Dorial Green-Beckham an option for Tennessee Titans?

By Kevin Parvizi | May 1, 2015

Plenty of talent prospects didn’t hear their names called in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, and one of those players is Dorial Green-Beckham, who is one of the most talented prospects in the class but unsurprisingly didn’t go in the first due to major off-field questions. The Tennessee Titans nabbed their franchise quarterback in Marcus Mariota, opting to ignore trade overtures from the Philadelphia Eagles, and now it’s time for them to surround him with a better supporting cast.

Currently, the Titans No. 1 receiver is the reliable Kendall Wright, who figures to be Mariota’s go-to guy, assuming the Oregon product starts. But while Wright is the top guy on the totem pole for targets, the Titans “X” receiver is Justin Hunter, who has been underwhelming ever since he was a boom-or-bust second-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

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The Titans have many needs across their roster, and I’d say that wide receiver is one of their most pressing issues, especially since they’ve added a new quaterback. There are plenty of talented options available for them at pick No. 33, including Green-Beckham, who is arguably the most explosive athlete at the position.

TitanInsider.com’s Terry McCormick recently tweeted that he “wouldn’t be shocked” if the Titans decided to draft DGB with the first pick on the second day of the draft, adding that the team seems “to like” him after hosing him on a pre-draft visit.

Hunter isn’t a flop yet, and he still has upside due to his playmaking ability. If he can do a better job of getting open and cut down on his drops, then he could be a very viable “X” for Mariota who can come down with some big plays. The problem is that the Titans simply don’t have enough pass-catching talent, though both Delanie Walker and Harry Douglas are also solid.

There are plenty of positions of need for the Titans, but I wouldn’t mind seeing them drafting an impact player at the wide receiver position in order to give Mariota some more talent to work with. Green-Beckham could have been a first-rounder on talent alone, and he’s more polished than Hunter was coming out of college.

That said, DGB is another boom-or-bust receiver, so the Tennessee Titans will have to weigh whether or not they want to draft on potential at wide receiver or go with a safer prospect at a different position before addressing their rather large hole at wide receiver later on in the draft. They’ll have to find somebody, preferably with playmaking ability, and DGB has the draft’s most tantalizing size-speed combination.

One of the other directions the Titans could go is Randy Gregory, who should have been a first-round pick. He’s a tweener edge rusher with some boom-or-bust to him, but I think he could be a great fit for the Titans defense. The problem is that they already gave big deals to standout veterans Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo this offseason, so one of the Titans best positions is outside linebacker; they don’t need another pass rusher despite the value Gregory brings to the table.

Dorial Green-Beckham is one of the most risky prospects in the entire class, because he could be anywhere from the next top-five receiver to a total flameout in just his first season. Drafting Mariota was risky enough for some Titans fans, but, like McCormick, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Titans decided to roll the dice on a far more boom-or-bust prospect than the quarterback prospect they picked up in round one.

Next: Drafting Mariota a wise decision

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