Mel Kiper has released his second mock draft of the season today (In$ider), and he has the Titans taking Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus:
Dareus is the rare player you can draft with almost no concern for systems. A player who can be a dominant pass-rusher from the 3-4 defensive end position, he also profiles to star in his more natural 4-3 defensive tackle position. I have defensive tackle as one of the top needs for Tennessee, which also could surprise some folks and take a quarterback here to develop if they bring back Kerry Collins. But for immediate help, Dareus is a safe pick.
You might remember that in his first mock he had the Titans taking Von Miller.
I am all about the strategy of taking a player at 8 that can step on the field and help the Titans in week 1 of the 2011 season and getting a quarterback that needs to be brought along slowly in round 2 or 3. We need to face the reality that 2011 more that likely isn't going to be the year of the Titans, but if they draft well in 2011 and 2012 we could see a huge jump in the '12 season.