2018 NFL Draft: Tennessee Titans 7-round mock draft
By Joe Romano
The Tennessee Titans were a playoff team in 2017. Despite that they enter the 2018 season with some question marks. They will turn to the 2018 NFL draft for answers.
It is rare to see a team in the NFL that won a playoff game make a change at head coach. The Tennessee Titans will do just that. Mike Vrabel will take over as the team’s head coach after rising up through the ranks of college and the NFL. Now he and the rest of the new staff will use the draft to load up for another run at the AFC playoffs.
This mock draft was done using Fanspeak’s On the Clock, a fun and informative tool for all NFL draft fans.
Round 1 – Pick 25
Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas
One of the weak points of this Tennessee Titans defense was the athleticism in the front seven. Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan are great players but getting up there in age. Middle linebacker Avery Williamson is poised for free agency as well. The Titans would be wise to grab some athleticism at the linebacker position. There may not be a more athletic linebacker prospect than Texas’ Malik Jefferson.
At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, Jefferson brings a rare blend of size and speed. At Texas he played all over the field at the second level. He was one of the best recruits in the nation out of high school and his athleticism mostly carried him in college.
In the NFL Jefferson will again be the type of player that can play any linebacker position. For Tennessee he would like be a rangy Mike who can do damages on blitzes. He is quite raw and may take time to reach his potential. If he is able to reach that potential than the Titans could wind up with one of the better players in the class.
Athletes like Jefferson do not come around often. Putting him into an aging and experienced linebacking corps would not only benefit the team but could benefit the player. Tennessee needs to inject some speed and athleticism to the unit and Jefferson is the perfect guy to do it.