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- I finally finished watching one of MCM’s favourite draft prospects, Garrett Bradbury. There is no doubt he is worthy of the praise he’s received so far. Bradbury excels in the run game. He has good agility and footwork, and simply just moves people out of the way. He continually seals off run lanes and looks for work at the second level. There is so much to love about his game and the fit with the Titans seems ideal. Bradbury could become an instant starter at center and push Ben Jones over to right guard. One note of caution though is that he would occasionally struggle against a strong bullrush. It doesn’t happen frequently enough to be overly concerning but it does show up on tape. Against Clemson’s outstanding defensive line, Bradbury played an excellent game up against Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence.
- Chris Lindstrom is another OL prospect that will get some first round attention, most likely as a guard. He’s a got a strong anchor and is rarely beat cleanly. Whereas Bradbury can give up ground against a bullrush, Lindstrom has a strong base and is rarely pushed back. In the run game he isn’t as much of a “people-mover” as Bradbury. That may have pushed him down a few draft boards, as he seems more likely to be in the 20-60th selection range. Still, for a very big man he is surprisingly athletic overall. He’s going to be a good fit for a lot of teams.
- One name to throw out as a late round developmental quarterback is Mississippi’s Jordan Ta’amu. A lot of late rounders have physical traits that limit their ceiling, such as arm strength. I’ve never been a big fan of arm strength, at least in how some scouts view it. However, you do need to meet a baseline level to hit all the throws on the field. Ta’amu meets that requirement. He also can threaten defenses as a runner. Most importantly for any QB, he displays good accuracy. The knock on Ta’amu is that he needs to become faster at reading defenses and progressing through the play. Overall though, he has enough positive traits that it would be worth seeing if he can put it all together after some time on the bench. Opinions seem pretty split on Ta’amu. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com currently has him as his lowest-rated prospect in the draft, while The Draft Network’s Jon Ledyard seems to have beaten me to the idea of Ta’amu as an ideal developmental prospect.
- Last time we looked at a few underrated receiver prospects. This receiver draft class really is quite impressive. I just finished reviewing Oklahoma’s Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and he doesn’t seem to be getting enough attention either. He was a human highlight reel in that dynamic offense. With such a deep group, maybe Brown is getting pushed down boards because of his late season Lisfranc injury (required surgery) or size (5’10”). Don’t get fooled by his size into thinking he’ll be a slot receiver. He can win as an outside receiver and that should continue in the NFL.
- Many Titans fans are hoping for a first round receiver but if the class has so many good options, there is a strong argument for waiting until the second round. Plenty of receivers will be selected before the Titans’ second round selection but you have to think at least a couple manage to fall, right?
- Michigan defensive lineman Rashan Gary is a bit overrated, in my opinion. He just doesn’t seem to make enough plays. That should be extremely concerning - especially as many mock drafts have him as a top-15 pick. Gary is a versatile player and has the physical traits to be good...but a team would really be counting on his potential.
- On the opposite end of that spectrum is Florida State’s Brian Burns. If you haven’t already, check out this review by FO’s Derrik Klassen. Burns combines strong physical traits with production, making him one of the class’ best edge rushers.