Since taking over in 2016, Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson has found several impact players for the team through the NFL draft, both early and late.
Of course, things didn’t go so well in 2020 because of the Isaiah Wilson debacle, and the draft class in general didn’t contribute much, mostly because of injuries to cornerback Kristian Fulton and running back Darrynton Evans.
However, that shouldn’t erase the overall great job Robinson has done finding young players in the draft, and that hasn’t been lost on NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal.
In his general manager power rankings that are based on draft results, Rosenthal placed Robinson at No. 7 on the list, while also naming wide receiver A.J. Brown as his best pick, and Wilson as his worst.
Best pick: A.J. Brown | Round 2 (No. 51), 2019
Worst pick: Isaiah Wilson | Round 1 (No. 29), 2020
Robinson started his tenure with a bang, taking Jack Conklin, Derrick Henry and Kevin Byard in his first draft for then-coach Mike Mularkey. Robinson hasn’t hit that level since, but the front office has uncovered difference-makers like A.J. Brown, Jonnu Smith and Jayon Brown from surprising places in the draft. Last year’s first-round pick, Isaiah Wilson, turned into an all-time miss, but I otherwise appreciate that the Titans have a type. A lot of teams say they want physical players, but no team looks better coming off the bus than a Jon Robinson team.
At the moment, we’d quibble with naming Brown as Robinson’s best pick over running back Derrick Henry, but if the Ole Miss product continues on his current trajectory, he could eventually get that distinction in our eyes.
Rosenthal’s list only included 23 of the 32 general managers in total. Those who have had one or fewer drafts thus far were not ranked.
As bad as things went for last year’s draft class, there is still plenty of time for Fulton, Evans, and defensive lineman Larrell Murchison to prove Robinson right.
And Robinson will have yet another chance to add to his impressive draft history when the 2021 NFL draft arrives on April 29.