Titans might have hidden gem in second-year receiver Racey McMath. Here's why.

Welcome to Talkin’ Titans. This is Titans beat reporter Ben Arthur.

During Titans training camp last year, A.J. Brown offered surprisingly high praise for Racey McMath.

A 2021 sixth-round pick, McMath arrived in Nashville with big expectations … on special teams. He thrived there at LSU.

But he was an afterthought as an offensive player in college, buried in a deep receiver room with future NFL stars. He was looked at as a raw talent joining Tennessee.

After making just a few plays last training camp, though, Brown compared McMath to one of the best receivers of the last decade.

“I don’t want to say this, but he kind of reminds me of Julio (Jones),” the former Titans star said, cracking up as reporters furiously tweeted out his remarks. “That’s the upside I think he has in him.”

That upside has flashed this year.

McMath has shined the last several training camp practices, hauling in several deep touchdown passes. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill has gained confidence targeting him because he’s delivered consistently.

McMath hasn’t been put to the test in Year 2 — the preseason hasn’t even started — but his growth is apparent in practices.

McMath, who had just two receptions for eight yards in nine games as a rookie, said an emphasis this offseason was getting out of breaks quicker.

“I’m way more confident than I was last year,” he said. “I've been in the playbook. I’m moving around being comfortable with the offense. They trust me. I’m just trying to build and make more plays.”

If McMath’s strides show up in games, he could be an X-factor for a Titans’ receiver room that still has questions.

The back-end depth behind Robert Woods, Treylon Burks and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has been under scrutiny.

“I think the biggest thing that Racey has done is that he’s realizing that there aren’t a whole lot of 6'3", 230-pound receivers that can run a 4.3,” wide receivers coach Rob Moore said. “He’s learning to play with that speed and really impose his will on receivers. He’s really reaping the rewards from that now.”

In other Titans news

Tennessee kicks off the preseason Thursday at Baltimore, it’s the only road exhibition game.

Headlines not to miss as you gear up for the game:

• My takeaways from Monday’s practice

• Sports columnist Gentry Estes examines the dilemma on the O-line

• Derrick Henry explains his expectations for workload in 2022

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📧 Any questions about the Titans ahead of the first preseason game? Shoot them my way and I'll answer. My email is BArthur@tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Do Titans have hidden gem in second-year receiver Racey McMath?