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Todd McShay of ESPN fame has released his 3rd 2017 NFL mock draft (In$ider). He has the Titans going with Jonathan Allen of Alabama with the 5th pick. That is something that I haven’t seen in very many mocks up to this point. It will probably become a little more popular now with people moving away from Jamal Adams with that pick after the Titans signed Johnathan Cyprien in free agency (now McShay has Adams going 3rd to the Bears so that wasn’t his reasoning here). We talked on MCM Radio last night (listen here) about how we still believe Adams is in play for the Titans at 5.
Back to Allen, he is an interesting guy. He is a fantastic football player and a heck of an interview. A defensive line that featured Allen on one end and Jurrell Casey on the other would be pretty terrifying from a pass rush standpoint. Here are McShay’s comments about the pick:
Allen didn't test well at the combine, but he's a much better football player than his workout numbers would indicate. While some long-term concerns regarding his shoulder might cause him to fall, the Titans have the luxury of taking the best player on their board with this pick, since they also own the 18th selection. Allen would slide right in and start opposite Jurrell Casey at the 5-technique spot.
McShay has the Titans taking Mike Williams, WR, Clemson with the 18th pick. Williams was great in college. I have said from the beginning that he reminds me a lot of Alshon Jeffery. People knock on him because of the speed, but he just knows how to win at the catch point. He would give the Titans a legit red zone threat on the outside. Like McShay says, I am very interested to see what he runs tomorrow:
I'll be at Clemson's pro day on Thursday, and I'm interested to see what Williams runs in the 40-yard dash after sitting out the drill at the combine. On tape, he shows great hands and the ability to win contested catches. The one remaining question is: What's his true top-end speed? Running a 4.55 or better would be a win for Williams.
Would you be happy with this first round for the Titans?