Despite being in good shape at the position going into 2022, the Tennessee Titans are doing their due diligence on edge rushers for the upcoming NFL draft.
According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, the Titans met formally with UAB EDGE Alex Wright at the combine and will do so again virtually ahead of April’s draft. They are one of several teams showing interest, though.
Melo projects Wright will go anywhere from late in the second round to early-to-mid third round.
The 6-foot-5, 271-pound pass rusher tallied 91 total tackles (19 for loss), 11.5 sacks and five passes defensed over the last three seasons. His best college campaign came in 2021, when he finished with a career-high six sacks.
#UAB EDGE Alex Wright met formally at the combine, and will soon meet virtually with #Saints, #Buccaneers, #Cardinals, #Cowboys, #Dolphins, #Titans, #Packers, #49ers, #Vikings, #Ravens, #Colts and #Eagles.
There's a TON of interest in his natural tools (6-5, 271, 34" arms).
— Justin M (@JustinM_NFL) March 19, 2022
Here’s more on Wright, courtesy of Lance Zierlein of NFL.com:
“Developmental defensive end who is still growing into his body and his position. Wright will likely look much different in pads within a couple of years. His current play lacks recognition, sophistication and technique. However, he’s a young player who flashes and still posts good rush production, albeit versus lesser blockers. In a projection-based model where additional size, strength and technique improvements are likely, his athleticism becomes an even more impressive weapon as both a run defender and pass rusher. He will require a runway for development, but he’s worth a middle-round selection as a potential three-down starter for odd- or even-front teams.”
The Titans have a whole list of needs to address in the draft before even thinking about taking an edge rusher, with wide receiver, tight end, and offensive line (guard and tackle) being the biggest.
I don’t see the Titans addressing EDGE with any of their first three picks over the first three rounds, thus they might not be able to get their hands on the talented UAB product.