The draft pick that the Tennessee Titans have to make

It’s mock draft season as the NFL Draft is inching closer and closer, and there’s one pick that the Tennessee Titans need to make in the first round.

The Tennessee Titans have been busy in free agency, and general manager Jon Robinson has been busy moving players around, releasing players, trading players, and signing players.

A big focus this offseason has been focused on the defense. Improving the secondary, improving the front seven, especially after trading away Jurrell Casey. The Titans might have Casey’s replacement in a matter of days, but it’s still a hole in the Titans’ defense right now.

Other than free agency, the Titans are also preparing for the draft, and the most recent mock draft comes from NFL.com’s Chad Reuter, and in his mock draft, the Titans are focusing on the defense in the draft too.

Reuter’s four-round mock draft includes the Titans drafting three players because they currently do not have a fourth-round pick. Reuter takes an interesting approach and probably the most reasonable one for the Titans in this year’s draft, but there’s one pick he’s missing.

Based on Reuter’s mock draft, with the 29th pick in the first round, the Titans select Ross Blacklock, defensive tackle, TCU. With the 61st pick in the second round, the Titans select Adam Trautman, tight end, Dayton. With the 93rd pick in the third round, the Titans select Damon Arnette, cornerback, Ohio State.

Yes, all three of those picks address some of the Titans’ needs, but the Titans drafted the wrong tight end in this situation.

The tight end that the Titans have to draft comes out of Louisiana State University, and he is the son of an NFL Hall of Famer. In the 2020 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans have to draft Thaddeus Moss, tight end, LSU.

Moss was a huge part of LSU’s offense in their National Championship season. In 2019, Moss totaled 570 yards on 47 receptions and four touchdowns.

He especially showed up in the College Football Playoff. In LSU’s CFP run, Moss had 135 receiving yards and three touchdowns, including two touchdowns in the championship game.

NFL analyst Lance Zierlein compared Moss to Titans tight end MyCole Pruitt, which seems like a pretty good comparison to me.

"“Family lineage and brand awareness playing with Joe Burrow and LSU make it easy to overshoot expectations for Moss as a dynamic pass-catcher, but tape study shows he’s actually more skilled as a run blocker,” Zierlein said. “He has great hands and good body control, but he’s an average athlete who benefited from rub routes and off coverage to find plenty of open-window catches. He will get after it as a run blocker, using above-average technique and an impressive ability to strain and sustain against bigger opponents. He could struggle to uncover against tight man, but his hybrid TE/H-back versatility and run-blocking prowess could lock him into a TE3 role.”"

An athlete at tight end would be great, but just looking at Moss’ size, it’s clear he isn’t the most dynamic athlete. At 6’2″, 250 lbs, Moss is a big guy that could play a key role in the Titans’ offense in 2020.

After losing Jack Conklin in free agency, the Titans might need the help up front, and Moss could add the extra help that the Titans might need in Conklin’s absence.

He has a big frame, and he’s not afraid to get physical, whether that’s with a defensive end or a free safety. He’s going to need some help improving his athleticism, but how many prospects are going to be NFL ready where the Titans are drafting? Slim to none.

He needs to be a little quicker, work on his athleticism, and his consistency in his route running, but he’s a great prospect for the Titans, and I think it will be well worthwhile for the Titans if they draft him.