Tag: Colton Dowell

Colton Dowell impressing Titans with intelligence, ability to process information

Treylon Burks admitted he struggled with knowing the plays in his first season but says the “very smart” Colton Dowell is not having that issue.

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Going into the 2023 NFL draft, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Tennessee Titans would spend a Day 1 or 2 pick on a wide receiver after failing to adequately address the position in free agency.

So it came as a surprise when the team waited all the way until Round 7 to add help at the biggest position of need, with Tennessee selecting wide receiver Colton Dowell out of UT-Martin.

While expecting a seventh-round pick to amount to anything is expecting too much, Dowell has intriguing tools that give him a decent chance. More specifically, hit athleticism is what really jumps off the page.

Dowell posted a Relative Athletic Score of 9.78 out of 10 prior to the draft, which ranks him 67th out of 3,062 wide receivers recorded since 1987.

That’s all well and good, but first Dowell will have to adjust to the NFL game and learn the ropes before he can make an impact on the field. So far, he feels he’s doing a pretty good job in that process.

“Things move a little faster than they do in college but I think I’m adjusting pretty well and I’m excited to see how much more I continue to get accustomed to being an NFL player,” Dowell said.

“I think I’m doing a good job, though. I’m not a prideful guy but I’m proud of the work I’ve put in and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”

Dowell has already made a positive impression with Treylon Burks, who lauded Dowell for how smart he is and how much he knows the plays, something Burks admitted he struggled with in Year 1.

“He’s very smart, intelligent,” Burks said of Dowell. “[Wide receivers coach] Rob [Moore] will ask him a question and he knows his stuff. He knows the plays and that’s something I kind of struggled with coming in and he’s already on top of that. So, I just encourage him each and every day just to just keep getting better and better with his routes and listen to Rob because he knows what he’s talking about.”

The Titans were well aware of Dowell’s ability to process the information given to him during the pre-draft process, as head coach Mike Vrabel explained.

“When we met with him, he was able to process the information with Rob on the Zoom and so we felt just good about who he was and he’s continued to get better and show up.” Vrabel said.

It’s never easy for a seventh-round rookie to make an NFL roster, but thanks to the Titans’ current lackluster situation at wide receiver, Dowell has a better shot than most to make the cut in 2023.

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Full contract breakdowns for Titans’ Day 3 picks

The full contract breakdowns for each of the Titans’ Day 3 picks.

The Tennessee Titans have signed half of their 2023 NFL draft class, with tight end Josh Whyle, offensive tackle Jaelyn Duncan and wide receiver Colton Dowell all under contract.

That leaves three draft picks unsigned in offensive tackle Peter Skoronski, quarterback Will Levis and running back Tyjae Spears, all of whom were taken in the first two days of the draft.

Despite being unsigned, all three did take part in rookie minicamp over the weekend. Check out some of the highlights right here.

Now that Duncan, Whyle and Dowell are signed, their full contract details have been revealed. Here are the numbers, per Spotrac:

Titans agree to terms with three 2023 NFL draft picks

The Titans have agreed to terms with three of their six 2023 NFL draft picks.

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The Tennessee Titans have agreed to terms on rookie contracts with three of their six 2023 NFL draft picks, the team announced on Thursday evening.

The Titans agreed on four-year rookie deals with fifth-round pick and tight end Josh Whyle, sixth-round pick and offensive tackle Jaelyn Duncan, and seventh-round pick and wide receiver, Colton Dowell.

While the financial terms of the deals were not immediately disclosed, here’s a look at the projected contract totals for each, via Spotrac:

Whyle: Four years, $4.16 million

Duncan: Four years, $4.02 million

Dowell: Four years, $3.94 million

With those three signed, the three selections who remain unsigned are first-round pick and offensive tackle Peter Skoronski, second-round pick and quarterback Will Levis, and third-round pick and running back Tyjae Spears.

We’ll actually be getting our first look at the Titans’ 2023 NFL draft picks this week, as the team is set to embark on a three-day rookie minicamp starting on Friday, May 12.

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Colton Dowell’s projected rookie contract with the Titans

A look at how much Colton Dowell is projected to make over the course of his rookie deal with the Titans.

The Tennessee Titans waited all the way until the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft to select a much-needed wide receiver, with Colton Dowell being the pick at No. 228 overall.

Putting aside the negligence at the wide receiver position for now, the Titans’ seventh-rounder is projected to make $3.92 million over the course of his four-year rookie deal, according to Spotrac.

Dowell is estimated to receive a signing bonus of $102,695 and should account for a Year 1 cap hit of around $775,674.

Tennessee’s selection of a seventh-round wideout was hardly adequate for what the team needed, but there is at least a shred of hope that Dowell will break the mold when it comes to late-round picks.

The UT-Martin product scored a very impressive Relative Athletic Score of 9.78 out of 10, which ranked 69th out of 3,062 wideouts who recorded a mark from 1987 through 2023.

Of all the places Dowell could’ve landed, there’s no question Tennessee gives him the best chance to make the cut in 2023.

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What draft experts said about Titans’ Colton Dowell in scouting reports

We were able to scrounge up a few scouting reports on Titans seventh-round pick, Colton Dowell.

When the Tennessee Titans finally drafted a receiver in the seventh-round out of UT-Martin, Colton Dowell, it almost felt like head coach Mike Vrabel was trolling us.

However, the more we learn about the small-school wideout, the easier it is to see why the Titans FINALLY pulled the trigger on a wide receiver with Dowell.

Based on Relative Athletic Score, Dowell is one of the more athletic wide receivers to ever be drafted. His RAS of 9.78 ranked 67th out of 3,062 receivers to be measured since 1987.

Of course, expecting anything out of a seventh-round receiver is never a good idea, but at least there’s a shred of hope with Dowell.

We aren’t the only ones liking what we’ve been learning about Dowell, who adds size (6-foot-3) as well as speed to Tennessee’s group. NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein recently tweeted this:

“I have to write up every player who is drafted who I didn’t have draft profiles on and I just finished Colton Dowell from Tenn-Martin who was taken by the Titans,” Zierlein wrote on Twitter.

“He has good size, ran well, tested with elite explosiveness and was productive. Super pissed I missed out on him.”

To get an idea of just how under-the-radar Dowell was, we couldn’t find any detailed scouting reports from before the draft. We did, however, find two that were done after, one of which comes from Zierlein.

Colton Dowell talks being a Titans fan, his play style, more

Titans WR Colton Dowell discusses being a fan of the team, what he brings to the table, and much more.

The Tennessee Titans desperately needed to add to their wide receivers room during the 2023 NFL draft, but they did so far later than anyone expected, with their lone selection at the position being seventh-rounder Colton Dowell.

The UT-Martin prospect wasn’t really one anyone’s radar going into the draft, but he has since caught some attention since being drafted, with NFL.com draft expert Lance Zierlein being particularly impressed with him.

If he can pan out, Dowell checks multiple boxes for Tennessee, as he offers both size (6-foot-3) and speed (4.40 40-yard dash). His Relative Athletic Score (9.78) ranked an impressive 67th out of 3,062 wide receivers who registered a mark from 1987 through 2023.

While the promise is certainly there, expecting a seventh-round draft pick to make the kind of impact Tennessee needs is expecting too much. That said, Dowell has a better shot than most to make the cut considering the Titans’ lackluster situation at the position currently.

After being drafted by Tennessee, Dowell did a Zoom presser with the media and touched on a number of topics, including his being a Titans fan, what he feels his strength is, and more. Check it all out below.

Titans WR Colton Dowell caught the attention of NFL draft expert

NFL draft expert Lance Zierlein came away impressed with Titans WR Colton Dowell after scouting the UT-Martin product.

If you’re looking for hope that Tennessee Titans 2023 seventh-round pick and wide receiver Colton Dowell will contribute more than you’d expect out of a late-round pick given Tennessee’s need at the position, look no further.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com revealed that he recently scouted Dowell after not doing so before the draft and had a glowing review of the Titans’ new receiver.

“I have to write up every player who is drafted who I didn’t have draft profiles on and I just finished Colton Dowell from Tenn-Martin who was taken by the Titans,” Zierlein wrote on Twitter.

“He has good size, ran well, tested with elite explosiveness and was productive. Super pissed I missed out on him.”

Zierlein isn’t the only expert who has detailed Dowell’s impressive athleticism.

Kent Lee Platte, the creator of Relative Athletic Score (RAS) gave the UT-Martin product a 9.78 out of a possible 10, which ranks 67th out of 3,062 wide receivers who have been scored between 1987 and 2023.

Of course, this doesn’t guarantee Dowell is some diamond in the rough who is going to make any semblance of an impact in the NFL, especially the kind the Titans need, but it is encouraging for one of the many question marks Tennessee has at the position currently.

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Redrafting the Tennessee Titans’ 2023 NFL draft class

After the Titans had a polarizing 2023 NFL draft, Shaun Calderon shares what he would’ve done with the picks.

The 2023 NFL Draft is officially in the rearview mirror, and to say some of the Tennessee Titans’ selections was polarizing would be drastically underselling it.

National media outlets have largely been major fans of the Titans’ draft class, resulting in strong grades across the board. However, those outlets often grade the picks in a vacuum and don’t take into account the state of the roster, who they passed up, etc.

The Titans made it known that they played the board and took advantage of several opportunities in which they felt a player was too good to pass up on.

When it comes to drafting, weighing value versus need is on a case-by-case basis, but there has to be a happy balance between the two. Yes, they made several good value picks, but they came at the expense of arguably the biggest need on the team at wide receiver.

There’s no denying Tennessee needed depth at several spots, but the Titans desperately needed to walk away with a starting-caliber wide receiver, yet somehow only left with more questions than at the position than anything.

This article is going to revisit each round and discuss whether or not we would rather stick with the Titans’ original selections.

Without further ado, let’s find out what we would keep the same, as well as what we would have done differently if we were the ones in charge last weekend.

How experts graded Titans’ Day 3 picks in NFL draft

How experts graded the Titans’ three Day 3 picks in the 2023 NFL draft.

The Tennessee Titans officially completed their 2023 NFL draft on Saturday after making three selections in the final three rounds.

With those picks, the Titans added tight end Josh Whyle, offensive tackle Jaelyn Duncan and wide receiver Colton Dowell, who, by the way, was Tennessee’s only pick at its biggest position of need.

Shortly after each pick was made, our draft analyst Shaun Calderon gave a grade for each pick. Here are his marks for the Day 3 selections:

TE Josh Whyle: D+

OT Jaelyn Duncan: C+

WR Colton Dowell: B-

You can check out all of Calderon’s 2023 NFL draft grades, including his mark for the draft class as a whole, right here. Now, a look at how other experts graded Tennessee’s three Day 3 picks in the 2023 NFL draft.

Grade for Titans drafting WR Colton Dowell in Round 7

Shaun Calderon gives his grade for the Titans’ final pick of the 2023 NFL draft, WR Colton Dowell.

The Tennessee Titans wrapped up their 2023 NFL draft by finally giving the fans and local media what they had clamoring for: a wide receiver.

Unfortunately, it took 228 picks to get there, and they only walked away with a small-school wideout from UT-Martin, Colton Dowell. This is someone the Titans likely coveted enough that they drafted him to prevent his hitting the undrafted free-agent market.

In the grand scheme of things, it’s shocking, to say the least, that this is the only receiver they added through all three days.

Tennessee will surely stock up on undrafted wideouts, and I’d imagine they’ll have their pick of the litter because I’m not too sure what other franchise would give an undrafted wide receiver a better opportunity than this one.

Dowell will be among those who will undoubtedly have a fighting chance to make the roster later this summer, barring any unforeseen noteworthy additions to the receiver room.

The UT-Martin wide receiver is a big-bodied pass catcher (6-foot-3, 212 pounds) who finished his final season by tallying 67 catches, 1,032 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

Technically, the Titans finally gave us what we wanted, but they took way too long to invest in the most glaring hole on the team.

I’m willing to give Dowell the benefit of the doubt, but the situation the Titans find themselves in at a premium position is beyond stunning.

Nevertheless, the Titans finally gave us our receiver, so I’ll half-sarcastically give this grade an above-average mark.

Grade: B-

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