Verner and a trade down
Verner and a trade down
Two common questions this week have been: “Will the Titans pickup Alterraun Verner” and “are the Titans likely to trade down.”
Verner was a classic sort of ball hawk rookie with the Titans. He fell for “every trick in the book” because he seemed to think he could intercept everything. He got over that, matured, and became an all-pro cornerback. He was excellent.
In Tampa Bay, Verner did not do well. He would be benched for being ineffective. He’d “get it together” some, but then get benched again.
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He is the NFL’s version of Jekyl and Hyde at cornerback and any team interested in him must figure out why. It could be anything from a confidence issue to a training issue to a technique issue….anything. A team must research this and must come to the conclusion they can “fix” him. That’s some legwork to do. As teams spend hours and hours on draft prospects and other free agents, I’m not sure if they even have the time available.
I would also imagine an interview needs to take place. Cornerbacks are quirky fellows. They are confident, almost arrogant, usually a bit brash. This is almost a job requirement as they deal with the NFL’s superb athletes at wide receiver. They must think they are better and they must believe they can shut down the wide receiver. A cornerback is about useless without confidence. It’s a very precarious situation where one can’t just focus on the player’s athleticism. The Titans experienced coaching staff would do fine here. Let them interview Verner and see what they think.
Jon Robinson was Tampa Bay’s Director of Player Personnel when they signed Verner to a big contract as a free agent. “Every” Titans fan seems to think fondly of Verner and want him back. Robinson might have a contrasting point of view. He probably came from a team where they didn’t feel it was money well spent. There has been no public statement of this; one would have to assume though.
I would imagine “when there’s time” they will look into him. They are involved in the Combine and likely focused there. I think we’ll have to wait for a lull in the offseason to even get a word about him from someone with the team.
Trade down
Robinson was confident or arrogant with his trade down last year and I loved it. It screamed of fantasy football, not necessarily NFL. He “fell in love” with Jack Conklin and that’s who he wanted. After doing several mock drafts that incorporated team needs, he had a reasonable idea where he could draft Conklin. He traded down and selected him. By trading down, he also added other picks.
This was perfect. Anyone that’s played fantasy football knows that perfect trade downs are somewhat rare. Suppose another team adored Conklin and drafted him just before JRob? Then what? Would he be stuck? Did he have a plan B? It was brilliant and kudos to him.
We need to know some things that we’ll find out from the Combine, pro days, etc. We all think they want Safety, cornerback or wide receiver. Some also suggest a top inside linebacker or defense end. Let’s see if we can notice them “fall in love” with another prospect again this year.
It’s risky, so at first, my guess will be no, they won’t trade down from the fifth pick. I am still fond of Jamal Adams who will only be available around the fifth pick. If they feel the same, there’s no need to trade down.
“Jon Robinson said he’d like to have a second round pick.”
I don’t think this indicates anything. He is a GM that doesn’t have one, so yes he would like to have one.
“We’ll know by how well they perform at the Combine”
No. Just about every first and second round pick will show impressive athleticism. It’s more along the lines of something nice to see. What matters more to teams is the interviews and how the players perform on tape. The Combine itself is almost like a meat market. It’s what the fans are not privvy to that will hold the real weight.
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