The Tennessee Titans’ disappointing 2022 season is officially in the rearview mirror.
The end of the football season is a sad time for fans everywhere, but it also allows for a lot of time to reflect and re-evaluate stances on how certain things played out throughout the course of the year.
When it comes to the Titans’ 2022 rookie class, we learned a lot about some of its members this season, as many of them were forced to learn on the fly due to injuries and/or incompetence at their position.
Others from the team’s draft class didn’t provide us with nearly a big enough sample size to truly give a proper evaluation.
Regardless of what the case may be, this article is going to individually grade each draft pick on how their first season in the NFL went. With all that said, let’s dive right into our grades for the 2022 Tennessee Titans draft class.
WR Treylon Burks
Going into draft weekend, Treylon Burks was one of the players I was most infatuated by, and I was hopeful the Titans would find a way to get him to Tennessee.
Unfortunately, the way they went about getting Burks in the two-tone blue was disastrous, and that trade has to play a role in this grade.
On one end of the spectrum, A.J. Brown just had arguably the greatest season by a wide receiver in Eagles history.
On the other end, the guy the Titans drafted with one of the picks they got for Brown spent about half of the season injured. The Arkansas product only played in nine full contests, along with two others that he left prematurely.
In total, Burks only played in 11 games, catching 33 passes, for 444 yards, and two touchdowns (one receiving, one fumble recovery).
Despite all the adversity, the Titans’ young receiver showed plenty of flashes of a potential star on the horizon. There’s a legitimate chance that this trade ends up being mutually beneficial for both parties as the years pass.
But as of the 2022 season, it looks like a lost trade so far, and that unfortunately clouds the excitement of what Burks could become because people will always wonder what could’ve/should’ve been.
Truthfully, it’s completely unfair to even compare a rookie to a bona fide superstar, but the Titans chose that inevitable fate for the foreseeable future the second they traded Brown away.
For that reason, I can’t give Burks more than an average grade, but I fully expect much better years in the near future.
Grade: C
CB Roger McCreary
Roger McCreary was one of the few players on the team that avoided missing any time due to injury. The Auburn product appeared in every game, flashing occasional moments of brilliance throughout the year.
McCreary was seemingly in a position to make the defensive play more often than not this season, but he has to do a better job of finding ways to compensate for his physical limitations.
There were far too many occasions where he does nearly everything perfect except for preventing the completion because he didn’t have the length to disrupt the catch.
All things considered, I think he did well and will only use this season as a learning lesson for the rest of his career.
Grade: B-
RT Nicholas Petit-Frere
Nicholas Petit-Frere was instantly one of the focal points of the offensive line right out of the gate. The Ohio State product quickly established himself as a starter in training camp and never looked back.
Unfortunately, there were several growing pains along the way. According to Pro Football Focus, Petit-Frere ranked in the top 25 of both penalties (eight) and sacks allowed (five).
The former Buckeye also failed to reach a grade of at least 60 in run blocking (57) or pass blocking (50), while his overall grade came in at just 52.3, per PFF.
Regardless, Petit-Frere was one of the consistent players on the team that played in nearly every game (16 starts) when everyone around him was dropping like flies.
For that, I can at least give him a slightly above-average grade in hopes that he also uses this season as a learning lesson for his overall development.
Grade: C+
QB Malik Willis
This is a complicated one to evaluate because Malik Willis wasn’t exactly placed in a position to succeed this year. The Liberty product was expected to be a long-term project at the quarterback position. Instead, he was forced into action before he was ready and looked every bit like a raw quarterback.
I think it’s fair to say that it’s way too early to declare Willis a wasted pick or anything of that nature, while also being able to admit that he should have probably been a little further along than he was by year’s end.
Even by a project quarterback’s standards, Willis struggled mightily at times, and so much so that he was eventually pulled for a guy who was on the team for about a week in Josh Dobbs, who the Titans trusted under center with their season on the line.
However, I always went into this season with the assumption that Willis needed at least one year on the bench, therefore I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt until further notice.
Grade: Incomplete
RB Hassan Haskins
The Titans’ selection of Hassan Haskins was somewhat of a confusing choice at the time, especially considering the other needs the team had.
Fortunately, Haskins carved out a special teams role for himself and excelled in that role, while Derrick Henry was obviously the primary ball carrier.
Nonetheless, I would have preferred to see more production on offense from one of their fourth-round selections, so I can’t do anything more than an average grade on this selection.
Grade: C
TE Chigoziem Okonkwo
Finally, we’ve reached the real rookie gem of the class. I
n spite of being a fourth-round selection, Okonkwo was arguably the best rookie tight end of the class. Okonkwo led all first-year tight ends in yards (450), while also being tied for the most touchdowns (three).
At one point, people were hopeful he could one day fill the void that Jonnu Smith left a few years back. Needless to say, he’s already done that and more.
Not only has the Maryland product already topped Smith’s career-high of 448 receiving yards, but he did so on a team that hardly passed the ball, and while only being the unquestioned starter for approximately half the season.
By the end of the 2022 campaign, Okonkwo appears to have established himself as the consensus choice for the All-Rookie team.
Several media outlets such as Sports info solutions, Pro Football Focus, and The Athletic all picked Okonkwo as their top choice at the tight end position.
This is one draft pick the Titans seemingly hit a home run with, and the best part about it is the fact that he should only get better from here.
Grade: A+
WR Kyle Philips
What started as an offseason of genuine excitement surrounding the fifth-round wideout eventually turned into bitter disappointment by season’s end.
Kyle Philips hit the ground running in his first season, catching six passes for 66 yards in his debut, but an unfortunate shoulder injury toward the end of that game was the beginning of the end.
This ailment, along with a separate hamstring injury, eventually sidelined the UCLA product for the majority of his once-promising rookie campaign.
Philips will have to get physically stronger from the top down if he’s ever going to reach his full potential, something he said he plans to do this offseason.
Only time will tell how this one plays out, but considering the hype that surrounded Philips in the summer, his first season was extremely disappointing.
The former Bruin only played in four games, so to be fair, I’ll give him an incomplete for his first year as well.
Grade: Incomplete
DB Theo Jackson
The Tennessee product was a popular choice amongst the Volunteer faithful. Unfortunately, this marriage didn’t last long, as Theo Jackson failed to even make the Titans’ initial 53-man roster.
Jackson spent a brief period on the team’s practice squad before being claimed by the Vikings in October, and has been there ever since.
Considering the Titans couldn’t even keep the guy on the practice squad after wasting a draft pick on him, it’s safe to say this was a wasted pick.
Grade: F
LB Chance Campbell
This is another that will be getting an incomplete grade due to an injury-shortened season.
Chance Campbell never stepped foot on the field for the Titans in 2022, so he will have to prove himself relatively quickly next offseason or the new general manager could easily part ways with the Ole Miss product.
Grade: Incomplete
