Titans like versatility of rookie FB Fowler
NASHVILLE — When they selected Jalston Fowler in the fourth round of the NFL draft, the Titans made the argument he was much more than a run-of-the-mill fullback.
If there’s one set of numbers that best supports the Titans’ case, it might be this:
In 2013, Fowler’s junior season at Alabama, the 5-11, 254-pounder caught five touchdown passes — which was not only the secondhighest total on an 11-2 Crimson Tide team but also one more than teammate and 2015 first-round draft pick Amari Cooper.
That’s not to suggest Fowler was some type of downfield terror. His seven total catches that season went for 15 yards, an average of 2.1 yards per reception.
“It was just a goal-line thing,” Fowler said after the Titans’ rookie minicamp. “We ran a couple of (misleading) plays on the goal line, with me just bluffing (the defender), going into the flat and scoring touchdowns.”
But the fact that he was a primary target in the red zone, and that he came through when called upon, could make Fowler a differencemaker of a different sort in the NFL.
No NFL fullback had more than two touchdown receptions in 2014.
The ability to catch passes “makes me a lot different because you can line me up in the slot and throw me the ball,” Fowler said. “Or you can put me on the line and get the respect (of a defender). It helps out the offense really big because whenever you’re able to catch the ball, they’re able to put you anywhere.”
Fowler did produce a more diversified receiving résumé during his senior season, catching 11 passes for 129 yards (an 11.7-yard average). He added two more touchdowns, meaning Fowler finished his Alabama career with seven touchdowns on just 19 catches.
A Titans fullback, meanwhile, hasn’t caught a touchdown pass since 2008, when Ahmard Hall caught two.
“I think that was one of the things we liked about (Fowler),” Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “It’s hard to find a guy that’s a good (run) blocker and a good receiver at that position. He’s shown he can do a good job (run) blocking, but the added benefit is he’s a good receiver. So you felt like there’s some versatility that gives him some flexibility to do different things.”
Of course, if Fowler expects to be on the field on passing plays, he knows he must be able to protect the quarterback. The Titans allowed the sixth-most sacks in the league last season, and the team probably will be starting a rookie quarterback in Marcus Mariota this season.
“That’s what this league is coming to — guys have got to be able to protect,” Whisenhunt said. “You see it on tape with Fowler (that he can pass-protect). So as far as the overall evaluation of him, we thought that was an important part of it.”
DEVELOPMENTS
Rookie impressing Saints: One of the factors in New Orleans’ struggles last season was its inability to get to the quarterback.
Sacks dropped from 49 in 2013 to just 34 in 2014 for the Saints.
Seven of the Saints’ nine picks in the draft were on defense, including edge-rushing specialists Hau’oli Kikaha and Davis Tull in the second and fifth rounds, respectively.
One day into New Orleans’ rookie minicamp, coach Sean Payton was praising Kikaha, the nation’s FBS leader in sacks as a senior at Washington in 2014.
“You’ve got a crystal-clear vision right away,” Payton said. “You know exactly what you’re getting with the player. He’s smart, he’s tough, there’s a passion to how he plays and you see it out here.”
Kikaha finished his career with 36 sacks, including 19 as a senior and 13 as a junior.
The 2014 first-team All-American, who is 6-2, 253 pounds, is working as a strongside linebacker.
Tull (6-2, 246) is a linebacker from FCS school Tennessee-Chattanooga. He isn’t participating in rookie minicamp because of a shoulder injury, which required surgery nearly two months ago.
Pats’ punishment irks Raiders coach: Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio is not a fan of the discipline handed down against the New England Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady in the “Deflategate” scandal, likening it to the heavy sanctions received by his alma mater, Southern California, in the NCAA’s Reggie Bush investigation.
“I think there are some similarities in terms of an overreaction, from my standpoint,” Del Rio said Saturday, before the former All-America linebacker’s induction into the USC Athletics Hall of Fame. “I think it was a little bit overdone, but that’s somebody else’s problem right now.”
Del Rio said the NFL would have been better served by warning quarterbacks that tampering with the ball would not be tolerated going forward, noting that prolific passing offenses have helped drive the game’s unprecedented popularity.
“Everybody understands that quarterbacks all want to get the balls how they like them, and why not?” Del Rio said. “They throw these balls around, and one of the reasons the sport is so popular is the ability of guys like Peyton (Manning) and Brady to throw the ball the way they do.”