Tennessee seems to want to accelerate their rebuild to the present, and began with a surprisingly smart set of selections.
Article By: Riley Staton (@threewindrileys on Instagram)
Photo Credit: Andy Lyons // Getty Images
The 2023 season was not kind to the Titans. Whether it be a lack of quite literally anybody that could catch the ball on this team, the week-to-week inconsistency where one week they'd look like a top-tier AFC team just to absolutely implode the week after, or the ever-present Tennessee injury curse that has plagued the team since 2020, there was no consistency to the team at all. This has, in turn, finally let the front office look at the team and realize "Hey, a run-heavy offense and a bad, mid-thirties aged quarterback with no receivers or O-line might not be the best approach," so you have a clean slate with almost every offensive position being one of need, with some glaring holes still remaining on defense. Then the team has decided to do what their entire fanbase expects from them at this point and-
Oh wait, Tennessee actually did good in this draft?
1R, Pick 11: Peter Skoronski, OL, Northwestern
I LOVE this pick. Lewan is gone, Dennis Daley still looks like he plays with no eyesight, and the rest of the O-Line depth chart is filled with replaceable bench pieces (all love to Dan Brunskill). Skoronki is a shit-wrecker on the blindside with potential to be an All-Pro guard. The debate now is where the coaching staff plays him at. If you want to shove him at left tackle, you have an immediate replacement for an extremely important position. If you want to hold off, though, you have someone who's realistically going to be amazing on the inside from day one. Although I'd prefer him play at tackle, just for the fact of his potential, I wouldn't hate either outcome. Hopefully he at least turns out better than the last offensive lineman this team drafted...
GRADE: A
2R, Pick 33: Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
I'm sure this one would never cause controversy, would it? After a surprising selection in the third round of last year's draft with 3rd round project QB Malik Willis, the Titans look to already have moved on, at least a little bit. Levis is a player who, before transferring from Kentucky, got some spin for Penn State. On both teams, Levis showed unfathomable arm potential with the ability to make pretty much anything happen downfield the past couple of seasons, while showing a concerning amount of lapses in other areas. His frame is no where near bad; the guy is around 6'4", 230-ish, but he hasn't showed anything super promising while scrambling, save the few and far between big plays. He misses his reads a good bit, and his accuracy percentages reflect his target struggles as of late. It's frustrating, no doubt, but this guy was projected as a lottery pick for a reason, right? Hopefully, Tennessee's coaching staff can bring his true potential out of him, or else we return to this same spot in the scarily near future.
GRADE: B-
3R, Pick 81: Tyjae Spears, RB, Tulane
Easily my least favorite pick of the draft. Don't get me wrong, Spears was an incredible talent at Tulane, with an inhuman first step and insane speed to go along with great efficiency around the end zone. That's not what scares me; I'm very alarmed by what news came after his selection. His physicals have shown severe cartilage damage and loss in his knee, along with arthritis. However, neither of these things come close to stacking up to Spears' biggest physical caveat: he is missing one of his ACLs. HE. IS. MISSING. HIS. ANTERIOR. CRUCIAL. LIGAMENT. I'm aware Derrick Henry's future in Tennessee is looking grim, but it would've realistically not taken that much to trade up ten spots to grab Kendre Miller, or just take Devon Achane, both of who have two working ACLs. This pick is baffling to me, and I don't see myself not hating it unless Spears is a world-burner from day one.
GRADE: D+
5R, Pick 147: Josh Whyle, TE, Cincinnati
Despite no alarming physical setbacks, Whyle is considered a pretty big boom-or-bust type of guy. But why? Well, Josh's college peak was in his sophomore season, where he put up sub-400 yards but with a pretty solid six touchdowns. I'd say he rides a lot on his physical capabilities. Josh is a wide-body, coming in at 6'6", 245 pounds on draft night, with a pretty good set of physical stats. Obviously, there's less to say since he's a fifth-rounder, but I definitely don't mind taking a risk this late in the draft, and he's gonna be a fun guy to root for if he hits on his potential.
GRADE: B-
6R, Pick 186: Jaelyn Duncan, OL, Maryland
Another really solid late-round pick here. Duncan has been the starting blindside blocker for the Terrapins since his sophomore season, starting every available game. I'm not sure, however, how likely it is for him to start right away. Him only starting one position throughout college makes me think his versatility is likely lacking. He could potentially see some spin on the blindside if the Titans would favor Skoronski on the inside, as he wouldn't have any real competition at the spot. Either way, solid depth get.
GRADE: B
7R, Pick 228: Colton Dowell, WR. UT-Martin
Fun little pick to end the draft. A local kid who now holds most of the all-time records for the Skyhawks. He fills a positional depth need while having a pretty cool story. He's got a capable frame; 6'3", 212, but I doubt he sees much actual spin. Not much to say.
GRADE: B
Overall, I quite like what the Titans did in this draft class. We addressed positional need -- O-Line was desperate for a change, and we needed depth at offensive skill positions -- and picked the right players at said positions. Skoronski will no doubt see immediate reps from day one, and Spears is most likely gonna see a touch or two per game to start off. Levis probably won't immediately start, as the Titans are still expecting some play (for some reason) from Ryan Tannehill, but there is no doubt that Levis is higher on the depth chart than Malik Willis at this point. The rest might see a few scattered minutes throughout the season as depth pieces, specifically a guy like Josh Whyle. Overall, it will be interesting to see how newly-minted General Manager Ran Carthon rebuilds this core, and this is far from the worst first step.