The 2023 NFL Draft is officially in the rearview mirror, and to say some of the Tennessee Titans’ selections was polarizing would be drastically underselling it.
National media outlets have largely been major fans of the Titans’ draft class, resulting in strong grades across the board. However, those outlets often grade the picks in a vacuum and don’t take into account the state of the roster, who they passed up, etc.
The Titans made it known that they played the board and took advantage of several opportunities in which they felt a player was too good to pass up on.
When it comes to drafting, weighing value versus need is on a case-by-case basis, but there has to be a happy balance between the two. Yes, they made several good value picks, but they came at the expense of arguably the biggest need on the team at wide receiver.
There’s no denying Tennessee needed depth at several spots, but the Titans desperately needed to walk away with a starting-caliber wide receiver, yet somehow only left with more questions than at the position than anything.
This article is going to revisit each round and discuss whether or not we would rather stick with the Titans’ original selections.
Without further ado, let’s find out what we would keep the same, as well as what we would have done differently if we were the ones in charge last weekend.
Round 1
Original pick: No. 11 overall, OL Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
New pick: No. 11 overall, OL Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
Knowing what I know now about the Titans’ 2023 NFL draft class, I’m absolutely keeping this pick.
The Titans eventually selected a potential franchise quarterback who has shown in the past that he can thrive when he’s protected, so taking a blue-chip lineman makes all the sense in the world.
Skoronski is a bona fide technician who should become a high-quality player regardless of where he lines up.
Round 2
Original pick: No. 33 overall, QB Will Levis, Kentucky
New pick: No. 33 overall, QB Will Levis, Kentucky
The fact that the Titans were reportedly “desperately” trying to trade back into the first round before ultimately settling for the No. 33 overall pick tells me they had legitimate conviction about Levis.
With that being the case, I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt until they give me a reason not to believe in this plan.
The Titans also pulled off an incredible trade that could look like a bargain a few years from now if they ever maximize Levis’ potential to the fullest.
Round 3
Original pick: No. 81 overall, RB Tyjae Spears, Tulane
New pick: No. 78 overall, WR Josh Downs, North Carolina
*Trade: picks Nos. 81 (185 points) and 186 (15.4 points), to the Packers for pick No. 78 (200 points)*
I would have never expected Downs to still be available at this point of the draft, so sacrificing a late-round pick to secure him should have been a no-brainer for this organization.
In my opinion, this draft is a grand slam if you replace Spears with Downs in Round 3. The Titans are clearly heading for a new era, and they could have made the young quarterback’s life a lot easier by giving him another weapon to throw to.
To be fair, I love Spears as a player, and now that he’s on the team, I think he has a legit shot to be the heir apparent to Derrick Henry as soon as 2024.
However, this wide receivers room as currently constructed is one of the most underwhelming groups on paper that I can ever recall seeing in my entire lifetime. The saddest part is, I genuinely don’t even know if I’m exaggerating or not.
Thinking back to this quote https://t.co/cS4ch1VNVe
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) April 30, 2023
The Titans will likely make some additions to the room before training camp, but not even investing a top-100 pick on a wide receiver is something that’s still hard to comprehend.
Even if the team’s board declared that it’s slightly reaching for a fourth-round wideout in Round 3, that’s much better than just addressing the biggest need by settling for an undrafted wideout in Round 7.
The Titans were clearly aggressive in addressing one premium position the previous round, I just wish they would’ve been a little more aggressive when it came to this one, as well.
Round 5
Original pick: No. 147 overall, TE Josh Whyle, Cincinnati
New pick: No. 147 overall, OL Jaelyn Duncan, Maryland
Considering I sacrificed my sixth-round pick in the Josh Downs trade, I’m snatching Duncan right here since he was still my highest-graded available tackle at this point of the draft.
Tennessee could have picked Duncan in Round 5 and I would have completely understood the logic.
The fact that they got him in Round 6 is ridiculously good value. The Maryland product was my ninth-best tackle on my positional rankings.
Philadelphia & Tennessee each end up with two of my best value picks. pic.twitter.com/JpKUMrK9Jq
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) April 29, 2023
The Maryland product has all the athletic traits the Titans look for in their offensive lineman, so you have to figure that he will have a strong chance to carve out a depth role for himself this fall.
Round 6
Original pick: No. 186 overall, Jaelyn Duncan, Maryland
New pick: *traded to Packers in Round 3*
Round 7
Original pick: No. 228 overall, WR Colton Dowell, UT-Martin
New pick: No. 228 overall, TE Brayden Willis, Oklahoma
Lastly, since I ended up switching up the Josh Whyle pick, I went ahead and selected one of the more underrated run-blocking tight ends in the class.
Willis has a lot of work to do in the passing game, but he could’ve ended up becoming a nice complement to a pass-catching tight end such as Chig Okonkwo.
