Tennessee Titans' 2015 Draft: Aggregating Report Card Grades from Around the Web
The 2015 draft is over, so now we can start looking at the draft in retrospect.
I've already shared my thoughts on how the Tennessee Titans did, but I'm far from the only one with an opinion.
Now that the draft is over, lots of sports sites around the web are doing their own grades for the draft, and while the opinion on the Titans' first pick, Marcus Mariota, was surprisingly almost universally positive, the rest of the draft was more divisive.
And that makes sense. The Titans took a classic boom-or-bust prospect in the second round, took a fullback in the fourth round and only spent two of their nine picks on defensive players, despite having almost as many holes on defense as on offense.
So what did others have to say? Read on to find out.
ESPN
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Mel Kiper Jr.: C+
Kiper was one of the few who did not like the Titans' draft, giving them an average grade of "C+" (via Jimmy Morris of Music City Miracles).
Kiper liked that the Titans went with Mariota and said that he "believes in his capacity to make himself great." However, Kiper was not a fan of starting Mariota immediately, noting that it was a decision likely made because the coaching staff was already in the hotseat.
Kiper also thought the remaining Titans picks were poor, saying Dorial Green-Beckham was incomplete and risky and that Jeremiah Poutasi and Angelo Blackson were reaches.
Kiper also was critical of the Titans' decision to not address the pass rush until the sixth round. He did, however, like the selection of Jalston Fowler, at least.
I think Kiper was a little too critical with his grade, but he does bring up some good points, and he is right about the Titans making some reaches throughout the draft.
SI.com
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Chris Burke and Doug Farrar: B
The Sports Illustrated writers gave the Titans a "B" for their draft, calling Mariota the No. 2 player on their board, and saying that the Titans have become "massively more intriguing over the course of 48 hours."
They also lauded the Titans for "somehow landing wide receiver Tre McBride" in the seventh round, saying he could be a starter down the road, and also naming Green-Beckham, Poutasi, Jalston Fowler and David Cobb as potential starters.
The only complaint they seemed to have was with the Titans' defensive picks. They said that the Titans should have looked to the defense more than they did and that the two defensive players they did select (Angelo Blackson and Deiontrez Mount) were not "even in the vicinity of being sure things."
I have to agree about the assessment of the Titans' defensive picks. More than two would have been nice, and Blackson was, in my opinion, just a bad pick. Mount was a good value for a sixth-rounder, but an earlier selection would have been nice.
WalterFootball.com
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Walter Cherepinsky: A-
Cherepinsky loved the Titans' draft, complimenting them for nabbing their top quarterback with the second pick and surrounding him with talent.
Cherepinsky also liked that the Titans found value in the fifth round with David Cobb and in the second round with Green-Beckham, who "would have been a top-10 pick" if not for his character concerns.
Cherepinsky criticized the Titans for not addressing more holes on the defense, but acknowledged that the Titans had too many holes for one draft to fix them all.
I think Cherepinsky was a tad generous with his grade, but he was right on regarding the Titans finding value in most of their picks, especially Cobb.
Of course, if you're going to talk about value, you have to bring up Tre McBride. The third-round talent fell all the way to the seventh round before the Titans nabbed him. That is a steal.
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NFL.com
4 of 6
Bryan Fischer: B+, A, A-
Fischer was very friendly to the Titans on all three days, giving them above-average grades on each. He praised the Mariota pick, but questioned how good a fit he would be in Whisenhunt's system.
He also stated that trading down for a king's ransom might have been a better move.
Fischer really liked Tennessee's second-day picks, giving them the highest marks of his three grades. He called the trade-down "smart," as it gave the Titans additional picks in a deep draft class, and thought that the risk taken on Green-Beckham was worth it, since he's a potential No. 1 receiver.
I think Fischer's grades are a little generous and mismatched, but not too far off.
The criticism for not moving down is a little presumptuous, since we don't know what the Titans were actually offered by any team for Mariota, much less the Philadelphia Eagles, who have denied offering to mortgage their future with a blockbuster trade (via Andy Schwartz of CSNPhilly.com).
The Tennessean
5 of 6
Jim Wyatt: B
Wyatt, like most analysts, really liked the Mariota pick, saying that the number of teams trying to move up for him shows that the Titans aren't the only ones who thought he can transition to an NFL offense.
However, Wyatt criticized the Titans for selecting Angelo Blackson and for not taking Randy Gregory, who he thought would have been a better risk to take in Round 2 than Dorial Green-Beckham.
For the most part, Wyatt was spot-on, though I have to disagree about Gregory. I wasn't a fan of the Green-Beckham selection, but Gregory screams Dion Jordan to me, and I wouldn't have liked that pick much better.
John Glennon: B-
Glennon mostly agreed with what Wyatt said: He liked Mariota, questioned the lack of a pass-rusher and didn't like the Blackson pick.
However, Glennon was more openly critical of the Green-Beckham pick. He selected that as the Titans' worst pick of the draft, saying "it's hard to believe someone who's already made three big mistakes will become a completely new person."
Most analysts seemed to like the risk the Titans took with Green-Beckham, but I'm with Glennon on that subject. With his past, it's hard to think he'll actually stay out of trouble.
Final Grades
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So, for comparison and contrast, here are all the grades from the previous slides.
| Mel Kiper Jr. | C+ |
| Chris Burke and Doug Farrar | B |
| Walter Cherepinsky | A- |
| Bryan Fischer | A- |
| Jim Wyatt | B |
| John Glennon | B- |
| Bleacher Report | B+ |
If you're doing the math at home, that averages out to a "B+," which is of course a good grade, but it's not a fantastic one.
Of course, the grades now mean little. All that shows is how closely the Titans adhered to what individual analysts thought were good picks. The Titans were working off their own big board, of course, and who knows who wins the day?
Three years from now, the Titans could be kicking themselves for not trading down and rolling with Zach Mettenberger. Or they could be saying that Randy Gregory would have been a better Day 2 selection. Or they could be looking at multiple Pro Bowlers, saying that they did it right.
Until we actually see what these players can do on the field, these grades will continue to be nothing but guesses.
One thing everyone seems to agree on is that, if nothing else, watching the Titans in 2015 will be a lot more interesting than it was in 2014.
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