The Tennessee Titans had a rough 2014 season and proved that they were one of the least-talented teams in the NFL. However, with that poor record does come the No. 2 pick in this year’s NFL Draft, which can be extremely valuable for their franchise.
Very recently we have seen the value of the No. 2 pick in the draft, as in the 2012 NFL Draft when the St. Louis Rams got a haul for that selection. Famously that year was the anticipated arrival of Andrew Luck to the NFL, one of the most highly-touted prospects coming from college in a long time.
The Indianapolis Colts got their franchise quarterback in Luck with the first pick, but the Rams – despite missing out on what could be the best quarterback in the near future – made out well. The Washington Redskins would send a quite the package to the Rams for the rights to draft Robert Griffin III. St. Louis would acquire three first-round picks and a second-round pick from the Redskins.
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Deciding against drafting a quarterback worked out well for the Rams, as they have been able to build a formidable offensive and defensive line with those picks. St. Louis believed that they had their franchise quarterback already on the team in Sam Bradford, which was a main reason for trading down. Even with Bradford’s injuries, the move was still the right one.
In this year’s draft there are two quarterbacks in Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota that will be taken early on in the first round and plenty of teams that will be interested in each of them.
Sep 21, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker (10) throws a pass against Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Jayson DiManche (51) in the second half at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati defeated Tennessee 33-7. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
The Titans quarterback situation hasn’t been very good in the past few seasons, which could very well mean that they will be selecting one of the two quarterbacks in the draft. In 2011, the Titans drafted Jake Locker from the University of Washington with the eighth overall pick. But he hasn’t looked like a franchise quarterback in his first four seasons.
In 30 career games, Locker has been unimpressive with a 57.5 completion percentage, 27 touchdowns passes and 22 interceptions. The biggest issue has been his inability to stay healthy as he has only played in double-digit games once in his four seasons. Locker is a free agent this offseason and the possibility is there that the former Husky could be headed elsewhere.
Oct 26, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger (7) passes against the Houston Texans during the second half at LP Field. The Texans beat the Titans 30-16. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports
With the injury problems and Locker’s impending free agency, the Titans drafted Zach Mettenberger out of LSU in the sixth round a year ago. He played in seven games for the Titans last season and as a rookie, threw for 1,412 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions – numbers comparable to Locker.
Last season the Titans had plenty of issues and more than just the play of their quarterbacks that led to the team 2-14 record. The Titans were dreadful running the ball and also stopping it. They ranked 26th in the NFL in rushing at 90.6 yards per game. They also finished 31st in the league when it came to stopping the run, allowing 137.2 yards per contest.
Neither Winston nor Mariota will be drafted without questions regarding their ability to play at the NFL level. With issues on both sides of the ball, the best option for the Titans would be too look to move down in the draft and hope that they can take advantage of a teams need for a quarterback.
If no team is interested in trading up for the Titans’ pick, Tennessee will have plenty of talented defensive players to choose from that can help improve their poor rushing defense. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt has brought Dick LeBeau aboard and now this unit needs some additional pieces.
As we have seen in the recent past, the No. 2 pick can be a franchise-changer and the Titans will certainly hope that it results in the team having more success in the future.
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