More often than not, mock drafts are based on assumptions, as no one on the outside truly knows what a team is thinking inside its respective war room.
Mock drafts in the month of November are on another level of speculation. Nonetheless, it is always nice to get acclimated to new prospects that could be in play come draft season.
With all that said, let’s take a look at who Luke Easterling of Draft Wire has the Tennessee Titans selecting with their first two picks in his latest mock draft.
Round 1, Pick 25: Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn State
Pat Freiermuth is tied for ninth all-time at Penn State with 15 career touchdown receptions. He is also tied for the most touchdown receptions by a tight end in Penn State history with Mike Gesicki. Friermuth was named a 2019 Second-Team All-American by the AFCA and The Athletic, and was voted as a 2019 All-Big Ten Second-Team by the coaches and media. The Penn State product was also named the program’s 2019 Most Valuable Offensive Player at its awards banquet.
The talented tight end is a big-bodied target with soft hands and obvious potential as a blocker. He stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 258 pounds. There are a ton of things to be intrigued with when it comes to Friermuth. However, the Titans have other holes on the roster that can use a first-round talent before adding to the tight ends room.
Should they make the surprising decision to move on from Jonnu Smith, then this could become a more realistic option. But I personally do not see it happening when Smith is proving to be a complete tight end this season, especially when they have a shorter, yet more polished version of Freiermuth on their roster already in Anthony Firkser.
There’s an entire offseason before draft season really gets going, so who knows what could happen. But at this point, it’s hard to imagine them using an asset like a first-round pick on anything other than defense.
Round 2, Pick 57: Hamilcar Rashed Jr., OLB, Oregon State
Now, this is a pick that I think this fanbase would get behind. Should a talent like Hamilcar Rashed Jr. fall to the second round, Tennessee should jump all over him.
The Oregon State defender has played in 36 games, making 21 starts in that time. He is sixth in Oregon State history with 34 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks. Rashed Jr. also entered 2020 with 120 career tackles, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and six pass deflections.
In 2019 alone, he was a Second-Team All-American (Associated Press, Walter Camp, CBS Sports, FWAA), and All-Pac-12 First- Team (Associated Press, Phil Steele).
Hamilcar often aligns as an edge defender in the Beavers’ even-front defense. He is very raw, but his natural athleticism and closing burst will likely allow him to excel once he gets around NFL coaching. He demonstrates explosive hips and hands to set the edge and is relentless in pursuit of the football.
Hamilcar is a defender that has to be accounted for on every play due to his ability to disrupt the passing game. He has outstanding ability to rush upfield, retrace and get to the football.
The Oregon State product is the prototypical edge defender for today’s NFL due to his twitchy athleticism and ability to leverage both the quarterback and running back when facing zone-read schemes. He is the type of unique chess piece that can take over a game if used properly. That is something that Tennessee could use more of as their pass rush has been relatively non-existent through the first half of the season.
Unfortunately, I do not see a talent like Hamilcar Rashed Jr. falling this late in the draft. Regardless if it’s the Oregon State product or not, addressing the pass-rush is something this Titans team must do in the early rounds of the 2021 draft.
[lawrence-related id=49351,49300,49298]