NFL Draft: Which 2-12 Team Needs the No. 1 Pick Most?
By Will Osgood
Tennessee Titans (Odds for No. 1 Pick: 31.4%)
Strengths: Ken Whisenhunt’s team has underperformed their expected win-loss record by an even wider margin than Gus Bradley’s squad. And like the Jaguars, the Titans possess two of the finest young wide receivers in football in Justin Hunter and Kendall Wright.
That combination has an opportunity to shine for years to come.
Weaknesses: The Titans are the second worst defense in the NFL in terms of points given up. The Titans had to figure replacing Pro Bowl CB Alterraun Verner would not be easy. But they hoped that Ray Horton’s 3-4 defensive scheme would make up for it with tremendous pressure on the quarterback.
As a unit, they’ve done an adequate job, bringing the quarterback down 34 times. But it hasn’t been enough to make up for a middling defense in other statistical categories.
Offensively, the Titans aren’t much better, ranking 29th in scoring, in the latter half of the league in passing yards per attempt and average a rather meager 4.0 yards per rushing attempt.
But their biggest problem has been a season-long revolving door at the quarterback spot. Rookie Zach Mettenberger has shown signs here and there of maybe one day becoming a QB capable of leading a team to the playoffs. But he promises little more than a spot in QB purgatory.
Case For Needing the No. 1 Pick: See the very last sentence of the above paragraph. Long-term, Zach Mettenberger might be able to make the Titans relevant and get them out of the division cellar. But Marcus Mariota could actually challenge Andrew Luck for best quarterback in the AFC South (Okay, probably not, but the point should be understood nonetheless) and bring the Titans division titles.
Next: Tampa Bay Buccaneers