Building through the draft (and to a lesser extent, undrafted free agency) is key for NFL franchises in this day and age, and the Tennessee Titans have done a pretty good job in doing so.
According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap, 60.3 percent of the Titans’ roster (not including the practice squad) is made up of homegrown players, which are players who were originally drafted by or signed their first contracts (UDFAs) with the team they currently play for.
Tennessee’s percentage of homegrown players is above the league average at 59.2 percent and ranks right near the middle of the pack in the NFL at 14th.
The Titans sport one of the highest percentages of undrafted free agents on their roster, coming in at 32.8%, which ranks as sixth-highest in the league.
It’s important to note, however, that this percentage includes players who have been acquired by other means, whether it’s trade or free agency. 12 percent of Tennessee’s UDFA signings since 2018 remain on the roster.
Here’s a full breakdown of the rounds in which the players currently on Tennessee’s roster were drafted, not including the practice squad:
UDFA: 32.8% (6th)
Round 1: 10.3% (26th)
Round 2: 15.5% (9th)
Round 3: 12.1% (20th)
Round 4: 12.1% (9th)
Round 5: 5.2% (26th)
Round 6: 8.6% (13th)
Round 7: 3.4% (T-23rd)
While general manager Jon Robinson has found his fair share of impact players through the draft and undrafted free agency over the years, he’s also had some major misses.
Only two of Robinson’s first-round picks have garnered a fifth-year option from the team, including cornerback Adoree’ Jackson and defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons. However, Jackson was cut before playing out his option.
Simmons, who was part of an amazing 2019 draft class, stands to be the only Robinson first-round pick to get a second contract thus far, but the two sides have yet to reach an agreement.
Of Robinson’s six draft classes from 2016-2021, three of them have just one player remaining on the 53-man roster (2017, 2018, 2020), but the last man standing from 2017, offensive lineman Corey Levin, has been let go and brought back on multiple occasions.
J-Rob’s worst class came in 2020, a group that has almost completely flamed out in just a few years. Cornerback Kristian Fulton is the only member of that class who is still on the 53-man roster. Defensive lineman Larrell Murchison and cornerback Chris Jackson are hanging on by a thread on the practice squad.
Here’s a breakdown of the percentage of players from each round the Titans have drafted at from 2018-2022 that are still on the team:
Round 1: 60%
Round 2: 80%
Round 3: 83.3%
Round 4: 80%
Round 5: 25%
Round 6: 50%
Round 7: 0%
Draft total: 60.6%
UDFA: 12%
Somewhat saving Robinson’s poor draft classes is the fact that he has found some undrafted free agent gems in defensive linemen Teair Tart and Naquan Jones and wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, all of whom are set to play important roles with the team in 2022.
