Mock Drafts are so much fun.
But that’s all they really are — fun.
They should be taken with a grain of salt, however, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be enjoyed in all of their glory.
The Tennessee Titans currently own the No. 5 and No. 18 picks in the 2017 NFL Draft. So for Titans fans, these mocks are twice as nice. Should Jon Robinson take a wide receiver and a cornerback? What about safety and tight end? Maybe just best available at both spots? And don’t get Robinson started on trading down.
Todd McShay’s most recent Mock Draft (Version 3.0) for ESPN, featured an eye-opening tandem of picks for the Titans.
I’m not going to lie: I sort of love it.
McShay has SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Nagurski and Hendricks Trophy winner, unanimous All-American and literal man-child Jonathan Allen falling to the Titans at No. 5. Selecting the defensive lineman from Alabama would be taking the best available player and gives the Titans a sure-fire defensive war daddy for the next 10 years.
According to McShay, this is all made possible, of course, by the Jaguars doing Jaguar things. Like taking a tight end at No. 4 overall (no matter how much we all love him).
The odds of Jonathan Allen — or LSU safety Jamal Adams — being available at No. 5 seems unlikely, but should the Jags take O.J. Howard at No. 4 as the mock suggests, Robinson would be wise to snap up Allen.
And I sort of love that.
To make matters even more exciting, McMock 3.0 has Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams falling to the Titans at No. 18.
Williams, or any other wideout for that matter, is too risky and costly at No. 5. But adding a true No. 1 wide receiver — be it Williams or Corey Davis — for quarterback Marcus Mariota with the 18th pick would be considered highway robbery.
Yup, I love that too.
The idea of drafting a defensive lineman at No. 5 and a wide receiver at No. 18 is a new one. But it might be my favorite combination of picks I’ve seen to date in any mock draft.
Sliding a bulldozer like Allen onto the Titans’ defensive line next to established star Jurrell Casey should make 79-year old defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau feel 10 years younger. And adding a big-bodied frisbee catcher like Williams to Mariota’s receiving corps should help the QB stay young for the next decade.
And Titans fans should love everything about it.