The Titans made a heck of a run this year to get back into the national spotlight. They made an improbable run that landed them just short of the playoffs. It is a great start to what will be known in the future as "The Vince Young Era."
Lost in all the excitement of the playoff push and the winning is the fact that this team still has some major holes to fill. The Titans can be a Super Bowl contender in '07 but not with the current roster.
Over the next week or so we will look at the needs of this team. Today the state of the receiving core:
The Titans will have Brandon Jones, David Givens, Roydell Williams and Courtney Roby returning next season. Bobby Wade and Drew Bennett are unrestricted free agents.
There are a lot of question marks in that core. Brandon Jones has shown flashes of being a really good player but has also had the dropsies at times. Givens will be coming off an ACL surgery and probably won't be full speed all year but best case scenario will be middle of the season. Roydell Williams and Courtney Roby are probably not going to be with the Titans long term.
What the Titans do with Bennett and Wade will be a big indicator on where they are planning on going in the draft. If they resign both I can't see them using a 1st round pick on a receiver because they would have a log jam at the position. If they sign neither, which I don't see happening, or 1 of the 2 then I think they will go receiver with the 1st round pick.
The Titans will take at least 1 receiver in the draft. Whether or not it is in the first round or not will depend on 2 things:
- What happens with Bennett and Wade
- What other holes the Titans fill in free agency
The Titans sign Bobby Wade but not Drew Bennett and then use the 1st round pick, whether it is the #19 pick or they move up, on a receiver.
This is actually a talented class of receivers coming out with 4 guys that will probably be 1st round picks in Dwayne Jarrett, Calvin Johnson, Teddy Ginn, Jr. and Robert Meachem. (assuming they all leave early, Meachem already announced he is)
We will break down each of these guys as we get closer to the draft.