Many people were surprised that Harold Landry fell to the mid-second round in the 2018 NFL Draft, but the Tennessee Titans certainly aren’t complaining.
Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson may as well have had “quality over quantity” as his unofficial motto for the 2018 NFL Draft. After all three rounds, the Titans came away with only four players to add to the mix in Nashville. However, the hope for this team was that the inclusion of their first two selections (linebacker Rashaan Evans in the first, edge rusher Harold Landry in the second after trading up) would make enough impact to get them over the hump.
To this point, we’ve not seen much of Evans in training camp and the preseason as the linebacker suffered what’s been called a minor injury early in camp. There are still high hopes for him, but with not much to speak of leading into the season, it’s hard to say what the Titans will get for him. As for Landry, well, it’s safe to say that Tennessee has to be thrilled with him.
If you look simply at the box score for the Titans’ first two preseason contests, Landry hasn’t made what would seem like a great impact. In Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers, he notched a big-time sack that was quite impressive, but didn’t accrue other stats. Last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he didn’t register a tackle or a sack.
However, the impact of Landry to this point in the preseason isn’t all about the sack numbers. The Boston College has been routinely affecting plays with his speedy rush off the edge, forcing numerous instances of pressure and demanding attention off the edge.
In fact, despite the box-score production, Landry is currently the highest-graded rookie edge defender in preseason play according to Pro Football Focus on Twitter:
The only place where you can access preseason grades for every player in the NFL, and grades and stats over the past 12 seasons, is with PFF Premium Stats:https://t.co/wR7DoJ53U7 pic.twitter.com/0OEBs3JCLr
— PFF (@PFF) August 23, 2018
There were many people coming into the draft that called Landry the best pure pass-rusher in the class. However, questions about a drop in sack production from 2016 to 2017 and athleticism (unwarranted, might I add) caused him to fall out of the first round and then continue to drop in the second. It wasn’t until the Titans saw the value that was too good to pass up at pick No. 41 that they traded up to get him.
Granted, we’re only talking about two preseason games to this point, but Landry is already making front offices look silly for allowing him to fall. He truly looks like a player that could be a consistent force in the NFL rushing the passer off the edge.
Tennessee, of course, isn’t complaining at all. Robinson and the front office saw the value and, as stated, went for the quality of their picks as opposed to the quantity. And it’s clear to this point that Landry is quality, and a beautiful fit in their defense as they look to get younger on the edge behind Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan.