Tanner Staggs

The 2020 NFL Draft is only two months away! Last year the Titans reaped the benefits of a very good 2019 class. Jeffery Simmons and A.J. Brown seem to have the potential to be superstars in the NFL. Nate Davis out of Charlotte got lots of experience on the offensive line, and actually looked very promising at times towards the end of the year. The Titans traded up to get Amani Hooker in the 4th round. Hooker didn’t disappoint. He ended up allowing a team low pass completion percentage (46.2%) and opposing passer rating (66.2) on passes he defended. Although we didn’t see much from D’Andre Walker, he seems very promising for the future. Last but not least, David Long Jr. showed he has what it takes in the divisional round vs the Baltimore Ravens when he filled in for an injured Jayon Brown.

After seeing how these draft picks contributed to the team’s successful season, let’s explore how the Titans can make this happen again next season.

2020 NFL Draft

29th Overall Pick: Jeff Gladney-CB, TCU. The Titans first draft pick doesn’t come until 29th overall due to their deep playoff run. Jeff Gladney seems like a great fit here. Gladney is a speedy corner out of TCU. Ranked as the 9th fastest player in college last year by Bleacher Report, Gladney is recorded running a 4.34 40-Yard Dash. Gladney’s best trait is his ability in man coverage. Although he only intercepted one pass in his senior season, Gladney was able to deflect 14 passes during that time. He’s a guy to keep an eye on as a possibility to give the Titans some depth at the cornerback position and an option to shade some of the fastest receivers in the league. 61st Overall Pick: Clyde Edwards-Helaire-RB, LSU. After filling the much needed cornerback spot in the first round, and assuming the EDGE has been filled in free agency, the LSU running back is a great option for the Titans in round 2. Edwards-Helaire ran for 1,414 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2019. While that is an amazing year for a running back who has been a bit under the radar coming into the combine, his rushing skills aren’t what the Titans really need him for. It would be nice to have someone to take the workload off of King Henry at times, but what is really attracting about Helaire is his receiving stats. Helaire recorded 55 receptions for 453 yards and a touchdown in 2019. 93rd Overall Pick: Josh Jones-OT, Houston. To me the chances seem very high that Jack Conklin will be in two tone blue next season. With that being said, no team ever suffered from having too deep of an offensive line. The 6’5 311lb. OT out of Houston is a good investment here in the third round. No 4th Round Pick 5th Round Pick: Donovan Peoples-Jones-WR, Michigan. Wide receivers with hyphenated last names and loads of potential they never lived up to may scare Titans fans. Thanks Dorial Green-Beckham… But being a top recruit coming out of high school, Peoples-Jones has the potential to be an absolute steal for the Tennessee Titans. Peoples-Jones average college career is thanks to lackluster quarterback play. He has the upside to develop into a very good wide receiver for the Titans at a very low cost and could even contribute in year one. Peoples-Jones posted 34 receptions for 438 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2019. All while Shea Patterson held him down keeping him from achieving greatness. 7th Round Pick: Carter Coughlin-EDGE, Minnesota. This pick is pretty self explanatory. There’s not too many choices left in the seventh round of the draft that can fill in immediately. Coughlin could add depth to the edge rushers for the Titans. This is a position of desperate need for this team, and hopefully they will fill it in free agency. If that is the case then this will be a great pick to add some depth.

The Titans need to get some players that can immediately fill some positions of need for them in 2020. At the same time, with a few of these picks they can be a little bit dangerous and go for a hit or miss guy like Peoples-Jones. Time will tell how the draft goes for the Tennessee Titans, but if they get the guys listed above I feel like they will have made some steps in the right direction.