The 2018 NFL Draft takes place April 26-28 this year, and as it stands, the Tennessee Titans have one first round draft pick. General manager Jon Robinson and first year head coach Mike Vrabel currently hold the 25th overall selection. Over the next few weeks, your boy “Big Natural” Stoney Keeley will be taking a look at some of the prospects who are either rumored to be tied to or who make sense for the Titans.
Okay, okay – hear me out. Did I say Mel Kiper, Jr. done lost his damn mind because he mocked Ronald Jones to the Titans in the first round a little while ago? Yes. That was even before the Titans signed free agent Dion Lewis. So, it’s much more of a head scratcher now. But, since the biggest part of what I aim to do with this series is simply to start and have a conversation, let’s slow it down and think about it.
Could the addition of Jones actually benefit the Titans? More so, can they afford it? It would be a luxury pick no matter how we try to spin it. But, given the right circumstances, it could actually work out rather nicely.
Think about it – let’s try and make a case for this. There was a strong contingent of people claiming that Derrick Henry would never be starting RB material in the NFL. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, those people are right. There are also valid injury/durability concerns surrounding Dion Lewis. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, the injury bug rears its ugly head. So, Henry doesn’t pan out and Lewis stays hurt. Who do the Titans have to shoulder the load then?
Now, am I plainly stating that the Titans RB situation would have to drop to ‘worst case scenario,’ and that’s something we wouldn’t know for at least a year, for this move to actually make sense? Yes. In other words, a lot of things would have to go wrong for us to look back on this and call it a good idea. But, let’s pretend like we can predict the future, and say this move makes sense.
Jones could be a hell of a pick.
The dude is lightning fast. No clue why he was never really mentioned as a serious Heisman candidate in a year when the field wasn’t really all that competitive. 1,550 rushing yards, 187 receiving yards, and 20 total touchdowns. Jones is an outright play-maker. His NFL.com comparison is Jamaal Charles.
The best case scenario would be an extra weapon for Marcus Mariota. Can an offense have too many explosive play-makers? I don’t know. Ask the Indianapolis Colts – their strategy seemed to be ‘load up Peyton Manning’s offense with weapons.’ While they were seen as a finesse team, they were still always in the hunt during the glory days of the Manning era in Indy.
The biggest knock on Jones that I’ve found is his size. It seems to be the one area where most scouts unanimously agree poses a risk. He’s 6’0″, 200 pounds and is largely dependent upon hitting the home run. How’s he going to hold up taking hits from NFL linemen? Is it going to nullify that electric ability?
All in all, I still think it would be overkill for the Titans to draft any RB in the first round. It’s been fun to entertain the thought, and while Jones could be a serviceable addition, it’s just not worth it when there are more dire needs on the board such as ILB and pass rusher.
Further reading: Kyle Madson took a look at RB options for the Titans in each round of the draft for Titans Wire.
Tennessee Titans First Round Options Archives
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Sam Hubbard
Harold Landry
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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