No. 8 Pick in 2011 Reader Mock: Titans on the Clock

[Walter]

Voting for the No. 8 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Who will be the pick?

Results and some comments will be posted here.


http://walterfootball.com/draft2011reader.php


1. Panthers - Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
2. Broncos - Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama
3. Bills - Cam Newton, QB, Bengals
4. Bengals - A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
5. Cardinals - Von Miller, DE/OLB, Texas A&M
6. Browns - Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
7. 49ers - Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska


Da'Quan Bowers
Nick Fairley
Julio Jones
Jake Locker
Ryan Mallett
Robert Quinn

[RazorStar]

Think you have an error here, the Titans are on the clock.

[Walter]

Think you have an error here, the Titans are on the clock.

Thanks

[KyleCleric]

Bowers and Fairley are best two players on the board. DT is a need position while DE is filled with two starters coming off good seasons and a backup who was last year's first round pick.

[trisoman]

Hm interesting that I seem to have been the only one voting for Bowers within the first 6 votes. Am I the only one who thinks Babin won't stay? But anyhow.

[vikingsteve26]

Voted Robert Quinn. BPA, fills a need, elite talent, etc etc... Jason Babin finally had a good season. Big deal.

[JoeLegend]

I went with Bowers I could be wrong but both starting DEs are free agents.

[vikingsteve26]

How can Bowers be getting more votes than Quinn? So what if Quinn sat a year? Bowers' knee looks like ****.

[JoeLegend]

How can Bowers be getting more votes than Quinn? So what if Quinn sat a year? Bowers' knee looks like ****.

You still have game film on Bowers. Quinns Combine didn't electrify people either. I didn't here much about his pro day.

[McNulty]

I think it's Fairley obvious who the Titans will pick

[vikingfan173]

I think it's Fairley obvious who the Titans will pick

enough with the puns...they are killing me

[vikingfan173]

The Titans have a tough choice here, not between positions but the top three players are all from the DL. The highest ceiling is Robert Quinn, but seeing that he sat out the yr I think we can easily take him off the list this high. Bowers is the next guy on the list, too bad his knee looks like crap. The 3rd option is to try to replace Haynesworth, even with the titans having some good depth at DT at any rate. In the end, even with Bowers crappy knee, he actually has game tape and will be a top 10 pick, and its here.

[whatdoyouwant711]

I think it's Fairley obvious who the Titans will pick

Man, the in-game threads are gonna be unbearable.

[SanchoPanza]

The Titans get their new Albert Haynesworth with Nick Fairley

[Blazedestin]

Even if Jason Babin leaves, Derrick Morgan looked the part of a starter in limited action last year. Additionally, he tore his ACL long enough ago that he will be fully recovered by the start of the year, whenever the hell that is.

With that in mind, the cupboard's bare at DT. Jason Jones is not big enough to hold up at the point of attack. I'm not a huge Fairley fan, but he's at least decent value at this junction.

[Classic Silver and Black]

First thing first, let's rule out any QB here. QB headaches is what made this franchise plummet from first round bye to bottom feeder in just two seasons. They aren't going to take in people like Mallett or Locker who could even regress farther their signal calling. If no CBA is in place at the draft date, they will opt for a high base low ceiling QB later on (ie Ponder in round 2 or Stanzi in round 3/4).
Julio Jones could be the choice if they go BPA, but their receiving corp is far from bad. It would be too much of a luxury pick for a rebuilding franchise and Bud Adams may be senile but he's no Ralph Wilson, yet.

So if the actual draft pans out the way this reader mock has until now, the choice will be essentially restricted to the 3 premium DLinemen still on board: Bowers, Fairley and Quinn.
There aren't many signs coming from Nashville about whom of these they may like. But in my opinion it should be Nick Fairley. First of all he's the most solid, safest profile among the three, Bowers has had major injuries and just one year of productivity, Quinn just sat out one year and has some character concerns, while Fairley only has the 'dirty player' reputation going against him. Second, the Titans in 2010 had much better performances from the outside of their DL compared to the inside. Even if Babin leaves in free agency, they have sophomore Derrick Morgan coming back healthier, but they don't have as much talent at DT and with the DC change they can forget about Haynesworth returning in Tennessee.

[Harry Ballsagna]

Had to go Nick Fairley with this selection because the Titans are actually a 4-3 team and also have a need at defensive tackle. I could easily see Bowers or Quinn being the pick here, as adding another solid DE prospect to pair with an emerging Derrick Morgan is always a good investment. However, Nick Fairley has a chance to be a dominant game-breaker in the form of Ndamukong Suh, and while there are questions about Fairleys work ethic, the Titans are a team typically averse to character concerns. With the loss of Jim Washburn as well, the Titans are going to need as much talent on the defensive line as possible to make up for that loss of great coaching. Once a shoe-in for the top pick, this is as far as I can see Nick Fairley dropping despite my mancrush on Robert Quinn (I blame you, Mayock).

[rossfelhofer]

i went with mallett because bud adams has drafted a qb with obvious character flaws before

[viking1014]

Would love to be controversial and go against the grain on this one but the group consensus makes too much sense here. Fairley was slated as the top pick before the combine and the fact he's now falling to 8 and fills a position of need I see the Titans taking no time to hand this one in

[BobLoblaw]

Bud Adams was just forced to get rid of one athletic QB that he loved. If he likes Jake Locker as his new one, I think he takes him here. QBs could easily be highly valued in this draft. If there isn't a new CBA, there might not be an opportunity to find a replacement in free agency before the draft, and so no guarantee you'll get one at all. If there is a new CBA, there might be a rookie cap that makes it less expensive to miss on a first round QB selection. Either way, the Titans and some of these other teams that need QBs might not have the luxury of waiting until round 2 to get someone they like.

[stevenlourie]

I think the Titans will take all of 5 seconds to make this selection if the draft falls this way. They've been looking for Albert Haynesworth's replacement since he left. Fairley can be like Haynesworth, only hopefully, without all the crazy

[KcinMan11358]

I went with Fairley

The Titans can finally fill the whole that Lazy Al left. Also, their DE's are good enough that they do not need to use a 1st round pick on it

[mdb17]

Ok I'm gonna be a bit different that most people and say they take Bowers over Fairley. The reason for this is that they are looking to get bigger on the defensive line. It was mentioned by Munchak very early when he was talking about the team. I don't think Fairley makes them any bigger at DT but Bowers makes them a lot bigger at DE. For that reason, I went with Bowers.

[SkolShane]

Bud Adams will undoubltley take Ryan Mallet as he has the physical skills that so often impress him, and as usual that pick will end up coming back to haunt him, (Vince Young 2.0)

[RazorStar]

How I do I say the Titans should take Fairley without using a Fairley obvious pun... DAMN IT. He'll be a nice fit on their defensive line, and adds a second threat inside with the usually unhealthy Jason Jones. You can never have too many defensive linemen...

[SteVo]

Defensive tackle has been a need ever since Albert Haynesworth took his talents to D.C. Fairley may have a lot of red flags, but he's well worth the pick at 8th overall.

[vikingsteve26]

You still have game film on Bowers. Quinns Combine didn't electrify people either. I didn't here much about his pro day.

the game film does NO favors for Bowers.


meh, the Titans loss if they want to take Bowers or Fairley over Quinn. I don't see how anyone finds Bowers or Fairley to be a better pick than Quinn.

[Phatal]

Bowers is a monster. I hope his knee is good, but he still drops to the Jaguars at 16 and does not end up being a bust. I voted Fairley. It would make their d-line very good and would fill a hole left by Albert Haynesworth. The Titans have to face MJD and Arian Foster. The Jaguars love to run it up the middle between guards, but I am not sure about Houston. Fairley makes a lot of sense if he falls this far.

[vikingsteve26]

Bowers tape says he's inconsistent as hell... much like every season before 2010

[Eagles247]

I picked Nick Fairley for the Titans at No. 8.

Process of elimination:

Jake Locker and Ryan Mallett would be reaches here.
The Titans have bigger needs than WR, so Julio is out.
Da'Quan Bowers is better than Robert Quinn, so Quinn is out.

Now it comes down to Fairley and Bowers. Since Jim Washburn left the Titans, drafting a DL makes the most sense since with Washburn they didn't need a star to play DL for it to be successful. Now they need a star to get a better DL. Fairley's mentality reminds me of Albert Haynesworth (especially Fairley's "dirty play" compared to Haynesworth's "stomp" on Andre Gurode), and it just makes sense here. While Fairley may be targeted as a "one-year wonder," Bowers has also been characterized as the same. In the end, Bowers' injury concerns might outweigh Fairley's "dirty player" downside, which is why I have chosen Fairley.

PS: My signature may be a little outdated since I haven't posted here in a few years. Surprise me, past self.

[LiL CsG]

The DL in this draft are very talented, but even though Fairley is the safer pick I have a feeling they will gamble on the athletic/aggressive DE. Bowers will go here. Plus there are good chances that they can get a very good DT in the second round.

[Sean McG]

I've been wondering this for basically the entire draft process, can someone please tell me what is wrong with having Tony Brown and Jason Jones as your starting DT's? Neither of them are freak athletes that are going to put up double digit sacks from the inside, but they're both solid, consistent, all-around guys that are more than adequate starters. If all else fails with those two, Sen'Derrick Marks was a second round pick in 2009. Brown signed a three year deal last year and Jones would only be an RFA after next season, so it's not like they're going anywhere. I'm baffled as to why everyone has hopped on this bandwagon that DT is such a huge need for the Titans "Because they haven't had an interior presence since Albert Haynesworth". Another thing that people like to bring up with the Titans QB situation is that they're "Not going to take a headcase". So why does this magically change for the DT position? I realize you can pretty much be brain dead and play DT, but Fairley has some serious character flaws. There's a reason he went form the consensus number one pick to falling to the eighth pick AFTER the season was over.

Defensive end is a much, much bigger need for them when Jason Babin eventually cashes in on his Pro Bowl season. What made that season even more remarkable was the complete abyss that Tennessee put across from him following Derrick Morgan's injury (Sorry Dave Ball fans). Morgan, who I assume is the starter next year, is going to face the same problem unless they address this. So, I vote for them to take Robert Quinn and slide Morgan over to LE. One of the most valuable attributes about Morgan's game was his ability to play on either side, and that would pay off in this situation. Had it not been for the suspension, Robert Quinn would probably have been the first player taken in this draft and there's no reason to believe he all of a sudden forgot how to play football with a one year hiatus. Guys get injured, miss a season and come back all the time. I guess you can call me a hypocrite because missing a year for cheating on school stuff brings up some red flags, but I'd rather have a guy who did that then Fairley who seems to have no respect for other players with the way he plays. Personally, I'll take a starting RDE and having all four spots covered rather than a starting DT with a gaping hole at one of the defensive end spots.

As for Quinn > Bowers.. Not a big fan of the knee injury and simply personal preference.

[Centurion]

I think the Lions will move to this spot for the Prince, but that's not an option, so I picked Jones because he shouldn't still be available.