Tennessee Titans 2020 NFL Draft: Filling FA losses in 7-round mock draft

Round 3, Pick 106

Other players available: Cam Akers, RB, Florida State (at pick 99), Zack Moss, RB, Utah, Albert Okwuegbunam, TE, Missouri, Darnay Holmes, CB, UCLA, Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR, Liberty

Here is where things start to get a little crazy. The Tennessee Titans currently own the 93rd pick in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. But when I was on the clock at that spot, there wasn’t any prospect that I really felt was a great value there.

So I moved down. Striking a deal with the New York Giants, I acquired picks 99 and 150 in exchange for pick 93. The Giants ultimately picked Khalid Kareem of Notre Dame, and I gained another fifth-round pick, moved down just six picks and had a little more time for the board to come to me.

At 99, I considered taking Cam Akers to complement Derrick Henry and be a possible future feature back should the team not be able to reach a long-term deal with their workhorse. But I know that the running back position is deep, so I opted to trade down once again, this time with the Baltimore Ravens.

I received picks 106 and 129 from Baltimore in exchange for pick 99 and 225. This move gave me a fourth-round pick (which the Titans previously did not have) and gave me even more time to find value in this range.

In the end, I ultimately took the player that I likely would have gone with if I had stayed at 93 in Troy Pride Jr. out of Notre Dame. Pride has many tools that coaches value in a cornerback. He has sufficient size and outstanding athleticism.

Pride has great speed (4.40 40-yard dash) and can keep up with some of the fastest receivers in the league down the field. He is very agile as well, able to mirror the movements of receivers and stay right with them.

Pride played a little more zone and off-man than press coverage at Notre Dame, but he is capable of playing in any scheme. The Titans like to keep the offense guessing with their secondary schemes, so Pride’s versatility should be an asset.

Pride played outside at Notre Dame but has the quickness to keep up with shifty receivers in the slot. He struggles to come off of blocks in the run game, with questionable effort, so nickel may not be his calling in the NFL. But the Titans can figure out the best layout for their secondary, possibly moving Adoree Jackson or even Malcolm Butler inside if they believe Pride is best suited on the perimeter.

At this point in the draft, the physical traits, college production and athletic upside are just too much to pass up for the Tennessee Titans. With the impending departure of Logan Ryan, the team will have to bolster their secondary.

If they meet the Chiefs again in the playoffs, someone with the speed of Pride will be nice to try to keep up with Tyreek Hill and the rest of that dynamic offense. Even in the division, facing receivers like T.Y. Hilton, D.J. Chark and Will Fuller V, Pride’s speed would be a very valuable asset as he continues to grow as a well-rounded cornerback.

Round 4, Pick 129

Other players available: Antonio Gibson, RB/WR, Memphis/Lynn Bowden Jr., WR, Kentucky, Isaiah Hodgins, WR, Oregon State

This added pick in the fourth round seemed the perfect opportunity to add a playmaker to the Tennessee Titans offense. The three big needs caused by free agency were already filled, leaving the front office the freedom to improve on last season’s roster.

But beyond those three major departures this offseason, there were a couple of other contributors that are no longer with the ball club for 2020. One of those players being veteran tight end, Delanie Walker.

Walker is still a free agent, but it is pretty clear that his time in Nashville is finished. Walker has struggled mightily to stay on the field in recent years, but when he’s out there, he’s been one of the best dual-threat tight ends in the league.

The Tennessee Titans still have decent tight ends in Jonnu Smith and Anthony Firkser, but given their tendency to run with multiple tight ends on offense and the presence of my number one tight end still on the board, it seemed like a great time to select Albert Okwuegbunam out of Missouri.

“Albert O” as he’s known by those who don’t want to try to spell or pronounce his name, is a very solid blocker who has an incredibly high ceiling as a receiver. He isn’t necessarily a mauler in the run game, but he is a willing and capable blocker with good size and elite athleticism.

Really showing out at the combine with a 4.49 40-yard dash time as a tight end, the 6-foot-5, 258 lb force proved that he is a very well-rounded athlete. As a player, Albert O is a dynamic force in the red zone, catching 11 touchdowns as a freshman.

I really like Okwuegbunam’s upside, as well as his floor. He could play right alongside Smith and Firkser, rounding out a solid stable of tight ends in a heavy offense as a fourth-round pick. I would really love a receiver like Chase Claypool or Antonio Gandy-Golden here, but with them off the board, my number one tight end will certainly suffice.

I considered Antonio Gibson and Lynn Bowden Jr. as versatile offensive playmakers as well but decided to go with a more traditional player in a true all-around tight end prospect that could eventually be one of the best in the league.