The Tennessee Titans’ 2022 campaign was a bitter disappointment for many reasons, but there were at least some bright spots when it came to the team’s 2022 rookie class.
The Titans saw major contributions from several rookies, both drafted and undrafted, with guys like Treylon Burks, Chigoziem Okonkwo, Ryan Stonehouse and Roger McCreary being the most prominent.
Recently, Football Outsiders’ Aaron Schatz and Sports Info Solutions’ Alex Vigderman ranked all 32 rookies classes from 2022 in terms of production, with the Titans landing at No. 4 on the list.
Here’s what they had to say:
Tennessee’s most valuable rookie might have been a player they didn’t even draft. Punter Ryan Stonehouse broke an NFL record of over 80 years old by leading the league with a 53.1-yard gross punting average. Or perhaps the Titans’ most valuable rookie was second-round cornerback Roger McCreary. He didn’t break any records, but he did start all 17 games, albeit without impressive charting stats. (He allowed 8.8 yards per target, although he was also very strong against the run.) There were also defensive contributions from linebacker Jack Gibbens and cornerback Tre Avery.
On offense, the star was tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, who broke out with some big catches in the second half of the season. But first-round pick Treylon Burks made some waves when healthy, and third-rounder Nicholas Petit-Frere started the entire year at right tackle. The Titans also got three starts out of quarterback Malik Willis, but that didn’t go so well, with a miserable 12.6 QBR.
While the rookie class as a whole had its ups and downs due to inconsistency, injuries, and/or a lack of utilization, there’s no doubt this group has provided more optimism than other rookie classes have in the past few years.
For more on our thoughts on the Titans’ 2022 rookie class, check out Shaun Calderon’s grades for Tennessee’s most recent draft picks (here), as well as his choices for the team’s best UDFA signings of 2022 (here).
