Titans need receiver, but here is the catch
INDIANAPOLIS - Reeling off an NFL quarterback bust list is easy to do and fun, too — Todd Blackledge opened the door for Rick Mirer, who set the table for Ryan Leaf, who made way for JaMarcus Russell — but receivers are actually more likely to flame out than any other position group.
With that in mind, the Titans’ reported interest in swapping for New Orleans speedster Brandin Cooks makes a lot of sense. Depending on the price, of course.
But we’re talking about a young player who has produced big for two straight seasons against NFL competition, which makes him a safer investment than any of the wideouts who were poked and prodded this week at the NFL scouting combine. And, yes, I realize Washington’s John Ross ran a 4.22 (!) in the 40.
As Titans GM Jon Robinson said before testing began: “We’re trying to be good at football. Not good at exercising.”
The interest in Cooks, first reported by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and apparently shared by other teams, is one piece of an offseason that could result in a much stronger Titans team in 2017. If all goes well, Robinson can get multiple defensive secondary players, multiple downfield weapons on offense and perhaps even a defensive frontseven difference maker.
And it may be that none of the highprofile receivers we’ve discussed as possibilities — Ross, Clemson’s Mike Williams and Western Michigan’s Corey Davis — will be Titans factors on draft night. It may be that one of them has blown the Titans away this week.
All three of those guys had interviews with Titans brass and all three of them talked to us. Davis didn’t run because of recent ankle surgery, Williams didn’t run because he said he didn’t have enough time to prepare — which is only going to feed the “underwhelming speed” narrative — and Ross broke Chris Johnson’s combine record.
Forced to rank them, I would go Davis, Ross and Williams in terms of likely Titans interest. I think Davis has everything this offense needs in a receiver. But Ross is intriguing, was impressive in media interviews and would be a much-needed asset in the return game.
All of them should be viewed through a Pro Football Reference 2015 study that found that, from 1980 (a good starting point to judge modern receivers) to 2014, just 41 percent of wideouts produced at or above the median expectation for their draft position. Quarterbacks were next-worst at 43 percent.
So then you look at a guy such as Cooks and see he has 162 catches for 2,311 yards and 17 touchdowns in the past two seasons and has demonstrated elite, on-field speed.
And, yeah, he complained this season about not getting the ball enough and he’s about to cost a lot more in salary, both considerations when weighing the cost of obtaining him. Swapping the No. 5 for the No. 11, plus a defensive veteran or late pick from the Titans?
Giving the 18 straight up? Getting back into the second round and giving that up plus a veteran? Which veteran?
Deal or not, there’s little doubt the Titans would love to get out of No. 5 with the right opportunity and get back into the second round. They badly need cornerbacks and this cornerback class is “deeper than I can remember,” Titans coach Mike Mularkey said.
“I think you can get some good corners, they don’t have to be the first couple picks,” Mularkey said. “You’re going to get some good football players in later rounds.”
If the Cooks deal doesn’t happen, the Titans’ best hope for maximizing the trade value of No. 5 is max interest from other teams in the top of this quarterback class. If teams feel like they have to move up to grab one, the Titans’ position is stronger.
Mularkey said as much when he joked of the quarterbacks: “I’d go for them. I’d reach up.”
Every draft pick is a reach to some extent. There’s some certainty in the idea of a receiving corps featuring Cooks, Rishard Matthews and Tajae Sharpe — though Mularkey said Sharpe has to “prove himself all over again” after fading late in his rookie season.
The free agency period that starts next week will establish the priorities for draft night. And if I were Robinson and I still had No. 5 and a downfield need on that night … I’m not sure I could resist grabbing freakish Alabama tight end O.J. Howard. He’s a sure thing, right?
Contact Joe Rexrode at jrexrode@ tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter @joerexrode.