While there were some fans who are down on the Tennessee Titans’ first-round pick, Isaiah Wilson, there are several experts giving the team a good to great grade for taking the offensive tackle out of Georgia.
Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling gave the Titans an “A” for the pick and absolutely loves it. This was the highest grade we’ve seen thus far.
“I love this pick so much, and that’s why I projected it in my final mock draft,” Easterling wrote. “The Titans have a gaping hole at right tackle following Jack Conklin’s departure in free agency, and Wilson is the perfect replacement.”
“He may have been a surprising name to some, but Wilson is absolutely deserving of a first-round selection,” he went on to explain. “The fit is perfect for the Titans, who will plug Wilson in to keep plowing the road for Derrick Henry and protecting Ryan Tannehill.”
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar came in a bit lower, giving the Titans a “B” for the selection. He notes that Wilson is a great fit for what the Titans want to do on offense, which is run the football.
“If you thought it was tough to deal with Derrick Henry last season, think about the headaches opposing defenses will have with Wilson grading roads for him,” Farrar said. “At 6-foot-6 and 350 pounds, Wilson is a better than average pass protector for his size, but he knows how to bring it in the run game, and that’s Tennessee’s focus. Wilson adds an element of “Student Body Right” all by himself, but he’ll need to maintain his weight to be as agile as he’ll need to be in Arthur Smith’s play-action passing game.”
CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco also jumped on the positive grade wagon by giving the Wilson pick with a “B+”.
“I think this is a good pick,” Prisco opined. “This is a massive right tackle on a team that needs a massive right tackle. This kid is a mauler in the run game and he’s perfect for what the Titans want to do.”
Bleacher Report’s Mike Tanier didn’t come in as high as the three aforementioned experts, but he did keep the grade above a “C” by giving Tennessee a “B-“.
Even with that grade, Tanier doesn’t believe the pick makes the Titans better.
“The Titans can replace Conklin with Wilson and be set at the position for the next five to seven years,” Tanier said. “Wilson doesn’t really make the Titans better, however. He just keeps them from falling too far backward.”
ESPN’s Mel Kiper didn’t grade the Titans’ pick specifically, but he did list it as one of his head-scratchers of the first round.
Here’s why:
“That makes two Georgia offensive tackles in Round 1 here, and there has been some buzz around Wilson over the last few weeks. At 6-foot-6, 350 pounds, Wilson is massive, but he’s going to need some time to clean up his technique before he can start in the NFL,” Kiper explained. “I actually thought he could have been a top-15 pick if he had returned to school for another year and entered the 2021 draft. There is some upside with Wilson, who started at right tackle over the last two seasons, but he’s raw. Yes, Tennessee has a hole at right tackle with Jack Conklin gone, but I don’t see Wilson as an immediate starter.”
Yahoo Sports’ Eric Edholm was a bit down on the pick, as he graded it with a “C+” and points out what Kiper mentioned in his analysis, which is that Wilson might have benefited from staying in school for another year.
“A predictable pick. The Titans are a power run team and needed a RT after losing Jack Conklin in free agency,” Edholm wrote. “Wilson’s arrow is pointing up, though he wasn’t our favorite OT in this class and some scouts secretly wished he’d have stayed in school and developed another year.”
In my non-expert opinion, I gave the Titans a “C” grade for the pick.
It’s not that I don’t like Wilson’s potential or the fit, I just think the Titans could have addressed a bigger, more immediate need by taking one of the multiple impressive cornerbacks that were still on the board.
Here’s a look at some other expert grades from different media outlets.
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