2017 NFL Draft: Tennessee Titans, Jon Robinson Mix It Up In First Round
Everyone thought they had the Tennessee Titans plans in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft pegged, but Jon Robinson had other ideas.
Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson showed he's not afraid to mix it up a little bit once again in the 2017 NFL Draft. With Tennessee's first pick, fifth overall, Robinson grabbed a wide receiver. That in itself wasn't a surprise. But the fact that it was Western Michigan's Corey Davis, however, was.
Davis was highly productive at Western Michigan. However, an ankle injury that required surgery kept him from working out at the NFL Scouting Combine or at any point in the process. Even Davis was surprised to be picked fifth overall.
"I didn't really expect to be picked at 5, and for it to be the Titans, I am just so happy," Davis said vis Titansonline.com. "It all feels so surreal."
Surreal indeed.
Had Davis been able to work out or run this offseason, he might have clearly been the No. 1 receiver prospect in this draft. But he couldn't. Because of that, many draft pundits knocked him down on their boards a bit. He was still a first-round pick, but going as high as fifth was a shock. Many figured the Titans would use that pick on a defensive player and then go for an offensive player with the 18th selection. Instead, Robinson flipped the script.
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With a run on offensive players in the upper half of the first round, the Titans, like most everyone else, waited to address defense. And when they did, Robinson again went outside the box, taking USC cornerback Adoree' Jackson.
With all apologies to Jabrill Peppers of Michigan — and now Cleveland — Jackson might be the most versatile player in this draft. He played offense at USC. He played defense and returned kicks. But the 5-10, 185-pound Jackson is a better return man right now than he is a cornerback.
Like Peppers at Michigan, Jackson served in so many different roles at USC, he didn't really get to concentrate solely on playing corner. One thing he is not lacking in, however, is confidence.
"I can do more than one thing on the defense — I can play outside, I can play inside," Jackson said, also per Titansonline.com. "I can also return. And if I am needed on offense you can throw me out there whenever. I am just thankful the coaches at Tennessee believed in me and picked me up."
It was perhaps even more surprising than Robinson's pick of Davis fifth. But given that the top three receivers in the draft went in the top 10 and the corners slipped, perhaps Robinson had the last laugh.
Had he taken a corner or safety with the fifth selection, he likely would have missed out on a receiver. And Jackson gives the Titans a versatile player who can step in and play the slot immediately, while also contributing as a return man.
Whether Jackson can play on the outside at his size, however, is debatable. But with a pair of third-round selections, Robinson can come back and double down at a deep cornerback position. If he comes away with a corner capable of becoming a starter on the outside, Tennessee will have solidified itself as a playoff contender in 2017.