Titans Try Again for Receiver Help

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

Well here we have it. After years of neglect, the Titans have finally decided to fix their receiver problem by drafting a big and fast receiver in the first round. By picking up Kenny Britt, Tennessee has finally realized that they can't ignore the team's biggest weakness. Right?

That may sound like a fair way to sum up the decision to draft the Rutgers wide receiver in the first round, but it leaves out a pretty significant point--Tennessee has been drafting plenty of receivers, they just can't seem to draft the right ones. It's unfair to say that the Titans have completely neglected the receiving corps. They've just been unable to properly scout/develop them. The Titans hit the jackpot by drafting Derrick Mason in the fourth-round in 1997, but they've consistently busted on picking receivers ever since.Since then (not counting the 2009 draft since we don't know how Britt will turn out), the Titans have spent one first-round (Kevin Dyson), two second-round, three third-round, four fourth-round, two fifth-round, two sixth-round and one seventh-round pick on wide receivers. Of all those picks, only 2002 fourth-rounder Justin McCareins can be reasonably argued to have turned out to be a good pick.

Of those 15 picks, three are still on the Titans roster, as least going into the summer, but Chris Davis, Lavelle Hawkins and Paul Williams are all battling to the No. 4/No. 5 wide receiver jobs, withJustin Gage (free agent acquisition), Nate Washington (free agent acquisition) and Britt are projected to be the top three receivers.

That's a 1-for-15 success rate. Hopefully for the Titans, Britt will change that, but there are some concerns. He has inconsistent hands and catches too many balls with his body, so at best he's likely to take a little while to develop. But that being said, his size and speed should help out right away, as he gives the Titans a third deep threat to go with Gage and Washington.

But the player who may make an even bigger instant impact in the Titans passing game is Jared Cook, the team's first third-round pick. Cook ran a 4.50 second 40-yard dash at the combine (the second fastest time by a tight end this decade), showed off a 41-inch vertical leap (best among tight ends) and a 10-foot-3 inch broad jump (also best among tight ends). He's an amazing athlete who also was productive at South Carolina (37 catches for 573 yards as a junior). He needs to improve his blocking, which means he'll likely be only a situational player for now, but Cook's speed and hands should allow him to find seams in deep zones.

Second-round pick Sen'Derrick Marks was sometimes labeled an underachiever at Auburn, but with Tennessee he won't be asked to do anything more than contribute as a backup defensive tackle initially, which should give him time to adjust to the NFL.

With 11 picks, Tennesee has a lot of throws at the dart board. If the Titans can just find one or two solid contributors from its five fifth, sixth and seventh-round picks, it has the foundation for a great draft.

Draft Picks

1 (30) Britt, WR, Rutgers
2 (62) Marks, DT, Auburn
3 (89) Cook, TE, South Carolina
3 (94) Ryan Mouton, CB, Hawaii
4 (130) Gerald McRath, LB, Southern Miss
4 (135) Troy Kropog, OT, Tulane
5 (173) Javon Ringer, RB, Michigan State
6 (203) Jason McCourty, CB, Rutgers
6 (206) Dominique Edison, WR, Stephen F. Austin
7 (239) Ryan Durand, OG, Syracuse
7 (242) Nick Schommer, FS, North Dakota State

Grade: B. Britt, Marks and Cook should be instant contributors while seven fourth through seventh-round picks gives the Titans a whole lot of chances to find a diamond in the rough.