Tag: no_yh

Instant analysis and grades for Titans’ sixth-round picks

How we graded the Tennessee Titans’ sixth-round picks.

After maneuvering up and down the board throughout the 2021 NFL draft weekend, the Tennessee Titans’ two sixth-round picks are seemingly their final selections for this year.

One of the main focal points of this round was clearly to focus on getting high-ceiling players who have also excelled on special teams during their collegiate careers.

But that isn’t the only thing these late-round picks have in common; they also have two of the best names in the entire 2021 class.

Let’s take a closer look at who Tennessee selected to help improve the depth in two out of the three phases of the game.

Poll: What grade do you give the Titans’ 2021 NFL draft class?

Tell us how you grade the Titans’ 2021 NFL draft class in the poll within this article!

The Tennessee Titans’ 2021 NFL draft is officially in the books and now we want to hear from you, the fans!

The Titans have eight new players on their roster after the three-day event, most of whom were well received upon selection, but of course there were some head-scratching picks along the way.

We also saw Tennessee make a pair of trades in the final two days of the draft, one to move back in the third round to select Georgia linebacker Monty Rice and one to move up in the fourth round to pick Louisville wide receiver, Dez Fitzpatrick.

Now, the hope is that this draft class will fare better than the 2020 one, although that shouldn’t be difficult to do.

Before we get to the poll where you can share your personal grade for the Titans’ picks, here’s a look at who they drafted.

Round 1, Pick 22: CB Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech

Round 2, Pick 53: OT Dillon Radunz, North Dakota State

Round 3, Pick 92: LB Monty Rice, Georgia

Round 3, Pick 100: DB Elijah Molden, Washington

Round 4, Pick 109: WR Dez Fitzpatrick, Louisville

Round 4, Pick 135: EDGE Rashad Weaver, Pittsburgh

Round 6, Pick 205: WR Racey McMath, LSU

Round 6, Pick 215: S Brady Breeze, Oregon

Now, tell us how you grade this draft haul by voting in the poll below:

[opinary poll="what-grade-do-you-give-the-titans-2021-d" customer="usatoday"]

[lawrence-related id=62651,62619,62600]

[listicle id=62633]

2021 NFL draft: Titans select S Brady Breeze at No. 215 overall

The Titans have made their last pick of the 2021 NFL draft.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyh7crnrcs3ypf player_id=none image=https://titanswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

With the 215th pick (sixth round) in the 2021 NFL draft, the Tennessee Titans selected safety Brady Breeze out of Oregon.

The Titans have now made back-to-back picks in the sixth round of players with awesome names. First, it was wide receiver Racey McMath out of LSU, and now it’s Breeze.

The 6-foot, 196-pound safety opted out of the 2020 campaign, but in the three years prior totaled 95 total tackles, three picks, five passes defensed and four fumble recoveries (two returned for touchdowns) in 32 games.

Breeze will have a tough time cracking Tennessee’s roster with a slew of solid safeties in front of him. Chances are his best bet to make the cut will be to show out on special teams.

With this pick, the Titans are now officially done with this year’s draft barring a trade back in. In total, Tennessee selected eight players and addressed multiple needs along the way.

This story will be updated….

[chalkline game=”nfl-draft-2021″]

[lawrence-related id=62673,62662,62651]

[listicle id=62633]

2021 NFL draft: Titans select WR Racey McMath at No. 205 overall

The Titans have made their second-to-last pick of the 2021 NFL draft.

With the No. 205 overall pick (sixth round) in the 2021 NFL draft, the Tennessee Titans selected wide receiver Racey McMath out of LSU.

McMath is the second wide receiver the Titans have taken in this year’s draft, with the first being Louisville product Dez Fitzpatrick, who was taken in the fourth round.

Aside from having a great name, McMath’s measurables are impressive. He stands at 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds, but also has 4.39 speed, which presents a matchup problem for opposing defenses.

McMath’s college numbers are nothing to write home about, but it’s important to note that he was absolutely buried on the depth chart with LSU having a slew of talented receivers in front of him. He also contributed on special teams, which is likely his best path to making the Titans in 2021.

McMath now joins his former LSU teammate, cornerback Kristian Fulton. He and Fulton were roommates in college, also.

After this pick, the Titans have one more selection in this year’s draft, which comes at No. 215 overall (sixth round). Tennessee originally had a seventh-round pick, but that was traded to the Carolina Panthers earlier in the day.

[lawrence-related id=62662,62619,62600]

[listicle id=62646]

See it: Monty Rice was a Titan long before being drafted

Check out a young Monty Rice rocking Tennessee Titans gear.

After seeing photos of a young Monty Rice donning a Tennessee Titans jersey and posing outside of Nissan Stadium, it’s clear the Georgia product and inside linebacker playing for the team was always meant to be.

Rice, who hails from Huntsville, Alabama, and was a Titans fan growing up, was a third-round pick of Tennessee at No. 92 overall after the team traded back with the Green Bay Packers on Day 2.

To prove his longstanding love for the Titans, Rice took to social media to share old photos of himself rocking the team’s jersey and attending a game. Check it out (H/T Titans on Twitter):

While this is awesome to see, now the hard work begins for Rice actually sticking around with the Titans for the long haul.

He figures to be a rotational piece at best in 2021 with a trio of talented inside linebackers ahead of him in Jayon Brown, Rashaan Evans and David Long, but he’ll have his opportunity to start in the years to come with the futures of Brown and Evans uncertain at best beyond this coming season.

[lawrence-related id=62531,62461,62491]

[listicle id=62536]

New Tennessee Titans EDGE Rashad Weaver: How he fits

How Rashad Weaver fits with the Tennessee Titans.

With the 135th pick in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans finally got the talented sack artist that they have been seeking.  All-American pass rusher Rashad Weaver is a phenomenal value at this point in the draft at a position of need.

The Titans invested well over a $100 million on their front seven in free agency, and Weaver gives head coach Mike Vrabel, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, and senior defensive assistant Jim Schwartz another new toy to play with come the fall.

There’s a ton to like with Weaver, so let’s take a deeper dive into what made the Pittsburgh pass rusher nearly impossible to pass on at this stage of the draft, and we’ll go over how he fits with the Titans.

Measureables

Position: EDGE

School: Pittsburgh

Height: 6’4

Weight: 259 pounds

Wingspan: 82 inches

Arm: 33 1/4

Hand: 9 3/4

What Titans’ Rashad Weaver, Dez Fitpatrick said in first pressers

Weaver recalled how he beat Mike Vrabel’s son for a strip sack in college.

The Tennessee Titans landed two players in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft in wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick out of Louisville (No. 109 overall) and Pittsburgh edge rusher Rashad Weaver (No. 135 overall).

In order to draft Fitzpatrick, the Titans moved up via a trade with the Carolina Panthers that saw Tennessee send picks 126, 166, and 232.

Coming into this offseason, two of the Titans’ biggest needs were EDGE and wide receiver, so it comes as no surprise that general manager Jon Robinson addressed both in this year’s draft.

Fitzpatrick will compete for targets in what is still a fairly thin wide receivers room in Tennessee, while Weaver figures to be a rotational player in his first year with the upside to be an every-down player in the years ahead.

Shortly after being drafted, both players spoke to the media via Zoom for the first time as Titans. Here’s a look at what they had to say.

Instant analysis and grade for Titans’ pick of EDGE Rashad Weaver

How we graded the Titans’ pick of EDGE Rashad Weaver.

With the 135th pick in the 4th round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans finally got the depth on the edge they were seeking.

In their search, the Titans ended up landing a consensus 2020 All-American (Pitt’s first since 2016) in the process in Rashad Weaver, who is a phenomenal value at this point in the draft.

Last season Tennessee’s defense was extremely deficient of consistently making plays in the opposing backfield. Now, they add the ACC leader in sacks and tackles for loss per game to a revamped front seven.

It should be noted that Weaver did have a season-ending knee injury in 2019 but bounced back and had arguably his best year in 2020 despite all the uncertainty of the 2020 season.

Weaver will have the luxury of being a rotational player early on in his career while he develops into a much larger role down the line.

The 6-foot-5, 259-pound Pittsburgh product is a tall and athletic defensive lineman who must add bulk to his frame, and you’d like to see more speed-to-power in his game.

Weaver has an incredibly high ceiling but he must become more consistent with the fundamentals of his position, as he can rely on his athleticism too much at times.

Nonetheless, this is a phenomenal pick here in Round 4 for all parties involved and both the Titans and Weaver will reap the benefits in the near future because of it.

Grade: A

[lawrence-related id=62616,62600,62594]

[listicle id=62574]

Twitter reacts to Titans’ pick of EDGE Rashad Weaver

Twitter is high on the Titans’ pick of EDGE Rashad Weaver.

After not taking one during the first three rounds of the 2021 NFL draft, the Tennessee Titans have finally landed an edge rusher in Pittsburgh’s Rashad Weaver, who was the No. 135 overall pick.

The Titans came into this offseason desperately needing help in the pass-rush department. The team addressed the need in free agency with the additions of outside linebacker Bud Dupree and defensive lineman Denico Autry, which allowed general manager Jon Robinson to wait on drafting one.

While he’ll need some work, Weaver has shown prowess as a pass-rusher during his days in college, and he’s an effective run defender, giving hope that he can be an every-down player at the next level.

The Pittsburgh totaled a career-high 7.5 sacks in his final collegiate season, which is made more impressive by the fact that he was coming of an ACL tear in 2019.

Here’s a look at what Twitter had to say about the selection of Weaver.

[lawrence-related id=62600,62594,62572]

[listicle id=62574]

2021 NFL draft: Titans select EDGE Rashad Weaver at No. 135 overall

The Titans have made their sixth pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

[mm-video type=video id=01f4mgrj9r0wfwtykv4m playlist_id=01eqbyh7crnrcs3ypf player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f4mgrj9r0wfwtykv4m/01f4mgrj9r0wfwtykv4m-49bb8a7d13955caf1a29f47d85cfbe87.jpg]

With the No. 135 overall pick (fourth round) in the 2021 NFL draft, the Tennessee Titans have selected EDGE Rashad Weaver out of Pittsburgh.

Going into this offseason, adding edge-rusher help was a top priority, but after Tennessee signed Bud Dupree, the team was able to wait on taking an EDGE in this year’s draft.

Over three years with Pitt, Weaver totaled 109 total tackles (34 for loss) and 17 sacks in 34 games. His best season came in 2020 when he notched a career-high 7.5 sacks.

[lawrence-related id=62616]

At 6-foot-4 and 259 pounds, Weaver is a plus pass-rusher with great length and can be an asset against the run. He has the ability to play standing up or with his hand in the dirt, offering Tennessee some flexibility in how to use him.

This is the sixth pick the Titans have made in this year’s draft, and the second in the fourth round after taking Louisville wideout Dez Fitzpatrick at No. 109 overall following a trade up with the Carolina Panthers.

After this pick and with the trade with the Panthers, the Titans now have two selections remaining in this year’s draft, both of which come in the sixth round (Nos. 205 and 215).

[chalkline game=”nfl-draft-2021″]