The Tennessee Titans made a total of six picks in the 2023 NFL draft in what was the first for Ran Carthon as general manager.
Tennessee started off the draft by taking Peter Skoronski, who settled in at left guard. The Titans then drafted quarterback Will Levis, running back Tyjae Spears, tight end Josh Whyle, offensive tackle Jaelyn Duncan and wide receiver Colton Dowell.
While those players had varying degrees of success, the overwhelming thought is that it was a successful first year for the draft class as a whole, which has led to plenty of praise for Carthon.
But as you’ll see in our grades for each draft pick following the 2023 season, that was largely a result of the performances of the top half of the class.
LG Peter Skoronski
Skoronski gave up five sacks and 32 pressures in 14 games, but four of those sacks and 12 of those pressures came during the rough patch the rookie hit from Weeks 14-17.
The Northwestern product was solid otherwise and managed to finish the season strong with what was arguably his best showing of the campaign against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 18.
Making Skoronski’s season even more impressive is the fact that he had to overcome an appendectomy that sapped his strength and caused him to lose weight, and he had to play between a disaster at left tackle and a poor pass protector at center.
All in all, Skoronski showed more than enough to support the idea that he’ll be a long-term solution at left guard — and a damn good one, at that.
Grade: B
QB Will Levis
Levis checked just about every box the Titans could’ve hoped for in 2023 despite having a terrible situation around him, both in terms of his pass protection and pass-catchers not named DeAndre Hopkins.
He displayed leadership, moxie, plus-athleticism for the position and the ability to push the ball down the field, which will help take this offense to another level moving forward.
His debut against the Atlanta Falcons was one for the ages, and Levis showed he has the clutch gene in the incredible upset victory over the Miami Dolphins.
Levis still has work to do, but I’m not sure even the most optimistic Titans fan could’ve hoped for much more than what Levis showed us during his rookie campaign. As a result, there’s hope for the future in Nashville.
Grade: A-
RB Tyjae Spears
Spears was absolutely electric, both as a runner and receiver, and his impact was felt throughout the campaign when he was given opportunities.
In fact, he was so good there were fans and analysts screaming for the Titans to give Spears a bigger role over Derrick Henry.
Despite being stuck behind Henry and a bad offensive line, Spears still managed to tally 838 yards from scrimmage, ranking 10th among rookies and fourth among first-year backs.
He also proved to be good in pass protection, with the Tulane product tallying a 79.6 grade in that area, per Pro Football Focus.
The Titans may lose a franchise legend in Henry, who looks unlikely to be back in 2024, but having Spears will no doubt soften that blow.
Grade: A+
TE Josh Whyle
Whyle had some injury issues in his first season and didn’t get a ton of snaps when healthy, but he did manage to flash in his limited opportunities, both as a pass-catcher and blocker.
The Cincinnati product averaged 10.4 yards per reception on nine catches and found pay dirt once. He also posted a good pass-blocking grade (79.0, fourth-best on the team among skill positions), but his run-blocking mark (38.0) left a lot to be desired.
Even still, there were flashes like this in the run game that give hope things will get better for Whyle in that department.
Can’t get over Josh Whyle’s block on Trey Hendrickson on Derrick Henry’s 29-yard TD run.
Beautiful play design, got the LB to bite, Dillard/Radunz pin, Whyle STICKS Hendrickson, and Henry does the rest. #Titans pic.twitter.com/wMEflGN2LA
— Jake (@JakeAndBall) October 2, 2023
Expecting a lot of production out of a fifth-round pick is always asking a lot. We didn’t get that out of Whyle but did see enough from him to be confident a duo of he and Chig Okonkwo will be sufficient, at worst, at the top of the depth chart in 2024.
Grade: C
OT Jaelyn Duncan
Duncan, who was thrust into the left tackle role thanks to the ineptitude of Andre Dillard, was an absolute disaster upfront, with the rookie giving up nine sacks and 36 pressures on 207 pass-block snaps.
But context is very important here.
Duncan was always considered a project and never expected to be ready for any semblance of a significant role in his first season, let alone at left tackle.
On the bright side, he didn’t allow a sack in three of the games in which he played at least 25 snaps, and one of those came at right tackle, which will ultimately be the spot he settles into as at least a backup if he isn’t moved to guard down the line.
Duncan has a lot of work to do if he wants to factor into the mix as a top backup in 2024, but he gained valuable experience in his first season and showed he loves ball, which hasn’t been a given for Titans players in recent years.
Grade: D+
WR Colton Dowell
Dowell was a healthy scratch for five games, only saw double-digit offensive snaps in two contests and was targeted just twice all season, thus, we didn’t get to see him as an actual receiver.
He did have a significant role on special teams down the stretch of the season, but tallied just three tackles on 139 snaps.
It’s hard to hold a lack of opportunities on offense against a seventh-round pick because that’s the norm, but Dowell, who will now have to recover from a torn ACL, didn’t do much to stand out on special teams.
Still, a seventh-round pick simply earning a role in that area is enough to avoid a failing grade.
Grade: D
