Tennessee Titans dueling 7-round 2021 NFL mock drafts

With the 2021 NFL draft less than two months away, our staff decided to do dueling seven-round mock drafts for the Tennessee Titans to kick off our mock draft season.

The Titans currently own seven picks but are also projected to receive a third-round compensatory pick, giving them four selections on Day 2 of the draft and eight in total.

With the projected compensatory pick included, Tennessee will have one pick in the first, second, fourth and fifth rounds, two apiece in the third and sixth rounds, but none in the seventh, which is something we can live with.

For this particular mock, each member of our staff used The Draft Network’s Mock Draft Machine to make our projections for how things could go for the Titans when the draft begins on April 29th.

Here’s a look at how things shook out for each of our writers in their respective mocks.

John Lowell's mock

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Round 1: DL Christian Barmore, Alabama Barmore would be an absolute force next to Jeffery Simmons. This pick is based on the assumption that the Titans figure out their problems at edge-rusher in free agency. Barmore could be the 3-tech that replaces DaQuan Jones if the Titans let him walk. He displays raw power at the point of attack and is an accomplished pass-rusher from the interior. Round 2: S Trevon Moehrig, TCU Moehrig is one of my favorite prospects in this year’s class. Assuming the Titans cut Kenny Vaccaro to save some cap space, Moehrig could fill in as a hybrid defender in multiple fronts for the Titans. Moehrig would give the Titans a solid trio of safeties, along with Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker. Round 3: LB Jabril Cox, LSU Cox transferred from North Dakota State — where he was a stud — to LSU in 2020. Cox is phenomenal in space and stout in coverage. Big-time motor; flies to the football. If the Titans make this move it would mean that Jayon Brown is long gone. Round 3: CB Trill Williams, Syracuse Williams is long, rangy, and physical, a larger version of Malcolm Butler. Has a knack for making big plays, scoring three touchdowns in college. More than capable young corner who would play on the boundary. Round 4: RB Trey Sermon, Ohio St. Sermon is a bruiser, and having a mini Derrick Henry wouldn’t hurt anything but opposing defenders when the King needs a rest. Sermon has tremendous contact balance and the ability to run through would-be tacklers. He reminds me a bit of Kareem Hunt, but larger, and he is not as productive as a receiver. Sermon failed to catch more than 16 passes in his four-year collegiate career at Ohio State. Round 5: WR Marlon Williams, UCF Williams projects as a big slot at the NFL level, which — despite the Titans’ recent stint with Adam Humphries — is the evolution of the position. Williams is big and physical, with plenty of YAC ability, something we know general manager Jon Robinson loves. Heck of a competitor. Round 6: EDGE Patrick Johnson, Tulane Let’s be real; at this point, we’re just throwing darts. Johnson is a fit, though. A highly-productive player, Johnson has — over three seasons — produced 120 tackles including 34 for loss, 21 sacks, 11 PBU’s, and six forced fumbles. He fits the 3-4 hybrid scheme if the Titans don’t shift their approach. Round 6: EDGE Tarron Jackson, Coastal Carolina Jackson is another developmental edge rusher that fits the Titans’ system. Stealing Jackson this late would be a coup based solely on the fact that he has ample production. Not to mention, you have to hope that a service such as Pro Football Focus got it right — Jackson is tied for the third-best grade (Azeez Ojulari, Georgia - 90.0) amongst qualified edge rushers in this year’s draft.

Shaun Calderon's mock

Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Round 1: DL Christian Barmore, Alabama This pick is made with the assumption that the Titans sign an established EDGE in free agency, like Carl Lawson, Bud Dupree, or possibly even Haason Reddick should the Cardinals allow him to walk after the arrival of J.J Watt. I believe Barmore would be the perfect complement to Jeffery Simmons along the interior. Many people would prefer a dominant EDGE at pick 22, but the fastest way to the quarterback is through the middle and if you have two dominant forces inside, it makes everything much easier for those rushing on the edge. https://twitter.com/pff_college/status/1353160592052248577 Barmore is big enough to play the one-tech and is athletic enough to play the five-tech and should be good for anything in between. This type of versatility should intrigue someone like head coach Mike Vrabel, who loves to use his defenders as chess pieces. If the talented Alabama defender is on the board at pick 22, it’s going to be extremely hard to turn down that type of disruptive potential that you could create with a Simmons and Barmore tandem. Round 2: WR Elijah Moore, Ole Miss The Titans have already struck gold with an Ole Miss receiver before and I can see them trying to do the same with the guy who ended up breaking A.J. Brown’s reception record at Ole Miss. The receiver need could get amplified if the Titans do in fact lose Corey Davis, but regardless, they need to improve the depth at that position and adding someone who already has a ton of genuine respect with the team's No. 1 receiver could go a long way towards doing just that. https://twitter.com/pff_college/status/1359186761176481792 Make no mistake about it, Moore is a talented receiver in his own right. In 2020, he was the third-highest graded receiver and also possessed the highest catch percentage among all SEC wide receivers. Similarly to the Ole Miss receiver the Titans drafted in 2019, Moore is deadly after the catch. He is not as polished of a route-runner as Brown was coming out of college, but he is a dynamic athlete with excellent agility and quickness. Moore could also help improve the return game. Round 3: CB Paulson Adebo, Stanford Adebo is an athletic corner who has the hip flexibility to open up and run upfield when shadowing receivers on deeper routes. He demonstrates good agility in off coverage to close separation at the top of the route. He plays with the instincts and football IQ necessary to thrive in zone situations but is still a work in progress in man coverage. Adebo has very good ball skills to locate and track, while also demonstrating the competitiveness to close and get his hands on the football, as displayed by his nine total turnovers. Adebo finished his Stanford career with 97 total tackles, 27 passes defended, one forced fumble, and eight interceptions in two seasons (2018-2019). He was a two-time All-Pac 12 selection and was on the Bronko Nagurski, Chuck Bednarik, and Jim Thorpe Award watch list before opting out of the 2020 season. Adding to all that, he was a preseason All-American heading into the 2020 season. He could have tremendous upside if still available here in the third. Round 3: EDGE Patrick Jones II, Pittsburgh Jones II is a balanced defender, capable of making an impact as a pass rusher and run defender, but he doesn’t offer much in the way of scheme-versatility. He has some super impressive reps that will leave you blown away but he isn’t nearly consistent enough otherwise he wouldn’t be available this late. He also had a less-than-stellar Senior Bowl week but he did make it up with a few splashy plays when it mattered in the actual game. Jones is a developmental player who will take some time to get going. Regardless, he possesses enough raw ability to intrigue me in taking a chance on him either here or possibly in the fourth round if he’s still available. I didn’t want to take the chance in this mock, so I just decided to take him with Tennessee's second pick in the third round. Over the last two seasons, Jones racked up a combined 83 total tackles, 24 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks in 22 games. Round 4: OT Robert Hainsey, Notre Dame Hainsey is a project offensive tackle who had three years of starting experience at right tackle for Notre Dame. He is someone who can add depth to the room while possibly eventually challenging Dennis Kelly for the starting spot. He is best suited for a run-heavy team like the Titans and already has some experience in a zone-blocking scheme. He is a smart and technical offensive lineman who also has good character, which is worth mentioning considering the last right tackle drafted by Tennessee clearly had some issues of his own (to say the least). Round 5: WR Marlon Williams, UCF Williams finally carved out a consistent role for himself with the Knights in 2019, which included totaling 51 receptions for 712 yards and six touchdowns. However, the UCF product saved his best for last in 2020 when he collected 71 receptions for 1,037 yards and 10 touchdowns in just eight games. Williams is a big receiver who could help provide a vertical threat, as well as add to the Titans' depth. Williams has a limited route tree at the moment but that didn’t stop him from consistently improving his game during his time at UCF. He’s the type of physical receiver that the Titans seemingly love and he has terrific ball skills and consistent hands. He is extremely raw and will need to be polished at the NFL level but for a team looking for size and vertical skills down the field — and a player who can also create space for himself after the catch — Williams is a perfect candidate for what the Titans love in their receivers. Round 6: EDGE Elerson Smith, Northern Iowa Obviously after last year's abysmal sack output, the Titans will be seeking to improve their defense as a whole. With the assumption that the team signs an established EDGE in free agency, I have the team attacking the interior defensive line, corner, and EDGE in this draft class. This will be a depth pick in hopes that Smith eventually develops into a hidden gem. He is a good athlete with excellent length and is more naturally a pass rusher but will need a ton of work against the run. He has upside as a rotational piece in sub-packages and I believe he’d be worth the swing here in the sixth round. Smith didn’t play in 2020 but he finished his final season on the field with 63 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, and five forced funnels in 15 games played back in 2019. Round 6: EDGE Joshua Kaindoh, Florida State Kaindoh is loaded with all the physical attributes you could ask for. He needs to add more moves to his repertoire but he has a ton of physical upside that could eventually be fine-tuned into becoming a consistent situational player along the edge. Similarly to the last pick, Kaindoh possesses enough upside for the team to take a swing on here with their last pick of the draft in hopes that he can develop into at least a rotational player for the Titans. Kaindoh finished his collegiate career with 60 total tackles, 8.5 sacks and one forced fumble.

Mike Moraitis' mock

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Round 1: EDGE Azeez Ojulari, Georgia First and foremost, the Titans need to address their pass rush in free agency, but it certainly would hurt to add young talent through the draft. I couldn't pass up on arguably the best edge rusher in this year's draft, even with Alabama's Christian Barmore sitting there. Ojulari will provide depth in Year 1, and should transition into a starter after that. Round 2: DL Levi Onwuzurike, Washington Thankfully, I was able to secure an interior defensive lineman in Round 2 with Onwuzurike, who stands to be a future DaQuan Jones replacement should he leave in free agency. Onwuzurike is already a solid run defender and has the chops to be a stellar interior pass rusher, especially with Jeffery Simmons close by to take pressure off. Round 3: WR Amari Rodgers, Clemson The Titans get their Adam Humphries replacement here. Rodgers projects as a slot receiver and is physical, yet explosive, and is the kind of player who can operate in space and create yards after the catch. Round 3: LB Jabril Cox, LSU I saw Cox sitting there at the previous pick and was tempted, but in the end decided to go with a much-needed wide receiver. You can imagine how happy I was to see Cox still sitting there when this pick came up. While he needs work against the run, Cox is as polished in coverage as you can get from a prospect and would be a great future replacement if Jayon Brown leaves in free agency. Round 4: CB Ambry Thomas, Michigan If Cox wasn't still sitting there, I would have addressed the need at cornerback one round earlier. Still, getting Thomas, who can play both in the slot and on the outside, is a sufficient consolation prize. Round 5: EDGE Elerson Smith, Northern Iowa At this point, we're just trying to hedge our bet in the hopes of finding someone, anyone who can rush the passer. Smith needs work but has shown potential to be at least a serviceable pass rusher in the NFL. Round 6: WR Cornell Powell, Clemson The thought process behind this pick was all about adding more depth. We like Rodgers, but the Titans also need a bit more size. Powell gives them that, along with impressive but not elite speed. The Clemson product could eventually take over as the No. 2 outside receiver in Tennessee's offense, which might happen sooner rather than later if Corey Davis departs. Round 6: CB Rachad Wildgoose Jr., Wisconsin It's all about versatility here. Wildgoose Jr. stands to be a project, which you'd expect out of a sixth-round pick, but he also has the ability to play nickel corner and safety, checking a few boxes in terms of depth for the Titans. He also has arguably the best name in the draft.

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