Titans’ biggest winners and losers from the 2022 NFL draft
The Tennessee Titans recently navigated the 2022 NFL draft, adding nine players during what was an eventful three days.
Tennessee started off draft weekend with bang, trading wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for two picks. That was the first of three trades the Titans made during the draft.
On offense, Tennessee drafted wide receivers Treylon Burks and Kyle Philips, running back Hassan Haskins, tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere and quarterback Malik Willis.
On defense, the Titans added cornerback Roger McCreary, defensive back Theo Jackson, and linebacker Chance Campbell.
After the Titans concluded the draft, some players on the team emerged as winners, while others can be classified as losers because of the selections.
Here’s who fell into each category, as well as those who landed somewhere in between.
Winner: Dillon Radunz
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Radunz figures to compete at left guard and/or right tackle this offseason. While the Titans did draft a tackle in Nicholas Petit-Frere, he should need time to develop, so Radunz will have the advantage there. Tennessee didn’t draft a guard, giving Radunz one less player to compete with at left guard.
Loser: Ryan Tannehill
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Not only did the Titans trade away Tannehill’s best receiver in A.J. Brown, the team also drafted his potential future replacement in quarterback Malik Willis in the third round.
Adding to that, Tannehill was widely criticized for saying it wasn’t his job to mentor Willis, but as we’ve said repeatedly, it’s highly doubtful Tannehill won’t help the rookie in some form or fashion along the way.
Tennessee did draft a pair of receivers in Treylon Burks and Kyle Philips, and a tight end in Chigoziem Okonkwo, but there’s no telling if the three rookies will be able to make the immediate impact Tannehill and the Titans need in what is a make-or-break year for him.
The Titans needed to improve things around Tannehill both at receiver and offensive line, but on the surface Tennessee’s trade and picks failed to do that.
Winners: Jamarco Jones and Aaron Brewer
(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
With the Titans not drafting a guard, Brewer and Jones, who are two of the top candidates to take the left guard role along with Radunz, won’t have more competition to fend off for the job.
Loser: Caleb Farley
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One of the Titans’ more surprising picks in the draft was the selection of Auburn cornerback Roger McCreary in the second round.
Granted, we figured it was possible the Titans would take a cornerback at some point to provide a potential insurance policy for Farley, but not that early.
Our first impression of the pick was that it shows the Titans don’t have full confidence in Farley, who struggled in limited action in his first season and has multiple medical concerns going into his second season after past back surgeries and a torn ACL suffered in 2021.
Losers: Titans' backup RB candidates
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The Titans’ backup running back candidates will now have more competition for the scraps behind Derrick Henry after Tennessee selected Michigan running back Hassan Haskins in the fourth round.
Haskins will compete with Dontrell Hilliard, Trenton Cannon and Jordan Wilkins for one of the backup roles. Cannon and Wilkins are likely to be most negatively impacted by the pick.
The Michigan product is more known for his tough running style but can hold his own as a pass-catcher and blocker, thus he could factor in on third downs, where Hilliard figures to be the favorite.
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In between: Titans' Receivers
AP Photo/Mark Zaleski
With Brown gone, everyone on the Titans’ depth chart got a bump up in the pecking order, but there’s no denying the Titans’ group as a whole is worse off than it was before the draft thanks to Brown’s departure.
Veteran Robert Woods, who is coming off a torn ACL, is now in line to be the No. 1 receiver, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine went from potentially being a No. 4 wideout to Tennessee’s No. 2 or 3 for now.
However, the addition of two receivers could be bad news for 2021 fourth-round pick and wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick. The selections don’t show a ton of confidence in the Louisville product, who didn’t make the 53-man roster in his first season and tallied just five catches for 48 yards.
If Fitzpatrick fails to shine in training camp, he could miss the cut or be buried on the depth chart in his second season. Potentially making matters worse for Fitzpatrick, the Titans could add another veteran receiver.
Burks, who has a similar style to Brown, was a great pick — especially under the circumstances — and has the potential to make a big impact in his first season. Philips has also been pegged as a potential impact player in Year 1 and recently received high praise from former NFL receiver Steve Smith.
In between: Jon Robinson
AP Photo/Mark Zaleski, File
General manager Jon Robinson came away with a 2022 NFL draft class that we gave a “B+” to, but as is the case with all draft classes, we won’t know how good it is until a few years in.
Robinson’s trade of A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles was widely ripped from the jump, but details have since emerged that show Robinson might’ve had no choice but to deal his best receiver.
The Titans went into the draft needing to improve things around Tannehill. However, there’s no doubt Tennessee is worse off without Brown on the roster, and with the team not having added an offensive lineman who is projected to make an impact in their first season.
What Robinson did do well was address some of Tennessee’s biggest needs.
He added a pair of wide receivers in Burks and Philips, a tight end in Okonkwo, an offensive tackle in Petit-Frere, and a potential franchise quarterback with a ton of upside in Willis, who was a great value.
We can see the logic behind the picks of Haskins and McCreary, but those were not among Tennessee’s biggest positions of need going into the draft.
Also, Robinson did not add a guard, which was a need for both now with the uncertainty at left guard in 2022, and down the road with Nate Davis hitting free agency in 2023.
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