When the Tennessee Titans’ pick in the second round was approaching, fans and analysts of the team were holding their breath in the hope that the team could land LSU corner, Kristian Fulton.
Fulton, who was projected by many to be a first-round pick, was still on the board and the Titans needed a corner badly after passing on one in the first round in favor of right tackle Isaiah Wilson.
Once the Titans’ second-round pick finally came and Fulton was still available, general manager Jon Robinson had to pounce — and he did just that.
As a result of what amounts to some luck for the Titans, their pick of Fulton was named as the biggest draft steal of the round by Pro Football Focus’ Mike Renner.
Biggest draft steals by round
1: Cowboys – CeeDee Lamb
2: Titans – Kristian Fulton
3: Cardinals – Josh Jones
4: Jaguars – Ben Bartch
5: Bucs – Tyler Johnson
6: Broncos – Netane Muti
7: Ravens – Geno Stone— Mike Renner (@PFF_Mike) April 26, 2020
PFF’s Anthony Treash agreed and listed Fulton as one of the biggest steals of the entire draft.
Not considering the off-the-field issues, Kristian Fulton’s plummet in the 2020 NFL Draft is a head-scratcher given his flat-out dominant performance at LSU over the past two years. He’s been one of college football’s stickiest cornerbacks. Over the past two years, Fulton forced tight coverage on 65.5% of his targets (fifth) and a contested target on 34.5% (third), which are incredibly impressive rates for a guy playing in the SEC. On the 38 contested targets he forced, Fulton allowed only nine to be caught with 25 forced incompletions.
Grabbing Fulton calmed down part of the fan base (including yours truly) that wanted a cornerback in the first round and wasn’t happy with the Wilson pick because it seemed like a reach.
That potential reach was evened out by the fact that the Titans may have gotten a first-round talent late in the second.
How much of a steal the Fulton pick actually is will be proven in due time. We can call him a steal all we want right now, but until he takes the field and performs like a first-round player, we really won’t know for sure.