The Tennessee Titans Aggressive in Filling Needs
By Jon Dove
The Tennessee Titans obviously entered the 2018 NFL Draft with a gameplan and executed it very well.
Things rarely fall into place in the NFL draft which is why you see a lot of teams working much needed trades. The Tennessee Titans have two trades so far in the 2018 NFL Draft which helped them address need areas.
Last night, they moved up in the 1st round to land linebacker Rashaan Evans. The Alabama linebacker is expected to immediately compete for a starting inside linebacker spot. His versatility means that he is also likely to get some work as a pass rusher.
Evans work as a pass rusher might be a little more limited after the Tennessee traded up in the 2nd round to grab pass rusher Harold Landry. This move added a much needed speed and youth to the pass rushing group.
Tennessee utilized the draft process to address two need areas with players who have high upside. Both Evans and Landry also have more than enough talent to make an instant impact.
The key to those trades were that the Titans jumped ahead of other teams where were expected to be interested in the players they selected. Landry had to be someone the pass-rush needy Detroit Lions were considering.
Evans is the type of versatile defender that Bill Belicheck loves to target.
Tennessee will again head into training camp expecting to make a playoff run. However, they need Marcus Mariota to take the next step in his development. The rest of this roster is ready to make a long playoff run, but the quarterback position needs to step up.