Running back is not a position of need for the Tennessee Titans. In other news; water is wet, the Pope is Catholic, and Blaine Gabbert is the second coming of Kyle Boller.

Chris Johnson was recently voted the best running back in the league, Javon Ringer has been accepted in my mind as a very capable backup who just hasn't really been given a chance to get a full workload, and I still think that Stafon Johnson could make the team next year and be a very dynamic threat out of the backfield. That is, just as long as they don't draft Da'Rel Scott.

Moving on, you may think that the last thing the Titans need is another speed back who isn't as comfortable hitting the inside holes, and although Scott, the Maryland alum, reportedly once ran a Johnson-esque 4.29 40 yard dash, he has much more to offer than just speed. 

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In every NFL Draft, there are the can't miss prospects, the mid-round talent, and the steals that litter the final 2 rounds. Here is a section dedicated to profiling such players

First up is DeJon Gomes - DB, Nebraska 

While Gomes only had two years to prove his worth to NFL scouts while at Nebraska after transferring from Junior College, he wasted little time in becoming a fringe prospect and gained a reputation as a hard-hitter, a ball hawk, and an overall big play machine. He's got the size, strength, and coverage skills to play any position in the defensive backfield and even lined up as a linebacker at Nebraska when the situation called for it, so his versatility is a big plus, but most scouts project him as a strong-safety in the NFL.  

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Iglesias is a guy that will go in the 2nd or 3rd round, which is about 2 rounds before the Titans start looking for receivers.

The Measurables

Height- 6-0 7/8
Weight- 210
40- 4.56

Here are some thoughts from our friends and Crimson and Cream Machine:

Despite only being listed at 6-0 Juaquin Iglesias was Oklahoma's leading receiver in terms of both receptions (74) and receiving yards (1,150). He was also second on the team in receiving touchdowns with 10. Iglesias was a four year player who improved each season going from 19 in 2005 to the 74 he posted in 2008.

I don't think that he has the size to play on the edge but is perfect for the slot. He has very good hands, blazing speed and is a tough physical player. He averaged 15.5 yards per reception as a senior and can also make an impact on special teams as well. I would compare him to another Sooner in Baltimore's Mark Clayton.

His scouting report from NFL Draft Countdown:

Strengths:
Good size and bulk...Decent athleticism and is very smooth...More quick than fast...Soft, reliable hands...Good ball skills and body control...Excellent route runner...Elusive with great vision...Can do some damage after the catch...Very tough...Isn't afraid to go across the middle...Decent blocker...Great competitor who comes through in the clutch... Hard worker ...Also has some potential as a punt returner.

Weaknesses:
Timed speed is merely average...Is not very explosive...Won't get a lot of separation...Needs to get stronger...May have trouble beating the jam...Doesn't break many tackles...Overall upside is probably limited. 

The YouTube

I am sure our Texas people have seen him play a bunch and can add some insight.

Measurables

Height- 5-11
Weight- 192
40- 4.41

Thoughts from Alligator Army

Percy Harvin is a guy a lot of us would love to see in the two-toned blue next season.  Here is what our friends at Alligator Army had to say about him:

Florida's best player this season was not Tim Tebow. It was Percy Harvin. All you need to know about Harvin was answered in the BCS Championship Game when he played with a hairline fracture. When Tebow could not find his way, Harvin carried the team. He had 171 total yards of offense, playing at about 75%. How many guys at 75% could do that? Not just that, Harvin had gains of 46 and 52 yards, and was unaffected when Oklahoma's Nic Harris tried to break his leg (watch the end of this clip).

But, Harvin's championship performance was typical of his play at UF. He is absolutely brilliant. And absolutely injury-prone. This could be from the way he was used at UF. In the pros, as a wide, he won't have to lineup at running back in goal line situations or run the counter. The mileage he gained at UF may scare teams away, but watch any of his runs on You Tube. He's not going to have to run as physical in the NFL.

Harvin ran a 4.41 forty in Indy, but he is faster than that. Harvin's specialty is cruising into open space, and then finding an extra gear to pull away. When he would find the edge, Harvin could not be stopped. How will this translate to the NFL? He could be a deep threat or a guy who camps out underneath and gashes defenses all day. Watch to see what Harvin does at Florida's Pro Day in March. That will be a much better indicator of his speed (Harvin is not yet 100%) and he will run passing routes, which he did not do in Indy.

Click here to read AA's year in review on Harvin.

The YouTube

Obviously we are all hoping that the Titans won't need to go defensive tackle eary in this draft because if they do that means Albert is gone, but we are going to take a look at some just in case.  I asked ATL_eagle of the Boston College Blog Eagle in Atlanta for his thoughts on Raji:

Raji came late to football and was a 2-star under the radar recruit out of a smaller program in New Jersey. BC and Rutgers were the only schools that even offered him. He played as a true freshman, which was rare under Tom O'Brien and had an impact right away. His second season was even better as he showed moments of brilliance. His junior year was a bit of a let down. Good but not great and certainly not the next level people expected after the great SO year. Then Raji's career took an unexpected turn. Prior to kick off of his Senior year, he was informed that he didn't have enough credits to play. So he redshirted and watched BC put together its best season in 20 years. The year off allowed him to get in better shape and provided a focus and hunger for this season. His final year, he dominated. He was easily the most disruptive DT in the ACC. He also showed great agility and understanding for a guy his size.

As for how he will do in the NFL...I am not sure. If he stays motivated he could be a very good DT. I think his quickness will be somewhat muted in the NFL where most DTs are fast for their size. But Raji has all the tools and smarts for the NFL. If he continues his hard work and focus and ends up in the right scheme he could be a great player and a great pick.

The YouTube

I have a feeling those Virginia Tech interior offensive lineman still see Raji when they close their eyes at night.

P.S. Don- When you read this guy's name, what does it make you think of?

*I know there is no shot we get Crabtree, but here is what the team who does get him is going to be getting.

Measurables

Name: Michael Crabtree

Position: Wide Receiver

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 215

Speed: 4.54

Strengths

Without a doubt, Michael Crabtree's greatest strength is his ability to make plays. In college, Crabtree was a physically dominant receiver and there were times that he simply over-matched his opponents. Breaking tackles and running over defenders much of his freshman and sophomore years. I think Crabtree's other strength is his hands and it started off as somewhat of a question mark for him as he dropped a game-winning touchdown pass against Oklahoma State two years ago. If there's one thing that Texas Tech receivers are trained to do, it's catch the ball and I would imagine that Crabtree spent many hours catching tennis balls fired out of a machine to improve the ability to concentrate and catch the ball on each and every play. And I would be remiss if I did not discuss what Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach feels is Crabtree's best attribute:

Michael Crabtree is as good as utilizing space as anybody I've dealt with. I guess what I'm saying is coupled with the leeway that we try to give a guy in our scheme, he's just a master of utilizing it, building on it, maximizing it and all the rest. He finds a little crease of space. If he's got to stretch the field, he's going to stretch the field. If he's got to hold the flat, he's going to hold the flat. He's really got a good sense of finding just that little bit space of where he can make the play without busting a route.

Weaknesses

Perhaps Crabtree's biggest weakness is his lack of true break-away speed. I'm not so sure that this is a huge weakness as most people think as he's plenty fast to out-run most defenders, but he does not have the elite speed that you associate with top of the draft receivers. If I had to nit-pick, I also think that Crabtree drops a couple of catchable passes during the course of a game, but that's probably too harsh of a criticism as some dropped passes tend to stand out a little more because there's an expection that Crabtree catches everything.

Bottom Line

Obviously, I'm a tad bit biased, but I think any NFL team would be lucky to have Crabtree catching passes, especially for a team with a young quarterback that needs a big, reliable target.

The Highlights:

Kenny Britt is another guy that is more than likely to be on the Titans radar when the draft comes around in April.  I reached out to the fellas at Protect R Turf, the SB Nation Rutgers blog, for their thoughts on Britt:

Kenny Britt, 6'4, 215 lbs.

He's a Junior out of Bayonne, NJ (hard working, blue collar community from what I know of it), and is a favorite of head coach Greg Schiano.

While he doesn't have blazing speed, he's fast "enough", has great hands and great size.  Struggled a little bit early on in the season w/ some big time drops, but really came around the second half of the year as Rutgers rang off 7 straight wins to close out the season.

I would project him as a solid #2 receiver, great at making the short to mid range catches and good for an occasional long ball (with defenses being so much better in the NFL).

Solid route runner, found a way to get open consistently for Mike Teel, accumulating 1,371 and 7 TD's on 87 receptions - not too shabby, especially on a team with 2 other legit wide outs.

He's very physical - his physicality will help him tremendously (and already has).  He uses his size to his advantage in order to get open and get in the mind of opposing CBs.

A pure wide receiver in every sense of the word. Doubt he'll play on special teams but who knows, maybe the coaches will try him out there a little bit to see what he can do.

Will probably need a season of learning to be able to make big time contributions to a team, but I think he'll get some playing time in 2009 if he's on a team that's not littered with WRs.

In terms of the Giants, my personal feeling on it is if they can get him in the second round, they should get him for sure. The Giants need a big time #1 receiver after Plax self-destructed, and I'm not sure if Britt can fit the bill in the short term (but maybe in the long term). I think they already have a receiver like that in Steve Smith (a solid #2, even if he lacks ideal size), but I might be selling Britt a little bit short.

He's got the size, hands, and pretty good speed. Plus, he's only 20. Some players get way better in the NFL, some wilt away under the pressure.  Britt is a hard working, coaches favorite type of kid, so I would think he'll get better, a lot better. He can do it (make the leap from #2 to #1 receiver), but I wouldn't be shocked either way.  One thing is for sure: I don't see this kid being a bust at all - he's been great and spectacular at times over his 3 years at Rutgers, even if he was playing against air he's been a great player (and sometimes against Big East D's it felt like he was playing against air). He will, barring injury, be at least a productive player in the NFL.

Here are some highlights:

He can also help in the run game:

Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina is another receiver sure to be taken early in April's draft. To learn a little more about him, I asked Brian at Tar Heel Fan Blog for his thoughts on Nicks:

Hakeem Nicks, in three years at North Carolina, become one of the most prolific receivers, if not offensive players in school history. Granted it is a somewhat inconsistent football history but considering Nicks was hamstrung by a bad offense and worse coaching his freshman season, the work he did over the next two seasons was phenomenal. The junior from Charlotte had the benefit of playing beside speedster and probable 1st/2nd round pick Brandon Tate. Following Tate's injury earlier in the 2008 season, Nicks still found ways to get the ball who ended the season with 1222 yards receiving and 12 TDs. Nicks capped off his career at UNC with a 3 TD, 232 yard performance in the Meineke Car Care Bowl against West Virginia.

Nicks is not the kind of receiver who will blow you away with his speed. While he is fast enough, Nicks greater asset is his size, especially the size of his hands. During one game the announcers indicated Nicks wore XXXXL gloves. That became fairly evident seeing him catch the ball sometimes doing it with one hand. The offensive play calling at UNC relied more on short passes of the 10-15 yard variety. Nicks excelled in this scheme getting the ball in space and creating yards after the catch with his ability to make tough runs. Overall the NFL team that ends up picking Nicks will get a good receiver with size and reliable hands who can turn small receptions into big gains on the run.

This catch is just crazy.

Click here to check out all of the players we have looked at so far.