It's officially NFL Draft week for the Tennessee Titans and the rest of the NFL. The Titans are busy doing their final prep work for this week's NFL Draft. Make sure you’re in the loop on the latest news on your Titans– take five seconds to Sign up for our FREE Titans newsletter now! The Titans currently have six picks in this week's NFL Draft. Here's another look at them. Round 1: 19th overall Round 2: 51st overall Round 3: 82nd overall Round 4: 121st overall Round 5: 157th overall Round 6: 188th overall (trade with the Miami Dolphins) The Titans current needs heading into this week's NFL Draft included outside linebacker/edge rusher, defensive line, interior offensive line, wide receiver and possibly tight end. General manager Jon Robinson and head coach Mike Vrabel sat down with the Nashville media to preview the NFL Draft. Let's take a look at some of the highlights.<doc-sep>JACKSONVILLE, FL - DECEMBER 30: Montez Sweat #9 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs reacts after a tackle for loss against the Louisville Cardinals during the TaxSlayer Bowl at EverBank Field on December 30, 2017 in Jacksonville, Florida. The Bulldogs won 31-27. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) Final look at the Tennessee Titans official visits by Will Lomas A late faller who has always been high on my board for the Tennessee Titans. The Tennessee Titans are less than 80 hours away from the 2019 NFL Draft at this point, so the names left may sound less likely but this is one that seems much more possible today than it did a month ago. With the best offensive linemen all off the board, it is time to focus on the strength of the 2019 NFL Draft: defense. As the draft gets closer there are still a number of defensive tackles left in free agency, so I think any deal that will get done between any team and one of the top free agents will come after the draft. With that in mind, it skews the focus a little bit more to the EDGE for me. So, which EDGE player warranted a top-3 spot on my list? First, a quick reminder on what this list really is and who is eligible: -Nick Bosa, Quinnen Williams and Josh Allen will be impossible to land barring a trade into the top-3 or 4. They can’t be included in this list. -This is a list specifically on which of the players available make the Tennessee Titans better? -Don’t treat this as a big board, some positions won’t be brought up because there is no one talented enough that can come in and be an instant improvement over what the Titans already have. -While long term help is important, consider what this player does for Tennessee short term and if they will help reduce the hit of free agent departures in the future. Which player is the 3rd best option for the Tennessee Titans in the 1st round? Montez Sweat EDGE, Mississippi State Very rarely does a player like Montez Sweat even exist in the draft process. Power 5 school: Check Elite production: Check Elite athleticism: Check Ideal frame: Check It is crazy to me that people think he isn’t one of the top five or six football players in this draft. Well actually, maybe they do and it is something else that is scaring people about drafting him. There are rumors of concerns about a heart condition that popped up at the NFL Combine this year. If you don’t believe those concerns and want more smoke to prove that there is a real fire here, Sweat recently announced that he would not be attending the combine after recently saying that he would attend. To me, that is a huge signal that this fall is real and that his agent doesn’t want him sitting in the green room being talked about and focused on in a negative context. So why is he still a top-3 pick on my list? There have been several players with heart concerns over the past few drafts, namely Star Lotulelei and Maurice Hurst. The condition seems to be closer to Lotulelei than Hurt. What that means is, while it is something to monitor it shouldn’t be something that hurts him long term. If the Tennessee Titans have a chance at Sweat at 19 or even if they have to trade up to get him they absolutely should. His profile screams Pro Bowl EDGE and those are so hard to find. While he plays a little stiff, he is strong in his rush and really hard to move off of his path. On top of that, he shows the athletic potential to be a bender or to be more than a straight line player, but honestly he never had to be that in college. Over his two years at Mississippi State he averaged 1 TFL and 0.73 sacks per game (30 TFLs and 22 sacks total). To put that in perspective, Jaylon Ferguson the all-time leader in sacks averaged 1.3 TFLs and 0.88 sacks per game and he was going against bad talent at Louisiana Tech. When you look at both through the lens of SEC competition, they look like this over their career: Montez Sweat: 16 TFLs and 15 sacks in 16 games (1 and 0.94 per game) Jaylon Ferguson: 6.5 TFLs in 3 sacks in 5 career games (1.3 and 0.6 per game) So while some players in this class are more productive over the course of their entire career, no one in this draft compares to the kind of production that Sweat has had vs top competition and he combines that with elite athleticism. Yesterday on this list I said that if the Tennessee Titans drafted Chris Lindstrom I would almost go as far as to guarantee his success given his resume, athleticism and the fact that the Titans have so much inside information on him. Today, I will say that no matter where Sweat goes, as long as he stays healthy he is one of the safest bets in the 2019 NFL class at the 2nd most important position in football. Pairing him with Harold Landry would give the Titans their best starting EDGEs in franchise history.<doc-sep>ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 29: Clelin Ferrell #99 and Christian Wilkins #42 of the Clemson Tigers react after a sack in the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the College Football Playoff Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) One of the Clemson players that the Tennessee Titans will really like comes off the board at 8. The Tennessee Titans have had some pretty flashy picks in the first round over the last few years, but this might not wow fans. Sometimes when you look at a draft your eyes tend to flash to certain positions. Everyone wants to draft EDGE, WR, CB, LB, RB, or QB with their first round pick because for the most part, that is where the stars of the NFL are. How many guards or defensive tackles do you see doing commercials for big brands? Heck, how many of those players would you recognize if they had their helmets off? The fact is that sometimes the guys doing the most important work don’t get nearly the attention they deserve. That’s why this defensive tackle is high on this list. First, a quick reminder on what this list really is and who is eligible: -Nick Bosa, Quinnen Williams and Josh Allen will be impossible to land barring a trade into the top-3 or 4. They can’t be included in this list. -This is a list specifically on which of the players available make the Tennessee Titans better? -Don’t treat this as a big board, some positions won’t be brought up because there is no one talented enough that can come in and be an instant improvement over what the Titans already have. -While long term help is important, consider what this player does for Tennessee short term and if they will help reduce the hit of free agent departures in the future. Which player is the 8th best option for the Tennessee Titans in the 1st round? Christian Wilkins iDL, Clemson The Tennessee Titans are in a weird position at defensive tackle. It feels a lot like it did last year where the DTs (other than Casey) feel like they are all on one-year deals. I could easily see a purge coming in 2020 to the defensive line similar to the one we are seeing now on the offensive line. This would be a way to get ahead of that situation and give the Titans another DT who is actually disruptive. Wilkins is a three-time All-American defensive tackle who has solid production and when you adjust his testing numbers for his size, you see an above average athlete. Where he shines is as an aggressive, upfield player who wins with hand use and his nice combination of first step quickness and size. I think his future is blurry because he could play so many positions. As a 1-tech, he has never really been asked to consistently hold the point of attack so there are some concerns. Still, I think if you ask him to line up in the A-gap and you ask him to get into the backfield instead of reading blocks he will cause problems. If you put him at 3-tech you are probably putting him in the best position to succeed. Here, his contact balance and football IQ are on full display and he could make life miserable for teams that run schemes with pulling guards or ZBS. You could even line him up at 5-tech if you wanted to. Match him up with lighter tackle who struggle with power and it will benefit whoever is rushing outside of him because as soon as they brace themselves for the bull rush you can switch it up by running a stunt there. Wilkins isn’t the shiny defensive tackle that will make the Tennessee Titans better by getting 8+ sacks. Instead, think of him as a guy who projects to consistently get 5 sacks per year. Does that sound disappointing? Well here is where that would have ranked among Titans over the last five years: 2018: 3rd (behind Casey, Jayon Brown) 2017: tied-4th with Wesley Woodyard (Casey, Brian Orakpo, Derrick Morgan) 2016: tied-3rd with Casey (Orakpo, Morgan) 2015: tied-3rd with Woodyard (Orakpo, Casey) 2014: tied-2nd with Casey (Morgan) If you read those names and look at the defense as a whole, it would likely mean that adding Wilkins would probably give the Titans their most dangerous front-four in a long time. You have two guys with 5+ sack potential in the middle and on pass rush downs you will get Cam Wake (hasn’t had less than 6 sacks since 2009) and Harold Landry. If you are making the Titans better now and for the future, he is a rock solid addition that will push this team back into the top-5 in team sacks.<doc-sep>ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 24: Trevor Knight #8 of the Texas A&M Aggies celebrates his touchdown with Erik McCoy #64 against the Arkansas Razorbacks in the second quarter at AT&T Stadium on September 24, 2016 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) Get ready for a controversial opinion for the Tennessee Titans 7th best option in the draft. The Tennessee Titans are in the middle of rebuilding the offensive line, and you could argue that finishing that project is the most important goal for GM Jon Robinson this offseason. I think there are several players that could finish the Titans rebuild. On this list alone I have mentioned two players in Cody Ford and Garrett Bradbury. One player who isn’t getting nearly enough attention is the top center in the draft. In a vacuum I don’t think that there is anyone in this class who can do the things he did at the college level. That is why I think he is the 7th highest rated player on my list. First, a quick reminder on what this list really is and who is eligible: -Nick Bosa, Quinnen Williams and Josh Allen will be impossible to land barring a trade into the top-3 or 4. They can’t be included in this list. -This is a list specifically on which of the players available make the Tennessee Titans better? -Don’t treat this as a big board, some positions won’t be brought up because there is no one talented enough that can come in and be an instant improvement over what the Titans already have. -While long term help is important, consider what this player does for Tennessee short term and if they will help reduce the hit of free agent departures in the future. Which player is the 7th best option for the Tennessee Titans in the 1st round? Erik McCoy IOL, Texas A&M Sometimes we like to make football complicated for no reason. Sure, there are plenty of metrics and data points that you should look for to indicate a player’s potential for future success but data isn’t better than tape. The two need to work hand in hand if you are going to consistently find the best players at the best value in the draft. At just 21 years old, he has already started 39 straight games in the SEC and got better every year. That is hard to do when you consider the names he has faced. Here is a list of the top talent that in that he has faced during his tenure: –Jonathan Allen (1st round) –Marcus Davenport (1st round) –Daron Payne (1st round) –Taven Bryant (1st round) -Christian Wilkins (Projected 1st round) -Quinnen Williams (Projected 1st round) -Jeffery Simmons (Projected 1st round) -Derrick Brown (Projected 1st round in 2020) -Raekwon Davis (Projected 1st round in 2020) –Dalvin Tomlinson (2nd round) -Dexter Lawrence (projected 2nd round) -Rashard Lawrence (projected 2nd round in 2020) –Eddie Vanderdoes (3rd round) –Montravius Adams (3rd round) -Isaiah Buggs (Projected 4th round) -Da’shawn Hand (4th round) -Armon Watts (Projected 4th round) –Davon Godchaux (5th round) That is just the highlights. By my count that is at least18 NFL-caliber players that he has already played against before even leaving college. Not only has he played them, but he has played them well and often held up better than anyone else has against them. He is rock solid in pass protection, showing the ability to mirror athletic DTs or to get into the body of power rushers before they can build up steam. In the run game he finds ways to move players from point A to point B or at the very least wall them off so that the running back can find a crease. One reason he is so successful at this is because he just doesn’t stop. It is so common to see an offensive lineman block for a few seconds and then pull up, because in all likelihood the play is either already past him or already blown up by that point. However, with McCoy you frequently see him adjusting his position and sticking with defenders to make sure that his running backs are given a cutback lane. Even if he loses on first contact, his effort and athleticism put him in position to get his job done even if it doesn’t always look picture perfect. Every year he has started, no matter who the coach is at Texas A&M or who the running back is, he has made the running game better. The best example of this is that in each of his three seasons as a starter the Aggies passed 2,000 yards rushing. I know a lot of people are going to have a problem with me putting McCoy over Bradbury and I understand those concerns, but here is why I did it. Firstly, Bradbury is a scheme specific center. If you put him outside of a ZBS I think you are setting him up to fail. He struggles with power and while I think he could still be good at helping you set up runs to the B/C gaps, your A-gap plays would get killed by bigger DTs. So, if the Titans were to switch to a new OC in 2020 or 2021 (which seems inevitable based on how quickly Tennessee changes OCs) he is at risk of being out of place in just a year or two. Imagine taking a big bodied 5-tech only to switch from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 defense the next year. Now you are stuck with a round peg and a square hole. Secondly, I think that Bradbury is more of a concern in pass protection than people want to admit. Again, if you put him in a ZBS offense that sets up defenders by forcing them to play gaps instead of penetrating at will, then I think you are fine. If not, you are at risk. Finally, I just think that while Bradbury has a higher floor, McCoy is as proven as you are going to get at the position.<doc-sep>
CLEMSON, SC - OCTOBER 20: Defensive end Clelin Ferrell #99 and head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers embrace at midfield while surrounded by fans singing the Clemson Alma Mater during the football game at Clemson Memorial Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) As we close in on the top-5, let’s take a look at an EDGE that Tennessee Titans GM Jon Robinson will love. The question I keep coming back to when I write these entries is: is EDGE really the Tennessee Titans biggest need in the 2019 NFL Draft? When you look at it on the surface, the Titans do have a bona fide talented EDGE in Harold Landry. His counterpart will change depending on the down and distance, but having Sharif Finch on the field for runs and Cam Wake on the field for pass rush downs isn’t a half bad plan. Mix in Kamalei Correa as a versatile depth piece and you have one of the better EDGE groups that the Titans have had in the last few years. So why does EDGE keep coming back up? Well for starters, this is probably going to go down as a class where a handful of front seven picks in the top-20 end up making more than one Pro Bowl. Very rarely do you have good depth at a position like EDGE, so when it is available you have to jump on it. The other big sticking point is that in the AFC South you have to find a way to put Andrew Luck, Nick Foles and Deshaun Watson on the ground. To do that, you need to be able to get to the QB from all angles. That is why four of my top six players on this list are player who will line up in the trenches and provide a pass rush upgrade for the Tennessee Titans. First, a quick reminder on what this list really is and who is eligible: -Nick Bosa, Quinnen Williams and Josh Allen will be impossible to land barring a trade into the top-3 or 4. They can’t be included in this list. -This is a list specifically on which of the players available make the Tennessee Titans better? -Don’t treat this as a big board, some positions won’t be brought up because there is no one talented enough that can come in and be an instant improvement over what the Titans already have. -While long term help is important, consider what this player does for Tennessee short term and if they will help reduce the hit of free agent departures in the future. Which player is the 6th best option for the Tennessee Titans in the 1st round? Clelin Ferrell EDGE, Clemson It isn’t hard to understand why Jon Robinson will love Clelin Ferrell. As soon as Ferrell took the starting EDGE job at Clemson in his redshirt freshman year, he has only continued to get better and better every year. That isn’t hyperbole either, it is quantifiable. In each of his three years as a starter, he annually had more tackles for loss, sacks and forced fumbles than the season before. As a 44-game starter he ended his career with 50 TFLs and 27 sacks. Those career numbers are good for second and third best in the ACC, capped off by a year where he led the ACC in sacks and TFLs. He is a team captain and a two time national champion. Coaches rave about his work ethic and his durability is a testament to his conditioning work. So you have an extremely productive EDGE who is a team captain, a two-time national champion, technically refined, and a hard worker. What is the catch? Honestly there isn’t one. Does he show the flash and athleticism to be an elite pass rusher at the next level? Maybe not. But does he really need to be that caliber of player? Would it be the worst thing in the world to take a guy who consistently gets anywhere from 8-10 sacks per year as the number two EDGE on this defense? No, that would be great and it would help round out a front-four that is just one more interior disruptor away from an elite unit. It isn’t cool right now to like Ferrell because he is a known commodity. He is a very good EDGE with technical refinement and who will be great in a locker room.