USAT: Titans Wire audio clip

USAT: Titans Wire

Feb 16, 2022

- - - The Tennessee Titans have a slew of options when it comes to their first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft. - They could choose to address a position of need on offense, but they could also opt to trade out of the first round to acquire more or improved draft capital in the later rounds, as our Ryan Sikes opined recently. - In its latest mock draft, Bleacher Report has the Titans sticking in the first round and selecting Ohio State wide receiver, Garrett Wilson. Here’s the write-up for the pick: - - Adding yet another elite wide receiver talent to the Tennessee Titans roster is frightening. - “The Titans have A.J. Brown and traded for Julio Jones before the 2021 season but get a different type of receiver in Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson,” Tice said. “Wilson is a big play waiting to happen who can take screens and underneath throws the distance with flashes of true route-running ability. As Jones reaches the latter stage of his career, Wilson can continue to grow and refine his game and will pair with Brown to give the Titans an incredible pair of playmakers for years to come.” - Jones’ acquisition certainly wasn’t a long-term solution, since the future Hall of Fame inductee already turned 33, and Tennessee’s offense can’t be The Derrick Henry Show forever.  - Wilson may not be as polished as Chris Olave, as physical as Treylon Burks or as big or athletic as Drake London. However, he presented himself as a game-breaker from the moment he stepped onto Ohio State’s campus.  - Tennessee’s identity doesn’t need to change by adding Wilson. At the same time, his inclusion will make the offense more potent. - - Wilson had a career year for the Buckeyes in 2021 in what was a crowded wide receiver group, reeling in 70 receptions for 1,058 yards and 12 scores. Here’s more information on him, per The Draft Network’s Kyle Crabbs: - Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson is a dynamic threat with the ball in his hands and offers the kind of run after catch ability that is sure to command a role at the NFL level. Wilson, who is a part of the crowded wide receiver room in Columbus and has enjoyed a career year in 2021, projects best to the NFL game as a slot receiver, where his short-area agility will afford him more room to work and create space and he can be more naturally crafted quick touches for an offense that commands spacing issues with a prominent vertical passing attack. Those conditions parallel what Wilson often works with at Ohio State and would help to both maximize his immediate impact and allow the same creative touches he sees in college to follow him to the pros. I appreciate Wilson’s versatility as an offensive weapon and would hope to see him placed into a role that features him in the RPO game as a bubble/glance threat, as a jet motion option to get him leverage to the perimeter quickly, and as an underneath receiver that utilizes his burst to carry across the middle of the field in mesh/drive concepts as the underneath target.  - While Wilson would be a great addition as a likely upgrade in the slot over Chester Rogers, who was underwhelming in that role, a few things would likely have to happen before the Titans take a receiver this early. - If the Titans decide to part ways with Jones by cutting him, receiver becomes a bigger need. Also, if Tennessee keeps Jones but isn’t confident in either he or 2021 fourth-round pick, Dez Fitzpatrick, to be reliable options behind A.J. Brown, that could drive a selection like this. - Either way, the Titans need to add depth at the wide receiver position after the amount of injuries the team saw in 2021. Whether that addition comes early or late in the NFL draft, in free agency, or both, remains to be seen. - - RelatedSeahawks' DK Metcalf: Titans' A.J. Brown, Julio Jones are top 5 WRsWay-too-early look at Titans' odds to win Super Bowl LVIITitans’ Derrick Henry has ‘vengeance on my mind’ in 2022 - - List - - Titans 7-round mock draft: Tennessee lands its QB of the future - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Email - - - - - Sign up - - - - - - - - Like this article? - Sign up for the Titans Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning - - - - An error has occured - - - Please re-enter your email address. - - - - - - Thanks for signing up! - - - You'll now receive the top Titans Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

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