Examining The TN Titans 2011 Draft Class
This will be a short examination on the TN Titans 2011 Draft Class. If you’re interested in reading about their 2010 Draft Class reviewed after year 1, click here. Click Continue Reading for the 2011 Class.
Rd. 1, pick 8–Jake Locker, QB, Washington
With the selection of the Locker, the Titans have deemed him their “QB of the future”. I did a Draft Study on Locker before the draft that will tell you a lot more about him. In short, I can tell you that Locker has valuable experience in a “pro-style” offense. He is an athletic stud. Locker has excellent escapability both when chased out of the pocket and on designed runs. Locker’s two biggest flaws are as follows: He has barely over 50% completion from the pocket and He tends to get beat up when running. His on-the-run passing is as good as any quarterback to come out in the last 5 years, it’s reminiscient of Jake Plummer. The reason he gets beat up is because he runs like Peyton Hillis. He wants to hurt you. I love the mentality, personally, but this could lead to too many injuries.
Rd. 2, pick 7–Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA
The Titans get a very active 254 lber here. Ayers was graded by many media and more than likely, at the least, a few teams as a first-rounder. Ayers was dominant in his firs few games in the 2010 season with his hand on the ground rushing the QB. At the start of draft season, Ayers was projected to be a surefire top-20 pick. This was coupled with the expectation that he would run a 4.5 second 40-yd dash if he had a bad day at the combine. Ayers ran a 4.80. His stocked subsequently dropped. Know this about Ayers, he is an active player that will cause problems for a number of teams. On passing downs, Ayers might play right DE. He may even make a living off of that. His coverage skills should be adequate enough but he is at his best shifting through traffic to get behind the line of scrimmage. This was a good selection by the Titans.
Rd. 3, pick 13–Jurrell Casey, DT, USC
Click here to read Casey’s description over at “Mocking The Draft”. The guys over there do a great job grading the prospects and it is one of the better sites on the internet. In short, they have Casey as a quick guy that can get after the quarterback from inside the defensive line. His problems are that he lacks awareness and is only an average run-defender. That last part….I’m a fan of.
Rd. 4, pick 12–Colin McCarthy, LB, Miami
Mocking The Draft’s review. In that article, we learn that McCarthy is 238 pounds and has adequate speed (not too exciting). He is a very aware player that can read the quarterback well. His pass-rushing abilities are only adequate (clearly they haven’t planned for half the division). He is good at shedding blocks but at 238 lbs it makes you really wonder how good he is capable of becoming in year 1.
Rd. 4, pick 33–Jamie Harper, RB, Clemson (pictured above)
This is the RB that was paired with the Bill’s top-10 pick in 2010 CJ Spiller at Clemson. The best review I found was on CBS Sports and I will give you a quick look at the article that will no doubt shock you:
"A physical clone of former Florida State standout and current Jacksonville Jaguar Greg Jones, Harper could enjoy similar success in the NFL. Unlike Jones (who has caught 53 passes in 71 NFL games), Harper’s value isn’t only in his physical running and potential blocking, but also in his excellent receiving skills."
Here’s a link to some video. He is a VERY good looking prospect.
Rd. 5, pick 11–Karl Klug, DE, Iowa
Klug is 6’4″ and 270 lbs. I don’t know anything else about him, but the Titans may have a few DEs that go to other teams after this CBA/Free Agency stuff is sorted out. Fox Sports:
"He eventually started 26 consecutive games for Iowa and had finished his career with 140 tackles. Sixty-five of those tackles and four sacks came in his first full season as a starter in 2009. In part because of that production, he was invited to the Shrine Game and the combine. Without some growth, Klug – who is currently undersized for a defensive tackle – might have to try to make it in the NFL as a defensive end. However, there are questions about whether he has the speed to be a consistent edge rusher. He has demonstrated a drive to improve."
Rd. 6, pick 10–Byron Stingily, OT, Lousville
In this interview at New Era Scouting, Stingily mentions that his greatest assests are: feet and pass protection. He compares himself to D’Brickashaw Ferguson of the NY Jets.
Rd. 7, pick 9–Zach Clayton, DT, Auburn
There’s not too much information on Clayton. DraftNasty.com says:
"A rotational DT for Auburn, Clayton has come on strong this season as an underrated play maker who brings his hard hat and lunch pail to work every day. The versatile DL was plagued by injuries earlier in his career, but is back, and brings you a traditional blue collar type of work where he works hard and leaves it all out on the field."
He’s 6’2″ and 299 lbs.
Rd. 7, pick 48–Tommie Campbell, DB, California
NFL Draft Scout has him listed at a whopping 6’3″ and 203 lbs. He is also listed as their #19 FS. Other than that, I can’t tell you too much, aside from his 40-yd dash of 4.54 seconds.
With a total of 9 selections, it makes you wonder how many they hit on. Do they repeat with a rookie Pro-Bowler? Should we, as Jaguars fans, be worried about this class? What do you think?