Ever since last season ended, the wide receiver position has been a popular topic of conversation within the Tennessee Titans’ fanbase, with everyone chiming in on how to fix arguably the worst group in the NFL.
The Titans are coming off a dismal season in which they finished dead last in receiving yards by receivers aligned out wide after only totaling just 1,064 yards from that area, per Warren Sharp.
Yet, as of right now, it appears to have somehow gotten worse for the Titans. Their wide receivers room at the moment looks beyond underwhelming with Treylon Burks being the only high-caliber weapon on their roster.
There isn’t even a single wide receiver on the team who has a 500-yard season on their resume.
This article is going to discuss one possible receiver the Titans could target in each round of the upcoming draft. We will be doing the same concept going forward for each position group until they have all been covered.
Without further ado, let’s dive right into it and pick one wide receiver for the Titans in each round but the fourth, where the team doesn’t have a pick.
Round 1: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the consensus best wide receiver in this class, and you’d have to imagine his addition to the Titans would be universally welcomed by the fanbase.
The Ohio State product is arguably the best route-runner in the class, something that tends to translate to the next level more often than not.
Smith-Njigba also happens to be one of the few receivers in the draft who legitimately has the potential to develop into a No. 1 target for an offense.
His addition to a receivers room that already has Treylon Burks would instantly give Tennessee a talented tandem atop the depth chart.
Round 2: Josh Downs, North Carolina
Pound-for-pound, Josh Downs is undoubtedly one of the best wide receivers in this class. Unfortunately, his pounds (or lack thereof) are part of the reason why many are overlooking the talented wideout.
Downs measured in at the combine at 5-foot-9 and 171 pounds.
Now, that may not be ideal for a run-heavy offense, but if they pass on a wide receiver in Round 1, the Titans need to secure someone who accomplishes the primary job of a wide receiver more than anything.
Blocking is cool and all for a wideout, but that should be an added bonus, not the main reason you pick a receiver.
Give me someone who consistently gets open and catches the ball for his quarterback, both of which Downs does at a high level.
Plus, Derrick Henry’s contract is over after this year. There’s a strong chance he’s gone by 2024 and the Titans have to create a new identity on offense. If so, Downs would help the transition to a more pass-heavy/balanced offense.
Simply put, if I’m gonna take a chance on a smaller wide receiver in this class, I’m going with Downs every time.
Round 3: A.T. Perry, Wake Forest
A.T. Perry is one of my favorite under-the-radar prospects in this draft.
Fortunately for him, the Wake Forest product has started to pick up some warranted hype as of late; therefore, it’s starting to seem like he’s destined to go somewhere on Day 2.
Perry is the owner of one of the more ridiculous athletic profiles at his position. On top of being 6-foot-3, 198 pounds, Perry also ran a 4.4 40-yard dash while also jumping 35 inches in the vertical.
The massive wideout ended up finishing with the seventh-highest `Relative Athletic Score’ (9.62) for his position group.
Perry used this athleticism to become one of the most productive wideouts in the country. He totaled a whopping 2,396 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns over his last two seasons.
The ACC standout would give the Titans a much-needed vertical threat who is also capable of attacking the football on 50-50 balls.
Round 5: Xavier Hutchinson, Iowa State
At this point in the draft, you would hope Tennessee has already selected at least one wide receiver, so this would be the perfect spot to possibly double down at the position.
Hutchinson isn’t the most dynamic athlete in the draft, but he would instantly provide some much-needed depth and size (6-foot-2, 203 pounds) to the room.
He is coming off a season in which he finished with the seventh-highest grade in the country (89.7), per PFF.
The Iowa State product needs to clean up the nuances of his route-running a bit, but there is a lot to work with and he has a track record of consistently getting better over time.
Despite his current physical and technical limitations, the former Iowa State star has been put up some impressive numbers, totaling 190 catches, 2,932 receiving yards, and 11 touchdowns over the last three years.
Round 6: Andrei Iosivas, Princeton
Andrei Iosivas is a relatively raw prospect from a technical standpoint, but he has the type of explosive athleticism and upside that is worth gambling on at some point on Day 3.
Iosivas finished with the second-highest RAS at his position, and the ninth-highest in the entire class (9.96).
The Princeton product possesses an ideal blend of size (6-foot-3, 205 pounds), speed, and athletic fluidity that could eventually make him a real problem at the next level if he ever puts it all together.
Round 7: Puka Nacua, BYU
The BYU product is a scrappy wide receiver who is going to give himself a fighting chance to make a team/practice squad.
He isn’t the most technically sound or explosive wideout, but he has a competitive spirit that makes him an intriguing prospect at this point in the draft. Nacua is impressive in the way he attacks the ball when it’s in the air, and even more impressive once the ball is in his hands.
If the former Cougar is still on the board at this point, you’d have to imagine he would garner at least some level of consideration unless the team has already gone heavy at receiver in the rounds prior.
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