The Tennessee Titans had a very solid draft. They had no need to move up in the first round, and ended up with the guy they probably wanted anyway. They address all of their needs save one.
Had they known during draft week that Keith Bullock was not going to be coming back, then they should have drafted another outside linebacker. If they didn’t know this was a very solid draft.
With the 16th pick in the first round they took DE Derrick Morgan. The Kyle Vanden Bosch era of this team is over, along with the era of the great Javon Kearse. So they absolutely needed to pick up a top tier DE prospect. Morgan is certainly that.
With no second round pick, since it was dealt away to get Jared Cook in the 2009 draft, the Titans third round pick may just be my favorite pick of this draft. They pick up WR Damian Williams, and I guarantee he will be a big factor for this club by the mid point of the 2010 season.
With a second third round pick, a compensation pick, they picked up LB Rennie Curran. He will be expected to step into their line backing corps and make big plays from day one. He has good outside instincts, but he is hardly the solution to losing Bullock.
The Titans then traded away two back ups to get themselves into a position to nab CB Alterraun Verner. He is a ball hawk who will have to make this team as a nickel or dime DB.
Then in the fifth round they selected DB Robert Johnson, as they work on their depth at corner. Johnson is a good enough player that he should find time as the third of fourth DB in the Titans rotation.
With the first of two sixth round picks the Titans selected QB Rusty Smith. This is clearly a developmental pick s they already have Vince Young and Kerry Collins.
Their next pick, SS Myron Rolle, has the potential to be a very great draft pick. Rolle will be a Doctor one day, but claims he wants to play professional football first. Teams were worried about his commitment level, but taking a flyer on a guy with the 207th pick is a very acceptable risk.
In the seventh round the team picked up WR Mark Mariani and NT David Howard. Mariani is the typical late WR selection by this team and will be a special teams player in 2010. Howard has a lot of upside and they hope to develop him into the Nose Tackle of the future, or a solid back up player.
Now a more complete look at the 2010 Titans draft class:
Round One (16)- DE Derrick Morgan Georgia Tech
Round Three (77)- WR Damian Williams USC
Round Three (97)- LB Rennie Curran Georgia
Round Four (104) CB Alterraun Verner UCLA
Round Five (148)- DB Robert Johnson Utah
Round Six (176)- QB Rusty Smith Florida Atlantic
Round Six (207)- SS Myron Rolle Florida State
Round Seven (222)- WR Mark Mariani Montana
Round Seven (241)- NT David Howard Brown
Related Links:
• Tennessee Titans news and notes
• 2010 NFL Draft initial team grades
• The Business of the NFL
• MTR Football.com
Comments