Tennessee Titans: Ranking the Projected 2012 Starters

With the draft getting closer every day, there is a lot of talk about which teams have needs at which positions. This list is designed to project who the best of the best will be next year for the Titans.

It also serves as a good tool for finding the weakest link.

The offensive formation will be projected as a two-TE set, which would normally have 2 WRs, but in this case will have 3. The third WR is to represent rotation and the production one would see if one of the starters was injured. All eyes on you Kenny.

The defense will be a 4-3 look with the standard four defensive backs. There is no rotation here, I just picked the best two starters currently on the roster at both defensive line spots. Also, since there is a debate on who will be the nickleback, I have left that position out and will update it when more information is known.

Offensive Rankings

1. Michael Roos, LT—Arguably one of the best pass pro lines in the league. Defenses have to design schemes around him.

2. Nate Washington, WR—No one embodied toughness this year like Nate Washington. Any Titans fan that heard him screaming in pain when he hurt his ankle can attest to how much he went through this year.

3. David Stewart, RT—One of the better run-blockers in the league, Stewart was often matched against teams' best front-seven defenders because of how effectively Roos protected the QB’s blindside.

4. Matt Hasselbeck, QB—This may be a polarizing place to put Hasselbeck, but let me explain. Hasselbeck is one of the 12-16 best QBs in the league and is leaps and bounds better than Vince Young was. He made solid reads and fit the ball into some tight windows. However, after losing Britt, he tried to force some balls that were just bad ideas. Other times he would check down and hit CJ in the feet.

5. Damian Williams, WR—Say what you will, but Williams was brilliant in the second half of the season. He made the tough catches, was elusive and showed brilliant body control at times. There is nothing more a reasonable fan could ask for than to have a talented WR like this as the No. 2 option.

6. Craig Stevens, TE—Maybe our third-best blocker this season, Stevens is one of the best all around TEs in the league and I expect to see a lot more from him this next year.

7. Kenny Britt, WR—If he could ever play a full year he could be close to the top of this list, but his constant injuries are a huge question mark. He is a high-upside player that needs to prove he can stay healthy before I'm convinced that the Titans don't need a solid back up for him like Damian Williams.

8. Steve Hutchinson, LG—A Hall of Fame player that still has some left in the tank after all these years. He has very good agility when pulling, and he is a solid anchor in pass protection. While he doesn’t exceed against speed rushers, he is still top notch against power rushers.

9. Chris Johnson, RB—CJ has a lot still left in the tank, but after admittedly coming into the season out of shape after a holdout was a bad move. With an improved line and a full offseason with the Titans, Johnson could return to familiar form.

10. Jared Cook, TE—I think Cook has star potential, especially in this upcoming year of the tight end. I just have to see him put it all together before I am ready to move him up this list. Every time I start to think how the Titans could use him, I get burned when he forgets his route or misses a blocking assignment. It is those stupid mistakes that are keeping him at such a low ranking.

11. Eugene Amano and Leroy Harris C/RG—One of these two would have to move over to RG in the 2012 season due to the “loss” of Scott and the signing of Hutchinson. Both are near the bottom at their respective positions and need to be replaced in the worst way. Neither of these players could start on any other NFL team and if they don’t get replaced next year, I will have to think Bruce Mathews/Munch are ignoring the OL because of their soft spot for the position.  

Defensive Rankings

1. Kamerion Wimbley, DE—Learn this name, Titans fans. Not only can Wimbley get to the QB, but he is a tough anchor against both outside and inside runs. If you have a chance, try to find film on Wimbley using his outside shoulder-dip move in pass-rushing situations. It is remarkable that the Raiders didn’t use him at DE, and I think next year he could easily be a double-digit sack artist.

2. Karl Klug, DT—A fan favorite and a guy that caught my eye in his first day at camp. Quick with a non-stop motor, Klug not only honed his pass-rushing skills this year, but in his last six games he was stout against the run and became one of our best defenders. The only reason he didn’t have more than seven sacks is because Gray made him play NT on most third downs and he played on a reduced snap count.

3.Jason McCourty, CB—A shocking player this year, McCourty has developed much more than I had thought he would. He stuck with some of the best WRs in the league and held them in check on third downs while Cortland bumped over to NB. The future looks bright for J-Mac.

4. Jurrell Casey, DT—The other rookie lineman that made a name for himself this year. Casey is almost unblockable one-on-one and teams will need to hope that he doesn’t line up as a nose with Klug as the three tech very often because there aren’t enough blockers to hold them both at bay.

5. Akeem Ayers, SLB—Ayers started off slowly and seemed to not realize the speed of the game until about the fifth game. However, he showed some great flashes of beating blocks and finding the ball carrier, and improved substantially once McCarthy stepped in as the starter.

6. Colin McCarthy, MLB—What a find. The Titans started the season thinking they had a cheap fix at MLB with Ruud, but little did they know they had the future leader of the defense in the forth rounder. The only reason he isn’t the top rookie is because he was on the bench for so long.

7. Jordan Babineaux, S—Big play Babs didn’t quite live up to his moniker last year, but he was very solid in every aspect. He could have hit free agency and found a job elsewhere, but staying with the Titans will be a good move for him considering the importance of continuity and the mentality of the good defense is getting better.

8. Will Witherspoon, OLB—If I had done this list after the first week, there is no way Johnson would edge out Witherspoon, but unfortunately Witherspoon’s production trails off at the end of every year. He may make the same number of tackles, but he impacts the game much less with splash plays. If the Titans can find an upgrade after they have figured out the DE/OL problems then they should jump on him.

9. Derrick Morgan, DE—Morgan isn’t a bad player, but he isn’t the DE everyone hoped he would be coming out of college. His play against the run has been very good, but his constant injuries seem to have taken there toll not only on his confidence, but also on his pass-rushing skills. He needs to find the new pass-rushing coach and cling to him, because the only thing keeping him from jumping about eight spots in this draft is his inability to get to the QB.

10. Michael Griffin, S—Not very impressive this year, but that is who he is. Next year he will be great because his pattern is one year on, one year off. In all seriousness, I understand and like the move to franchise him, but he needs to show serious improvement to make the Titans' brass consider giving him a long-term deal.

11. Alterraun Verner, CB—Verner had a great rookie year, but like most, his second year was a disappointment. This year will tell us whether or not he just hit a sophomore slump, or if he has already passed his prime. With Finnegan gone, he will need to step up and prove he is worth the spot.

Overall Rankings

After all that, here is how the players shake out.

1. Michael Roos LT

2. Nate Washington WR

3. David Stewart RT

4. Matt Hasselbeck QB

5. Kamerion Wimbley DE

6. Karl Klug DT

7. Jason McCourty CB

8. Jurrell Casey DT

9. Damian Williams WR

10. Akeem Ayers SLB

11. Craig Stevens TE

12. Colin McCarthy MLB

13. Steve Hutchinson LG

14. Jordan Babineaux S

15. Chris Johnson RB

16. Will Witherspoon OLB

17. Derrick Morgan DE

18. Michael Griffin S

19. Alterraun Verner CB

20.  Jared Cook TE

21-22. Eugene Amano and Leroy Harris C/RG

*Wild Card—I love Kenny Britt at WR. However, I have to award him the wild card award because I have no idea if he can play a whole season out of trouble and healthy. If he can, he could easily be a 1200-plus yard receiver that pulls coverage away from everyone else. If not, he could put us in a terrible situation, wasting cap on him even though we know how great he can be.

Other than the abysmal play in the middle of the offensive line, these rankings make me think that if the Titans are being honest with themselves, defensive backs could potentially be a huge issue.

I know that McCourty was very good last year, but Verner is an unproven commodity and seems to run as hot and cold as Griffin does. I expect the Titans to make one more signing in this year's free-agent market before the draft. I am pulling for Andre Carter so that they can focus on interior OL and OLB/S.

Let me know who you think the Titans should sign, or how you felt about my rankings. Hope you enjoyed them.