2011 NFL Draft Needs: Tennessee Titans

All good things eventually come to an end and for Tennessee Titans’ fans this couldn’t be any truer than after this past season. For the first time since 1994, the Titans won’t have Jeff Fisher calling the shots on the sidelines when they open the 2011 season. After finishing with a disappointing 6-10 record, Fisher made it clear to team owner Bud Adams that Vince Young had to go or else he would. Well guess what? Not only will Young not be with the team next season, Fisher won’t be there either.

After an offseason filled with turmoil regarding the direction of the team, Fisher and the Titans decided to call it quits. Enter Mike Munchak who steps into his first head coaching gig and he has the challenge of replacing his former boss. Munchak, who has been the Titans’ offensive line coach since 1997, will have a daunting task in front of him and that starts with finding the team’s future quarterback.

Tennessee started this past season going 5-2, but lost eight of its final nine games. One of the main reasons for the struggles came from the offense. Thanks to injuries and mainly inconsistencies at the quarterback position, the Titans struggled in the second half of the season. With Kenny Britt and Chris Johnson in place, Munchak needs to add a quarterback to complete the tri-fecta. It will be interesting to see whether the Titans bring back veterans Randy Moss and Kerry Collins.

On defense, Tennessee enters the offseason with several personnel question marks and one big coaching loss. The loss of defensive line coach Jim Washburn to the Eagles may have more of an impact than people realize. Washburn, who has a reputation for getting big results out of marginal talent, showed his worth this past season after NFL journeyman Jason Babin finished with a career-high 12.5 sacks. Besides replacing Washburn on the coaching staff, the Titans may also lose starting middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch. The 26-year-old Tulloch, finished the past season with 160 combined tackles, which was second in the NFL.

  1. Quarterback: Young essentially quit on the Titans at the end of the season and now he’s on the trading block. If the Titans can’t find a trading partner (after CBA is in place) for Young they will just have to release him. My money is on Collins returning to the team and Tennessee using him as a mentor to the young signal caller they draft. If Cam Newton or Blaine Gabbert falls to the Titans at No. 8, I fully expect them to pull the trigger on whichever one is there. If they don’t get one of the big two, Tennessee could use its second round pick on the next tier of prospects (Ryan Mallett, Jake Locker, Christian Ponder or Andy Dalton).

2. Guard: Leroy Harris is a free agent and regardless if he returns, Munchak will be looking to upgrade this position. Whether it’s Collins or a rookie quarterback taking the snaps to start the season, the Titans will want as much protection as possible for them. If Tennessee goes quarterback in round one, Danny Watkins and Stefen Wisniewski would be good options in round two if they are still available. A sleeper prospect to keep an eye on later in the draft is Will Rackley of Lehigh, who is projecting to be a mid-round pick.

3. Defensive line: I put defensive line here because depending on what free agents they lose and how the draft shakes out the Titans may have some interesting decisions. Tennessee could lose both Babin and Dave Ball to free agency, which would make defensive end a need. But with Derrick Morgan expected to fully recover from a season-ending knee injury, tackle is the more immediate need. If Newton and Gabbert are off the board, the Titans may have the opportunity at someone like Nick Fairley. Marcell Dareus is soaring up draft boards and it could force Fairley to slip a little. If Tulloch departs via free agency middle linebacker may become a bigger need.