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Another mock draft is pegging a wide receiver to the Tennessee Titans in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.
In a recent mock draft, CBS Sports’ Kyle Stackpole has the Titans taking Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams with the No. 26 overall pick. Here’s why:
“Williams is too good for the Titans to pass up here, even with the Alabama wideout recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in the national championship game. Tennessee’s passing offense was lost whenever A.J. Brown was out with an injury, so selecting Williams would go a long way in rectifying that. Plus, the combination of Brown and Williams would be lethal in the play-action passing game.”
If the Titans were to select Williams, this would be the third time in four years the team has drafted a player in the first round with an injury concern, as Williams suffered a torn ACL in the National Championship game.
It worked out with Jeffery Simmons in 2019, but things are off to a rough start for 2021 first-round pick, Caleb Farley.
Williams is considered one of the top college wideouts after posting 1,572 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in 2021. Granted, some of the luster is off him after his injury, but he’s still highly thought of and will likely be a first-round pick.
While the Titans could certainly use help at the receiver position, their willingness to take one this early will depend upon a few things.
Are the Titans confident in Julio Jones, not just for next season but for 2023, also? And, is Tennessee of the belief that Dez Fitzpatrick can step into a No. 3 receiver role in 2022, and then a No. 2 role at some point?
If the answers to those questions are yes, then the Titans probably won’t draft one, at least not this early. If all or some of the answers to those questions are no, then taking a Round 1 wideout makes more sense.
Here’s more on the 6-foot-2, 188-pound wideout, who profiles as a polished route-runner with great speed to make plays down the field, per The Draft Network:
“Jameson Williams is an Ohio State transfer that saw minimal playing time due to a loaded WR room. He transferred to the Alabama program this year and emerged as a top WR for the program. In a year where there was inexperience amongst the Alabama receiver corps, Williams has emerged as the No. 1 guy. Williams is a smooth route-runner that has the quickness to win early in route progressions and quickly makes himself available for the quarterback. He’s a quick accelerator that pushes routes vertical then has the ability to sink his hips and quickly snap off routes. Excels at running deep routes. He understands how to properly leverage defenders on deep routes and then make a cut and use his speed to run away from them. Williams is a big play waiting to happen that seamlessly made the transition into the Alabama offense. “
As talented as Williams is, he comes with risk. We already mentioned the torn ACL, but the Alabama product only has one productive college year under his belt, so there isn’t a huge sample size for him.
Will the Titans once again roll the dice on a first-round pick? We’ll find out when the 2022 NFL draft begins on April 28.
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