As we turn the page to March, the Tennessee Titans are preparing to get a closer look at 2023 NFL draft prospects as they descend upon Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis this week.
The combine is a make-or-break opportunity for many prospects, as a good showing could help their respective stocks, while a poor showing could send them tumbling down draft boards ahead of April 27.
The Titans have a massive offseason ahead with several franchise-altering decisions to make over the coming months.
Tennessee’s entire offense practically needs to be rebuilt from the ground up, especially when it comes to the wide receiver position and the offensive line.
Free agency could change priorities to an extent, but it’s hard to imagine the Titans not addressing both spots during the three-day draft.
Ahead of the NFL Combine workouts, which begin on Thursday (check out the full workout schedule here), I went ahead and took a shot at how I would improve the offense through the draft using Pro Football Focus’ mock draft simulator. Make sure to vote in the poll at the end of the article with your grade on the haul.
Round 1, No. 11 overall: OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
With Paris Johnson Jr. already off the board, I went ahead and selected the next best option at a major position of need.
Peter Skoronski is arguably the safest prospect along the offensive line in the draft. The Northwestern product is a bona fide technician that has All-Pro potential down the line.
There are some obvious concerns about his arm length, but everything about him deserves the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.
The worst-case scenario is he will have to kick inside where he will probably dominate and instantly become among the league’s best at his position.
Skoronski finished his final season at Northwestern as Pro Football Focus’ sixth-highest-graded tackle (89.5) after only allowing three hurries, two quarterback hits, and one sack on the year.
Starting today, I will be bringing you prospect rankings for the upcoming #NFLDraft.
Each week I will highlight a position group that will include overall rankings and daily breakdowns for Top Prospects with continued updates up til the draft.We’ll kick things off with The OL: pic.twitter.com/Djp54XYW6N
— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) January 9, 2023
Round 2, No. 41 overall: WR Josh Downs, North Carolina
Josh Downs may not have the ideal build you would want in your wideout (5-foot-10, 175 pounds), especially in a run-heavy offense like the Titans’, but their receivers room is devoid of talent right now more than anything.
Downs is a true playmaker that constantly finds ways to produce for his quarterback. He would be a fantastic complement to a true alpha on the boundary such as Treylon Burks.
Downs’ overall ceiling may be limited, but it’s hard to envision someone as dynamic, crafty, and manipulative as he is not having a relatively safe floor in the league.
The North Carolina product uses his suddenness to thrive in the short and intermediate areas. One thing that stands out when watching him is how he manipulates his speeds throughout his routes to keep defenders on their toes.
Downs constantly forces defenders to think on their toes. He does a good job of making all of his routes look the same since he has a rare ability to stop and go whenever he pleases.
The former Tarheel also plays much bigger than his size would indicate. He produced an elite contested catch rate of 72.2 percent (13-of-18).
What’s most impressive about that percentage is that a good chunk of those targets were not due to separation issues. In fact, several of those contested catches came because he went up and made a play on a poorly thrown ball when he had his defender beaten.
Josh Downs as the #3 WR up top. His ability to win in his routes with pace & hesitation & gear changes is one of his major strengths
— Anthony Cover 1 (@Pro__Ant) February 25, 2023
The North Carolina product would instantly provide a massive upgrade in the slot and would be a consistent chain-mover for an offense 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 an athletic technician that would thrive in a zone-blocking offense like the Titans’.
The Ohio State product excels whenever he is allowed to use his athleticism. He has impressive movement skills and possesses a genuine understanding of how to use angles and leverages to his advantage.
Wypler definitely would benefit from improving his overall functional strength, but he was a reliable pass-protector during his time at Ohio State.
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 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.
Round 5, No. 149 overall: WR Michael Wilson, Stanford
With my next pick, I went ahead and added another playmaker who is one of, if not the best run-blocking wide receiver in the draft in Stanford’s Michael Wilson.
This mentality matches his tape (#4).
We all saw the type of playmaker Wilson can be this week, but look at how he clearly embraces the blocking aspect of the position.
At the very least, he’s going to thrive on special teams early on.Teams are gonna love this guy.
He’s a DAWG! https://t.co/OKaIDvXqy1 pic.twitter.com/9KsLTMWKeO— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels31) February 5, 2023
However, as he proved at the senior bowl, he’s more than capable of making plays of his own as well.
Wilson was consistently one the best players throughout the entire Senior Bowl week, and it culminated with him having a monster game that saw him catch four balls for 76 yards and one touchdown.
The Stanford product’s biggest issue has been his health, with Wilson only playing in 11 games over his last two seasons. But at this point in the draft, I would take that gamble every day of the week for someone with this type of upside.
Wilson finished the 2022 season with 27 receptions, 421 yards, and four touchdowns in just six games.
Round 6, No. 186 overall: OG Atonio Mafi, UCLA
In Round 6 I selected a massive guard who would provide some much-needed depth on the interior.
I've only watched a few games but I think Atonio Mafi led college football in pancakes last season. Insane tape pic.twitter.com/bOMEjDLiEG
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) February 22, 2023
Mafi finished the 2022 season as PFF’s seventh-highest-graded guard in the country (83.2). The UCLA product also has some experience at both guard spots.
Round 7, No. 230 overall: LB Aubrey Miller Jr., Jackson State
With my last pick, I took a chance on a small-school linebacker who often dominated his level of competition.
Jackson State’s Aubrey Miller, Jr. (@Loose_Qannon)with the huge hit at the @seniorbowl🔥🔥🔥🔥#SWAC #HBCUS🏈🏈🏈🏈 pic.twitter.com/BtmKLro0hm
— yardtalkhbcu (@yardtalkhbcu) February 4, 2023
Miller is an athletic linebacker that thrived in coverage. The Jackson State product received an elite coverage grade of 91.9 during his final season. He also finished with an average overall grade of 83.1, per PFF.
