Tennessee Titans: The 2018 NFL Draft Report Card
By Erik Lambert
The Tennessee Titans 2018 NFL draft report card is short if nothing else. It’s rare for a team to only come through these days with just four picks.
That narrows the margin of error to razor-thin levels. Each pick matters and has to be a hit if they’re going to get proper contributions in what is a season filled with high expectations. This team is ready to make a run at the Super Bowl but they need a few more pieces to pull it off. Free agency might’ve helped but the draft is often counted on for the masterstroke.
So in order to increase their odds, the team took an aggressive approach. They didn’t trade up once but twice in the first two rounds, trying to secure two talents who could help them where they needed it most.
1st Round: Rashaan Evans (ILB, Alabama) – B
It’s not a big surprise that the Titans prioritized going for an inside linebacker early. It was a top-heavy position in the draft and Rashaan Evans was the last of the big four still available before the position to a noticeable dip. Throw in the fact that they’d lost Avery Williamson to free agency and Wesley Woodyard is getting old, this was the pick they felt needed to happen.
Evans is the prototypical downhill inside linebacker made for a 3-4 defense. He’s got the size, toughness, and instincts for attacking the line of scrimmage and stopping the run. He did it so well for Alabama. Yet that makes it easy to overlook how athletic he is and how much ground he can cover. Ball carriers struggle to escape him. He’s also better in coverage than people think. Not an exciting pick but a solid one.