Titans’ Dillon Radunz listed among NFL rookies in best position to succeed
Offensive tackle and North Dakota State product Dillon Radunz couldn’t have entered into a better situation than the one he landed in after being drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft.
After striking out with Isaiah Wilson in 2020, the Titans needed to find their right tackle of the future, and Radunz will have an opportunity to seize that role immediately.
That’s because the Titans didn’t sign a surefire starter at right tackle after the release of Dennis Kelly, and instead will have two career backups in Ty Sambrailo and Kendall Lamm competing with Radunz for the job.
Hall-of-Fame talent evaluator and NFL.com analyst Gil Brandt believes Radunz is one of eight incoming rookies who is in the best position to succeed with their new teams.
Still smarting from the decision not to exercise right tackle Jack Conklin’s fifth-year option for the 2020 season — which precipitated Conklin’s departure for Cleveland as a free agent — and from the implosion of rookie first-rounder Isaiah Wilson, the Titans addressed their deficiency at the position by using a second-round pick on Radunz. Though Radunz played left tackle at North Dakota State, where he excelled at protecting No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance’s blindside, he did pre-draft work at right tackle in preparation for a possible move. I like Radunz a lot, and he’s in great position to provide an immediate boost to a unit that dropped from eighth in Pro Football Focus’ ranking of offensive lines in 2019 to 15th without Conklin last season.
Radunz played primarily on the left side in college, protecting the blindside of No. 3 overall pick, Trey Lance, but he did plenty of work on the right side leading up to the draft, so he is prepared to transition there.
Some experts even believe Radunz could play guard at the next level, offering the potential for versatility.
As good as he was in pass protection (he allowed zero sacks in his final two seasons at NDSU), Radunz is also familiar with a power-run scheme and he excelled as a run-blocker in general as a Bison.
On the surface, the fit of Radunz with the Titans appears to be perfect, and we couldn’t agree more that he’s in a great position to excel in Nashville, both in 2021 and for the long haul.
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