In his previous mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper had the Tennessee Titans taking Florida wide receiver Kadarius Toney at No. 22 overall in the first round.
This time around, Kiper pumped out a two-round mock and has the Titans taking a different receiver in Round 1, along with a cornerback in Round 2.
At No. 22 overall, Kiper sees Tennessee selecting Ole Miss wide receiver Elijah Moore. Here’s what he had to say about that:
Though the Titans are another team that could address their pass rush, I really like Moore’s fit as Ryan Tannehill’s primary slot target. Moore had 1,193 receiving yards in eight games last season, working predominantly out of the slot. He can be a high-volume, easy-throw target alongside A.J. Brown, who has blossomed into a legit No. 1 wideout. Cornerback is another position to watch for Tennessee.
At No. 53 overall, Kiper pegs Florida State cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. as the Titans’ second-round pick. His write-up for that pick is as follows:
The Titans parted ways with Adoree’ Jackson, Desmond King II and Malcolm Butler this offseason and only added Janoris Jenkins; they must add a cornerback or two early in this draft. Samuel is only 5-foot-10 and might primarily be a nickelback early in his career, but he had three interceptions in eight games last season. His father, Asante Samuel, was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round in 2003. He was named first-team All-Pro twice and went to four Pro Bowls.
This is a pretty solid haul for the Titans, as Moore gives their offense a much-needed versatile and explosive playmaker at the position, while Samuel offers the depth and potential long-term starter needed at cornerback.
The only gripe with Kiper’s picks is that Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman was still on the board when he chose Moore. If the decision is to go with a receiver in the first round, we prefer Bateman over Moore.
While taking an offensive tackle early on shouldn’t be ruled out, we tend to believe the Titans will go in a similar direction as Kiper has them going here, although you can certainly flip it with a corner in the first and wideout in the second.
In reality, with the amount of needs the Titans have on both sides of the ball, there’s simply no telling how general manager Jon Robinson will approach things come April 29.
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