The next three links are all behind the paywall at TitansInsider.com, but in at least one case is close to being worth burning their free 7 day trial offer if you aren't a member:
• McCormick handicaps the Titans' odds of drafting Gabbert, Newton, Mallett, Locker, Dalton, Ponder, Kaepernick, Stanzi, and Enderle. It's a pretty good ranking that predicts the odds of the Titans drafting each guys in the 1st, 2nd and later rounds.
• The Titans are scheduled to bring in both of this draft's stud WRs, A.J. Green and Julio Jones, for interviews at Baptist Sports Park within the next few weeks.
• Also headed to Nashville soon for a visit are Nick Fairley, Da'Quan Bowers, Marcell Daerus, Von Miller and Patrick Patterson.
Dave Hyde's latest edition of Draft Winds covers our boy Andy Dalton. This is one of the more well-researched and honest scouting reports I've seen all draft season (very similar in candor to Ryan Mallett's report that TitansHope shared in the Fanposts). I believe Hyde overstates some of Dalton's limitations, or at least over-values the flaws that showed up in Dalton's first three years at TCU, but he does make some solid points throughout. Every QB profile Hyde has done is definitely a must read for anyone who's been going ballistic in the comments over which QB will be the best fit in Tennessee, but don't take the talent-evaluations as gospel; the most valuable part of these profiles are the excellent background/character evidence he digs up. As the NFL and NFLPA head into the courtroom, a growing number of Titans are working out together around town. Wes Bunting has an entertaining list of top prospects in this draft who were a star in a second sport earlier in their collegiate/high school careers. Most of us already knew about Kaepernick (who was drafted by the Cubs, thus bringing his abilities as a winner into question) and Locker being drafted by MLB teams, but who knew UNC DE Robert Quinn was a two-time State Champion wrestler in high school? Those are some tools that should really show up on the field at the DE position. The draft is getting close, which means it's time to dust off those 'RBs don't mean as much as they used to' articles. Don Banks added one noteworthy point in this year's version of that cliche: this could well be the second NFL draft since 1963 where less than 2 RBs are taken in the first round. So, is that a comment on the weakness of this class, or a sign that the NFL still has no problem ruining football by making the running game completely irrelevant? Former Vanderbilt stud MLB Jon Goff gets the PFF love.Email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com and be sure to follow me on Twitter @AugustWest_MCM