Jeffery Simmons is a defensive tackle out of Mississippi State who is a projected first-round pick in the draft, but tore his ACL in February. (0:52) Breaking down the Tennessee Titans' 2019 draft class: Round 1, No. 19 overall: Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State My take: This should be an excellent future investment for the Titans once Simmons gets healthy -- he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during training. Simmons is the caliber of player who's capable of wrecking offensive game plans. Teams will pay for double-teaming Jurrell Casey with a player like Simmons lining up next to him. 2019 NFL DRAFT COVERAGE What you need to know from Rounds 1-7: • Pick-by-pick analysis » • Kiper's grades » | McShay's best picks » • Team-by-team analysis » | Takeaways » • Best undrafted » | Fantasy reax » • More NFL draft coverage » Overcoming the past: A top prospect coming out of high school, Simmons was captured on video hitting a woman; the incident took place before Simmons arrived at Mississippi State. He later pleaded no contest to simple assault. Simmons was allowed to enroll at Mississippi State and was suspended for one game. Simmons won Mississippi State’s Newsom Award in 2017 for his work on the field, in the community and the classroom. He majored in human development and family science while being named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll. When can he contribute? Having their first-rounder start on the reserve/physically unable to perform list isn't ideal for a team looking to take the next step. There is still a ways to go for Simmons in recovering from the ACL tear before he can return to the field. Titans GM Jon Robinson spoke briefly after selecting Simmons, saying he expects the defensive tackle to be an impactful player when he is ready -- but the timetable for a return is unclear. What’s next: There is still a need for an edge defender, whether that be an outside linebacker or five-technique. There likely will be options such as D'Andre Walker from Georgia or Jaylon Ferguson from Louisiana Tech on the board when the Titans pick in the second round (No. 51). Tennessee also will need to address the right guard position. Players such as Oklahoma's Ben Powers and Dru Samia could be targets. Round 2, No. 51 overall: A.J. Brown, WR, Ole Miss My take: Brown is a complete receiver who's tough and able to consistently get yards after the catch. He can play any WR position for Tennessee but excelled mostly in the slot at Ole Miss after D.K. Metcalf's injury. Brown has a large catch radius and could become a reliable favorite for Marcus Mariota. It's all about getting a clean evaluation of Mariota as he enters his fifth season for the Titans -- Brown will help them do that. play 0:53 NFL draft profile: A.J. Brown A.J. Brown is a receiver from Ole Miss who was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection for the Rebels. Round 3, No. 82 overall: Nate Davis, OL, UNC-Charlotte My take: Davis is a versatile offensive lineman who will compete for the starting spot at right guard. He is capable of playing center and tackle as well. The departure of guard Quinton Spain via free agency created a void at right guard. Davis believed his meeting with the Titans was one of the most relaxed ones he had at the combine. What’s next: The Titans will still need to select an edge defender on Day 3. They've gotten great value so far in Simmons, Brown and Davis. Look for OLB Maxx Crosby and DE Charles Omenihu as options. play 0:59 NFL draft profile: Amani Hooker Amani Hooker is a safety out of Iowa who is best lining up in the slot and making plays on the ball. Round 4, No. 116 overall: Amani Hooker, S, Iowa My take: Hooker should be a good addition to the Titans, giving them another defender to cover move tight ends. His physical, in-the-box style of play matches the Titans' emphasis on toughness. Hooker will likely be a special-teams standout as well. Round 5, No. 168 overall: D'Andre Walker, OLB, Georgia My take: Walker is a solid pick for the Titans, especially in the fifth round. He has drawn comparisons to Justin Houston because of his size and strength as an edge defender. Walker sets the edge against the run and gets after the quarterback on passing downs. He should instantly compete for a spot in a rotation at outside linebacker. Round 6, No. 188 overall: David Long Jr., LB, West Virginia My take: Long will compete with veteran special teams ace/LB Daren Bates for a roster spot. He is slightly undersized but has a nose for the football as shown by his 9.3 tackles per game last season. Long was a productive player at West Virginia, leading the team in tackles (111) and sacks (8) last season. His full-throttle approach to the game should make him a special teams dynamo for the Titans.<doc-sep>Jon Robinson just completed his 4th draft as the general manager of the Tennessee Titans. The 2019 draft he put together is getting rave reviews from pretty much everyone around the internet. There are a few people that didn’t like it, but those people are obviously just #HATTEN. Here is how the draft played out: Round 1 (pick 19): Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State Round 2 (pick 51): A.J. Brown, WR, Ole Miss Round 3 (pick 82): Nate Davis, iOL, UNC-Charlotte Round 4 (pick 116): Amani Hooker, S, Iowa Round 5 (pick 168): D’Andre Walker, EDGE, Georgia Round 6 (pick 188): David Long, Jr., LB, West Virginia The only trade Robinson made in this draft was to move up to get Hooker in the 4th. That is less dealing than we have seen from Robinson in the past, but we pretty much knew going in that any big trades would have to be trading down because of the lack of picks from last season. You have seen various grades on this draft from around the league. Now it is your turn. What grade would you give Jon Robinson for this draft.<doc-sep>STARKVILLE, MS - NOVEMBER 23: head coach Dan Mullen of the Mississippi State Bulldogs talks with Jeffery Simmons #94 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the second half of an NCAA football game at Davis Wade Stadium on November 23, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images) Breaking down the grade on Jeffery Simmons to the Tennessee Titans. Sometimes the draft just falls poorly, and that is what happened for the Tennessee Titans. With all of the top EDGEs and DTs gone, the Titans were forced into a tough situation. When it was all said and done they landed on taking Jeffery Simmons DT, Mississippi State. What is he? (The negatives) Simmons is nothing in 2019, that is how the Tennessee Titans need to view him. After tearing an ACL in February, you don’t have any athletic testing on him to gauge what kind of athlete he is. So that is question #1. From a production standpoint, you have a player with solid TFL and tackle stats are pretty good, but then you look at his sacks and it gets disappointing. 7 sacks in 38 games is not good at all, especially for a player who was supposed to be a top-5 talent in this draft when healthy according to many. That is question #2. If you haven’t heard (which seems impossible) he was involved in a situation where he punched a woman multiple times while she was on the ground in a fight with a family member of Simmons. He has owned up to this and been a model citizen by all accounts, but that is a video that will be on his resume forever. That is question #3. I talked about how Simmons didn’t test because of an ACL injury, but that may have been burying the lead. He injured his ACL in February and it is VERY unlikely that he will play at all this year. So, let’s just go ahead and say that he does nothing in 2019, then you have to also remember that ACL injuries hurt players for two years. That means that Simmons probably won’t be fully healthy until 2021, if he ever gets back to full strength which isn’t a given. That is question #4. What is he? (The positives) At his peak, he is a heavy handed 1-technique who could line up next to Jurrell Casey and compliment him well. He obviously isn’t much or a pass rusher, but he is disruptive often finding himself moving quarterbacks off the spot and forcing them into outside rush. While we don’t have testing on him, he looked strong and pretty lean for a guy who measured in at 6’4, 305 lb. You hate to play this game, but if I was guessing I would say that he would have had an above average combine and would have solidified himself as a top-10 pick. Assuming that he can recover faster than the normal athlete and that there are no long term issues, he has the power, technique and balance to be a real problem for opposing run games. On top of that he can help collapse a pocket and boost the pass rush even if he is never a real productive himself. What did the Tennessee Titans pass on to get him? The big issue for me is that if you have no other players with 1st round grades on your board, fine take a guy who won’t help you this year but who is an actual 1st round caliber talent. Instead, with guys like Montez Sweat, Cody Ford, Marquise Brown, A.J. Brown, Erik McCoy, and Jerry Tillery all still on the board it just seems like this pick wasn’t their best option. If you are in love with Simmons, fine. Trade down and take him there or land another 1st round caliber player with that pick. However, Tennessee Titans GM Jon Robinson didn’t do that and now the Titans need a strong Day 2 to really have a great draft. Instant Grade: “C-“ The talent is there, but there are a lot of concerns from health to character that pushed him down the board. Despite that, the Tennessee Titans decided that even though this was a crucial year for Marcus Mariota, they would pass on taking someone that can make an immeidate impact and instead they would roll the dice on someone that may have a chance to be very good in a year or so. That seems like flawed thinking, and unless the Titans come out and announce that they have signed a stop-gap DT to help them next year while Simmons rests up on IR, then this pick just doesn’t provide a lot of value.<doc-sep>There is nothing like grading a draft mere hours after the pick has been made. We know that is absurdly ridiculous, but that doesn’t stop us from wanting to know what people around the web are saying about the Titans pick. So we will take a look at what the people are saying. You will have your chance to grade the pick yourself at the end of this post. Here are some grades from around the web: Chad Reuter of NFL.com gave the Titans an A for the Simmons pick: If Simmons had not torn his ACL in February, he would have been picked much higher. Teams believe he has been a model citizen since his 2016 arrest. His physicality and aggressive play give him a shot at being special. Dan Kadar of SB Nation gave the Titans a B for the pick: This pick is obviously a huge risk since Simmons might miss the season after tearing his ACL after the season. When he’s healthy, Simmons is arguably one of the four or five best players in this draft. But in a year where the Titans really need to figure out if quarterback Marcus Mariota is their future, this pick doesn’t help answer that question. Pete Prisco, world renowned Titans hater, actually gave the Titans an A: I love this pick. When you look at the tape, the guy who was dominating for Mississippi State was Simmons. He was dominating on the interior. This kid has a chance to be one of the most dominant interior linemen in two years. You could have made a case for getting a weapon for Mariota, but this pick makes a ton of sense. Love, love this pick. Grade: A What grade would you give the Jeffery Simmons pick?<doc-sep>
Follow along here to keep up with the Titans' 2019 draft. After qualifying for the postseason in 2017, the Tennessee Titans missed the playoffs in 2018 after finishing the regular season with a 9-7 record. The Titans dealt with a myriad of injuries last season, most notably to starting quarterback Marcus Mariota. Entering Mike Vrabel's second season as head coach, keeping Mariota healthy will be a priority as the Titans look to make a jump to the postseason. In last year's draft, the Titans selected linebacker Rashaan Evans from Alabama in the first round. How will they use their picks in this year's NFL draft? We're breaking down every selection below, including grades from The MMQB's Andy Benoit. Here's the full list of picks the Titans hold in the 2019 draft, which will be updated as each selection is made. Round 1, pick 19 (No. 19 overall): Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State Andy Benoit's grade: C+ The Titans must like the talent and upside because Simmons could miss most of his rookie season rehabbing an ACL injury. Plus, they did not have any immediate need at interior D-line; Jurrell Casey is still a stud, and Austin Johnson and DaQuan Jones are solid. The Titans could have used some reinforcement at tight end and safety, but if they feel those positions can be addressed in the next few rounds, it’s hard to fault a team for investing in talent. And by the time Simmons can play, they might decide that Johnson—a free agent in 2020—is not worth re-signing. Plus, no team has ever been hurt from having too much depth along the defensive line. This is a player who the MMQB’s Albert Breer noted is widely seen as having top-five talent, but in addition to his torn ACL, teams are also aware of a video of him striking a woman in high school. (My grade reflects his value on the field relative to his draft slot.) Round 2, pick 19 (No. 51 overall): A.J. Brown, WR, Ole Miss Andy Benoit's grade: A- With Corey Davis emerging as a featured weapon in Tennessee’s new Rams-style scheme last year and Adam Humphries getting big money to handle the slot, Brown’s arrival gives the Titans a steady all-around puzzle piece to build into their multi-receiver route combinations. It also ensures that speedster Taywan Taylor will play strictly a specialty role, which betters suits him. Round 3, pick 18 (No. 82 overall): Nate Davis, G, Charlotte Andy Benoit's grade: C+ With right guard Kevin Pamphile in a contract year, the hope is Davis can assume that starting job in 2020. He’s known as a mauler, which is interesting because the Titans employ an outside zone scheme, which is built more on agility. Round 4, pick 14 (No. 116 overall): Amani Hooker, S, Iowa Round 5, pick 30 (No. 168 overall): D'Andre Walker, LB, Georgia Round 6, pick 15 (No. 188 overall): David Long Jr., LB, West Virginia See every NFL team's 2019 picks by clicking the links below. Arizona Cardinals | Atlanta Falcons | Baltimore Ravens | Buffalo Bills | Carolina Panthers | Chicago Bears | Cincinnati Bengals | Cleveland Browns | Dallas Cowboys | Denver Broncos | Detroit Lions | Green Bay Packers | Houston Texans | Indianapolis Colts | Jacksonville Jaguars | Kansas City Chiefs | Los Angeles Chargers | Los Angeles Rams | Miami Dolphins | Minnesota Vikings | New England Patriots | New Orleans Saints | New York Giants | New York Jets | Oakland Raiders | Philadelphia Eagles | Pittsburgh Steelers | San Francisco 49ers | Seattle Seahawks | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Tennessee Titans | Washington Redskins