Tennessee Titans rookie Jaelyn Duncan made his first career start at left tackle on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers and performed admirably.
It was a bit of a mixed bag, with some good plays along with some forgettable moments, which is to be expected for any rookie left tackle, let alone someone who was a sixth-round pick.
During the pre-draft process, Duncan was my ranked as my ninth-best tackle due to his athleticism and long-term upside that could be realized as long as whoever drafted him was patient in his development.
He showcased his fantastic movement skills several times in his debut, with the Maryland product reaching his man with ease a handful of times and sealing the edge.
He did a fantastic job of it on Derrick Henry’s second touchdown of the day.
2️⃣2️⃣ with TD #2️⃣
📺: Watch #CARvsTEN on @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/COEO3Dgzjf
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 26, 2023
He also had several impressive reps in pass protection against Brian Burns in which he stonewalled him at the point of attack.
It definitely wasn’t perfect, though. Duncan had a handful of rookie moments he undoubtedly would like back. There were a few occasions where the rookie struggled to anchor down and would get pushed into the backfield.
Duncan also got beat around the edge a few times, with one of those instances coming against Burns, resulting in a quarterback hit. Thankfully, Levis bailed him out by getting the ball out to Chig Okonkwo quickly.
There was another low moment where Levis audibly told the offensive line to watch out for cornerback Troy Hill, who was coming on a blitz, yet Duncan still got beat around the edge by Hill, which ended with a tackle for loss.
The Maryland product also had an unacceptable false start after the Panthers’ linebacker tried to time the snap count. Had Duncan been disciplined enough to wait a half-second longer, it would’ve been an offsides penalty and a free first down. Instead, the offense was pushed back into a third-and-long.
Overall, it was a solid game for the rookie offensive lineman, who I think earned the right to be the starter going forward over Andre Dillard.
