Now that the first wave of free agency is in the rearview mirror, we finally have a little more clarity as to which position groups the Tennessee Titans should be prioritizing come draft weekend.
Tennessee could/should make several more veteran additions to the roster over the coming months, but those figure to be depth additions instead of your big-money splash signings that took place last week.
The Titans’ biggest moves of the initial signing period arguably took place on the defensive side of the ball, where they added two sure-fire starting caliber talents in linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and EDGE Arden Key.
Those signings should positively impact an already stout Titans defense that didn’t have too many needs to begin with outside of depth.
As for the offense, the Titans have holes all across the board, most notably in the trenches and out wide. Tennessee entered free agency needing to fill at least three starting spots on the offensive line and two at receiver.
Thankfully, they were able to fill up two of those spots with high-potential players that were seemingly victims of their talented surroundings.
After spending the start of his career with the Eagles, Andre Dillard figures to start somewhere on the left side of the line, while Daniel Brunskill should be penciled in as the starting right guard after spending the last few years being an invaluable Swiss Army knife for the 49ers.
These additions were simply part of the offseason puzzle that will start to get put together by the end of draft weekend.
Due to all of the question marks the Titans still have on offense, my latest mock draft is going to use a ton of the resources available to improve that side of the ball.
But before we get started, it’s important to note that no trades were allowed in this latest edition, and I used the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator.
Without further delay, let’s check out my latest mock draft.
Round 1, No. 11 overall: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
With my first pick, I went with somebody that has been a popular choice for the Titans in a lot of mock drafts, and for good reason.
OT1 pic.twitter.com/S1MmZt8J9m
— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) March 9, 2023
Paris Johnson Jr. has everything you could want out of a franchise left tackle.
He isn’t the most technically sound at the moment, but you could make a strong argument that he has the most intriguing blend of athleticism and length among all of the offensive tackle prospects.
You can teach a tackle how to stop leaning, lower his pad level, etc., but you can’t teach 36-inch arms, fluid hips, and quick feet for someone that is 6-foot-6 and 313 pounds.
Johnson will likely go through some rookie growing pains considering he still needs some polishing from a technique standpoint. Nevertheless, his talent and potential are undeniable.
Prior to the season, the former Buckeye hadn’t taken a snap at left tackle, yet Johnson excelled and looked like a natural there, earning consensus All-American honors by year’s end.
What about Andre Dillard?
As we briefly touched on earlier, the Titans recently signed Dillard to a three-year, $29 million deal, and he figures to be in the starting lineup barring something dramatic happening.
However, albeit with a small sample size, Dillard played the majority of his snaps on the inside last season (33 snaps).
Therefore, you’d have to imagine he’d be capable of kicking inside to the vacant left guard spot, while Johnson naturally anchors the blindside for the foreseeable future.
There is a chance that Johnson could be gone by this point, but as long as at least one of the top offensive linemen is on the board in Johnson or Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski), I find it hard to believe that the Titans won’t take this opportunity to get a true pillar on their offensive line.
Round 2, No 41 overall: WR Josh Downs, North Carolina
Josh Downs confirmed everything I wanted/expected to see from him at the NFL Combine.
He was quick and smooth in everything he did, but he doesn’t have elite top-end speed. Although, his 40-time of 4.48 is more than good enough for someone like him.
Josh Downs confirmed everything I wanted/expected to see today.
Smooth and quick but doesn’t have elite top-end speed (4.48 is more than good enough)Throw in his savviness & ability to play much bigger than his size, and I’ll take that guy in round 2 over any of these WRs at 11 pic.twitter.com/yjci1RKWC1
— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) March 4, 2023
The former Tar Heel may not have the ideal build you would want in your wideout (5-foot-10, 175 pounds), but the Titans’ wide receiver room lacks genuine talent right now more than anything right now.
And that remains true after the first wave of free agency passed by without the team making any significant moves other than re-signing Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
Despite his smaller build, Downs is a true playmaker that consistently finds a variety of ways to produce for his quarterback. He would be a fantastic complement on the inside to a true alpha on the boundary like Treylon Burks.
Downs’ overall ceiling may be somewhat limited, but it’s hard to envision someone as dynamic, crafty, and manipulative as he is not having a relatively safe floor.
The North Carolina product is surgical in the short and intermediate areas. He can be very savvy with the way he constantly changes his speeds in order to trick defenders into thinking he’s doing one thing when he’s really just setting them up to attack their leverage.
Downs constantly forces defenders to think on their toes. He does a good job of making all of his routes look the same and he has a unique ability to stop and go whenever he pleases.
Lastly, the former Tar Heel plays much bigger than his size would indicate. Downs has produced an elite contested catch rate of 72.2 percent (13-of-18).
The North Carolina product would instantly give this offense a much-needed chain-mover for a unit that led the league in three-and-outs just a year ago.
In total, Downs has accounted for 195 receptions, 2,364 receiving yards, and 19 touchdowns since the start of 2021.
Round 3, No. 72 overall: C Luke Wypler, Ohio State
Luke Wypler would be a fantastic addition to an offensive line that needs all the help it can get. Wypler is a cerebral and athletic technician that would thrive in a zone-blocking offense like the Titans’.
Today’s IOL prospect:
C Luke Wypler, @OhioStateFB2022 Grades:
•Overall Grade: 82.4
•Pass Blocking: 84.1
•Run Blocking: 80.8
•Zone Blocking: 86.4
•Gap Blocking: 62.6•Wypler finished his college career with a pass-blocking efficiency rating of 99.1#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/cUr6yEBIYg
— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) January 26, 2023
The Ohio State product excels whenever he is allowed to use his athleticism and savviness to his advantage. He’s a natural at working in space and performing reach blocks, cut-off blocks, washouts, etc.
Wypler’s movement skills as a whole are very impressive, and he blends them with a genuine understanding of knowing how to use angles and leverages to his advantage.
From a technique and athletic standpoint, Wypler does a lot of things similarly well to the recently tendered Aaron Brewer.
You’d have to imagine that the Ohio State product would benefit a ton from learning behind Brewer for a season, or even possibly dethroning him at some point.
A lot of Wypler’s weaknesses could get better if he simply improved his overall functional strength. He has to do a better job at anchoring against physically superior defenders without collapsing the pocket.
There’s only so much that proper technique can do when a strong defender is enforcing his will on a blocker. However, Wypler’s average play strength didn’t prevent him from sufficiently getting the job done as a pass protector.
The former Buckeye finished his college career with a pass-blocking efficiency rating of 99.1 percent after only allowing one sack and one quarterback hit on 965 career pass-blocking snaps.
Plus, Wypler and Johnson would give the Titans three offensive linemen (along with Nicholas Petit-Frere at right tackle) that started on arguably the best offensive line in college football over the last few seasons.
If you’re going to copy any unit from that football factory down in Columbus, the offensive line is definitely a good one to try and emulate.
Round 5, No. 148 overall: WR Jonathan Mingo, Ole Miss
Jonathan Mingo was still on the board in Round 5, leading to one of the easier decisions of the entire draft.
Mingo is a big-bodied (6-foot-2, 220 pounds), physical receiver that has true playmaking abilities after the catch. He is a real problem for smaller defensive backs to deal with once the ball is in his hands.
Jonathan Mingo is a very underrated WR prospect from Ole Miss. A willing, often physical blocker, he shows big-play ability and good hands vs Vanderbilt in '22. At 6-foot-2, 220 lbs, he ran a 4.46 at the Combine. Despite just 5 TD's in '22, Mingo is a real sleeper in this Draft. pic.twitter.com/fzHtjEwofy
— All 22 Films (@All_22_NFL_Cuts) March 12, 2023
The Mississippi native has the versatility to play inside or along the boundary as well. According to Pro Football Focus, Mingo lined up outside on approximately 56 percent of his passing snaps (246-of-440), while 35 percent of those snaps took place out of the slot (154-of-440).
Another thing that is intriguing about the Ole Miss product is the fact that he embraces his role as a blocker. Mingo obviously has the size and strength to hold his own, but he combines it with the type of physical mindset that makes him difficult to deal with in the run game.
That toughness, physicality and skill set at his disposal also gives him a chance to compete when the ball is in the air during contested catch situations.
Ideally, teams would prefer for him to create more separation for himself in tight coverage, but his physical nature helps to mask a lot of his shortcomings that usually come from his lack of explosiveness.
Also, Mingo has a lot of developing he needs to do when it comes to refining and expanding his route tree, but there is a lot to work with from a willingness and technical standpoint.
It may take some time to unlock his full potential considering he won’t be able to out-muscle everyone in the NFL, but this selection could reap major benefits down the line if Tennessee is patient with his development.
More importantly, Mingo would instantly provide some much-needed depth and upside to a wide receiver room that desperately needs both.
Round 6, No. 185 overall: CB Mekhi Blackmon, USC
Mekhi Blackmon is a victim of a ridiculously deep cornerback class.
In a normal year, he’s probably an early Day 3 selection, but with all the depth at corner teams are undoubtedly going to get some late-round steals this year at that position.
Blackmon is a smaller cornerback (five-foot-11, 178 pounds) that plays with an aggressive nature that could lead to some impressive reps, as well as some boneheaded penalties.
The USC product doesn’t have the hip fluidity to mirror crafty route-runners, but he does a good job of disrupting the timing of a play by getting his hands on receivers early and often.
He may have a limited ceiling considering his athletic profile (Relative Athletic Score of 7.36), but he has more than enough talent to warrant a selection at this point of the draft.
Bench ended up dinging Mekhi Blackmon a bit. https://t.co/azLV0GJhFG #RAS pic.twitter.com/82j7RtLEsS
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 4, 2023
Blackmon is coming off a season in which he finished as the fourth-highest-graded cornerback in the country (90.6), per PFF.
Only CBs with 85+ grades in both man & zone coverage last season:
⚔️ Mekhi Blackmon
🟠 Devon Witherspoon pic.twitter.com/2jyht4MDLj— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 19, 2023
Round 7, No. 229 overall: K Jake Moody, Michigan
I decided to end the draft by taking one of the best kicking prospects in this year’s class.
Jake Moody is coming off an impressive 2022 campaign that saw him set single-season program records for made field goals (29), PATs (60), points scored (147), and 40-plus yard field goals in a season (10).
Moody also owns program records for points (355), PAT percentage (100), field goals (69), 40-plus yard field goals (17), and tied-most 50-plus yard field goals (four).
Jake Moody went 12/13 on field goal attempts during Michigan’s pro day. He barely missed one left from 57 yards. Longest hit was from 63 yards out.
— Anthony Broome (@anthonytbroome) March 17, 2023
If the Michigan legend is still on the board at this point in the draft, they should run to turn this card in.
