2022 NFL DRAFT DEEP DIVE: TENNESSEE TITANS
By Tres Valenzuela
The NFL Draft is over, and we cannot head into the three-month abyss that is the offseason without looking at what all 262 selections mean for each franchise. Whilst too early to judge just how successful a draft class each team’s was, we can look at how rookies fit within schemes, where they stand on depth charts, and who we can expect to make an impact in 2022. We continue our team by team series with the Tennessee Titans.
After yet another disappointing playoff outting the Titans found themselves in quite the predicament, reload or rebuild. Normally most teams that get bounced as a #1 seed in the first round don’t take on this mindset unless they lose their QB or multiple impact players due to free agency. The Titans however appear to slowly have come to the realization that Ryan Tannehill will never hoist a lombardi trophy. With all that being taken into account the Titans draft still left the fans with more questions than answers.
Draft Haul
| RND | PICK | PROSPECT | POS | SCHOOL |
| 1 | 18 | Treylon Burks | WR | Arkansas |
| 2 | 35 | Roger McCreary | CB | Auburn |
| 3 | 69 | Nicholas Petit-Frere | OT | Ohio State |
| 3 | 86 | Malik Willis | QB | Liberty |
| 4 | 131 | Hassan Haskins | RB | Michigan |
| 4 | 143 | Chigoziem Okonkwo | TE | Maryland |
| 5 | 163 | Kyle Philips | WR | UCLA |
| 6 | 204 | Theo Jackson | CB | Tennessee |
| 6 | 219 | Chance Campbell | LB | Ole Miss |
Day One
The Titans made the biggest trade on draft night, sending WR AJ Brown to the Eagles for the 18th pick. Most experts deemed it as risky; I like to view it as more of a moronic move – a move that will set the Franchise back 5+ years. Instead of paying a top ten, 24 year wideout set to enter his prime, the Titans decided to bank on an unproven 22 year old rookie to replace that production for a fraction of a price. Risky is an understatement.
Now thats not to say that Treylon Burks is a regular joe off the street, he is far from it. Burks had a breakout 2021 season posting over 1,100 yards and 11 TDs in the confrence that just means more. Burks was regularly shadowed by oppositions best corners and still regularly found ways to win his matchups. Ironically Burks drew a lot of comparisons to Brown due to their build and style of play, i.e bigger, stronger wideouts that somehow possessed enough finesse to run every route. For me it feels like the Titans paid for an MJ impersonator and expect the 93 Superbowl performance. Time will sort out what the right decision was, but for now lets deem the pick as a headscratcher.
Day Two
After trading the 26th pick to the Jets, the next Titan to be selected was Auburn CB Roger McCreary. Like Burks, McCeary found success at the SEC level, starting the last two seasons and primarily playing outside corner.
Taylor Lewan isn’t getting younger, and if the Titans plan to keep using Derrick Henry like Earl Campbell they better have a formidable o-line. With the Petit-Frere pick they give themselves the opportunity to do just that.
With one of the biggest slides in draft history, what seemed as a sure-fire first rounder – Malik Willis – found himself in the Titans lap at the end of the third round. Willis brought excitement and upside to one of the more dull QB classes in recent memory. With the arm and legs to create big plays many believed he would fall no further than Pittsburgh at pick 20, but it seemed teams were afraid to take the risk given his subpar progression skills.
The Titans surely have work to do to get Willis game ready and with Tannehill making it more than clear he is not willing to provide mentorship it will be an interesting dynamic to watch through the season. Ultimately, Willis has the ability to make the Titans draft a success, but at the current moment he appears to be just another distraction to a somewhat flustered starting QB.
Day Three
Day 3 saw the Titans using their first three selections on offense and using the last two on defense. With such a run-heavy offense Tennesse invested by taking Michigan running back Hassan Haskins in round 4. With a great resume he should find the field very early. Since Jonnu Smith left, the Titans needed to fill a vertical threat at TE and did so by taking the lengthy, athletic Chigoziem Okonwko out of Maryland:
With AJ Brown and Julio Jones out of the picture, the Titans added depth at WR by taking UCLA’s Kyle Phillips, who will likely compete for time in the slot. The last two selections saw Tennesse Vol Theo Jackson and Ole Miss Rebel Chance Campbell off the board. Theo Jackson provides another corner in a move that appears to show concern with Caleb Farley’s progression after tearing his ACL early on last year. Jackson has good size at 6’1 and 200lbs, and experience starting the last 2 years. Campbell will look to provide depth at LB with the departures of Jayon Brown and Rashaan Evans. Campbell has a nose for the ball but should look at special teams to make his impact.
One To Watch: Hassan Haskins
At this point in the article odds are you expected Malik Willis to be the one to watch, but I believe the Titans will truly let him develop for a year. That leaves Hassan Haskins as the player who I feel could have a massive impact on this offense. With the Titans adjusting the roster to be even more in favor of the run I see a likely scenario that Derrick Henry suffers another injury that restricts his playing time. When it happened last year the Titans were not immediately prepared to lose that type of player, and it took D’onta Foreman a few weeks to catch his stride.
With Foreman out the picture Haskins is the clear backup, and provides a similar build to Henry at 6’2 230lbs. Haskins also has shown great durability carrying the ball over 270 times in 2021. Haskins doesn’t just have the size but also great strength, as seen in the chart below – and the only reason he fell to the fourth round is a lack of top end speed. I would not be shocked to see Haskins rush north of 700 yards this upcoming season and be one of the most impactful rookies in the league.
UDFA Tracker
| Caleb Shudak | K | Iowa |
| Reggie Roberson | WR | SMU |
| Tre Swilling | CB | Georgia Tech |
| Ryan Stonehouse | P | Colorado State |
| David Anenih | EDGE | Houston |
| Jayden Peevy | IDL | Texas A&M |
| Michael Griffin | CB | South Dakota State |
| Sam Okuayinoua | EDGE | Maryland |
| Haskell Garrett | IDL | Ohio State |
| Julius Chestnut | RB | Sacred Heart |
Conclusion
Overall I believe you can argue the Titans had possibly the worst draft of any franchise, simply for refusing to pay their star wideout and trading him for a player they hope can only replicate his success. That contentious move aside, they filled some necessary spots and took a chance on Malik Willis in the third round.
Being the one seed in last years playoffs, it feels like the Titans played very submissively in an offseason that would have had most franchises going all in. Vrabel has shown that he is one of the elite coaches and I still wouldn’t be surprised to see Tennessee in the playoffs, despite maybe flattering to deceive this offseason.
TRES VALENZUELA
NFL ANALYST
A former collegiate wide receiver and current Texan, Tres lives stateside and has an affinity for baker mayfield. In addition to writing for The Touchdown, Tres also works as an NCAA analyst for Pro Football Focus.