20 touchdowns. With the 143rd pick, Tennessee drafted Chigoziem Oknonkwo, a tight end out of Maryland. He had a career season in 2021 with 52 receptions, 447 receiving yards (8.6 per rec.) and five touchdowns in 13 starts.

In the fifth round, the Titans selected wide receiver Kyle Phillips out of UCLA. He played 11 games for the Bruins in 2021 with 59 catches and 739 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.

In the sixth round, Tennessee picked up Nashville native and John Overton High School graduate, Theo Jackson, a defensive back out of the University of Tennessee. Jackson was a great pick for the Titans as a local guy who played in 12 games for the Vols in 2021 with 78 total tackles.

“Jackson, the DB, is a local guy from Overton. He was at our local day, so we got to visit with him. He’s an outstanding guy,” Robinson noted. “The coaches at Tennessee, when you are asking about their prospects, just continue to rave about Theo and what he meant to their football team.”

For their final pick, the Titans made another defensive at pick 219, taking linebacker Chance Campbell out of Ole Miss. He played 13 games for the Rebels after transferring from Maryland. Campbell had 109 total tackles including 12.5 tackles for loss of yards.

Most independent media outlets gave the Titans a favorable grade with many of them awarding Tennessee a ‘B’ for its draft selections.

Next up this offseason are the rookie minicamps where the Titans and other NFL teams will get a chance to workout with their new draftees from May 14-16.

Steven Boero
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