Tennessee Titans: How To Read Between The Lines On Draft Visits

The Tennessee Titans have a big opportunity in the 2017 NFL Draft, but what can fans tell from their pre-draft visits with prospects?

NFL teams officially begin their 30 visits with college prospects Monday. And if you’re a fan of the Tennessee Titans, you’d be well-served to pay close attention to the players the team brings in. Why?

Quite simply, if we look at last year’s list, it included first-round pick Jack Conklin, second-round selection Austin Johnson, sixth-rounder Sebastian Tretola and seventh-round pick Aaron Wallace. That means four of Tennessee’s 10 picks were guys the team brought in for a private visit. 40 percent doesn’t sound like much until you consider the other variables involved, such as the Titans not drafting in a vacuum.

You can love a guy to death. But if another team takes him before you get a chance, you’re out of luck.

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Each NFL team can bring in as many as 30 players for a private visit. Local visitors don’t count in those numbers, so teams will take advantage and bring in all of the local talent. But some of the others are used for more nefarious means—as a smoke screen.

The team has no intention of taking said player but it wants the teams picking behind it who might have an interest to sweat a bit. Feign some interest and perhaps you’ll drum up a trade partner.

Medical issues are another reason to bring in a player. If a player was banged up at the combine or had an issue at one of the all-star games, bring him in to have your doctors take another look.

Because of that, some of the players who have been dealing with issues will log a lot of travel time. Yes, UCLA linebacker Takkarist McKinley, we’re thinking of you here. Those are the easy ones to figure out.

Finally, there are the players among the 30 in which the team has a legitimate interest. What fans have to do is be wise to which players are of legitimate interest to teams and which are simply being brought it as a smoke-screen or diversion. 

For example, it seems unlikely the Titans would have a real interest in taking Malik Hooker or Jamal Adams with the fifth-overall pick with promising second-year player Kevin Byard and free agent pickup Johnathan Cyprien already on the roster.

Next: 2017 NFL Mock Draft: Full 3-Round Projections

But it wouldn’t hurt if a team behind them thinks that’s a possibility. It’s all part of the game within the game.