The wide receiver-heavy first round of the NFL draft on Thursday wasn’t a huge surprise, but the trades involving marquee veteran receivers certainly were. The most shocking came midway through the round, when the Titans sent A.J. Brown, a 2020 Pro Bowler, to the Eagles.
Philadelphia sent the No. 18 and 101 picks to Tennessee for Brown, one of the league’s most physically dominant receivers. The Titans drafted another impressive wideout with that first-round pick, selecting Treylon Burks out of Arkansas. Even so, fans were not happy after the deal, especially considering what coach Mike Vrabel said earlier this month about the rumors around a potential Brown trade.
“Not as long as I’m the head coach,” Vrabel told Rich Eisen when asked about a potential move. “I love A.J. professionally, personally. I’ve known him well as his coach and enjoy seeing him as much as I possibly can. … “As long as I’m the coach here I would want to have A.J. Brown on my football team.”
