When the Tennessee Titans selected Jalston Fowler as their fifth player taken in the 2015 NFL Draft, most every fan was confused. With bigger needs like edge rusher and interior lineman still needing to be addressed, taking a fullback seemed like a luxury. However, John Glennon of the Tennessean may have figured out one of the reasons why Fowler stood out so much to the Titans.
According to Glennon, in 2013 Jalston Fowler caught more touchdown passes than this year's fourth overall pick Amari Cooper.
"In 2013, Fowler's junior season at Alabama, the 5-foot-11, 254-pounder caught five touchdown passes — which was not only the second-highest total on an 11-2 Crimson Tide team, but also one more than teammate and 2015 first-round draft pick Amari Cooper."
No matter how you slice it that is a pretty impressive stat, considering how reliant Alabama was on Amari Cooper who caught 169 passes over the past two years.
This team sees Jalston Fowler (and some other pieces) as the key to ending their terrible history of redzone disappointments. Give Marcus Mariota someone that can either block and make a hole for the running back, or who can fake block and slip out uncovered.
I have faith in Marcus Mariota's ability to succeed because...well he has always succeeded. If this coaching staff puts the right pieces around him (which it looks like they have) then this team has a lot of upside.