On Friday, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah released his first mock draft of the year, and in it he has the Tennessee Titans taking a cornerback in the first round.
With the No. 22 overall pick, Jeremiah pegs South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn to the Titans, which is a pick we also saw Pro Football Focus’ Seth Galina make in his mock draft.
“The Titans need better cover guys on the back end. Horn has the ability to play at a high level in press or off coverage,” said Jeremiah to explaining his reasoning for the choice.
In seven games during the 2020 season, Horn finished with 16 total tackles, six passes defensed and a career-high two picks.
After an atrocious showing by the Titans’ defense in 2020, and in particular from the secondary and pass rush, there should be a heavy focus on improving that side of the ball, both in free agency and in the draft.
The most dire need is of course the pass rush, which totaled the third-fewest sacks in the NFL in 2020. General manager Jon Robinson needs to make an addition that has an immediate impact for his win-now team, and free agency is the best way to do that.
Could we see an outside linebacker or defensive end added in the first round? Sure, but it’s not automatic, as there has to be one worth taking in that spot.
As far as cornerback is concerned, the Titans will have some questions to answer in the near future.
Adoree’ Jackson will be on the final year of his rookie deal in 2021 and his stock is trending down after he failed to stay healthy again in 2020 and wasn’t very effective when he was on the field.
Malcolm Butler was the Titans’ best corner by a mile last season; however, his contract runs through 2022 and he could become a cap casualty before that happens if money is tight in Nashville.
Of course, Kristian Fulton was thought to be the future at the position, but his rookie campaign was marred by injuries and we didn’t really get to see what he could do, so the jury is still out on the LSU product.
And last but not least, the future of Desmond King, who the Titans acquired in a trade last season, is up in the air as he prepares to hit free agency.
Long story short, it isn’t crazy to think the Titans go cornerback in the first round. We should have a better idea of what direction the team will head once we see what moves are made in free agency.
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