Titans Picks...#3, #45,#102, #116,#137,#169,#172,#215,#245,#246

[Hostile]

Selections

#3
Vince Young QB UT



Position: QB
Class: Jr
School: Texas
Conference: Big Twelve
Ht., Wt.: 6-4.5, 229
40 Time: 4.45

Grading System

BIO: Three-year starter named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year last season. Also honored as the nation's top player with the Maxwell Award. Passing numbers included 65.2%/3,036/26/10 with a team-leading 155/1,050/10 on the ground. Combined for 467 total yards during the Longhorns. National Championship victory over USC. Led Texas to victory on eight different occasions when the team was trailing or tied at halftime, including five fourth-quarter drives.

POSITIVES: Sensational athlete with a high upside. Possesses a quick release and can throw all the passes. Sells the ball fakes, withstands the rush and leads receivers between the hashes. Nicely times the outs, loses nothing throwing on the move and improvises when plays break down. Gets the ball downfield with a flick of his wrist. Accomplished carrying the ball, displaying vision, power and speed.

NEGATIVES: Sloppy throwing motion and releases the ball below helmet level at times. Must improve his touch and downfield accuracy. Does not always find the safety and puts the ball up for grabs. Wilts under the rush, making poor choices and leaves the pocket early.

ANALYSIS: A pressure player who performs brilliantly when the game.s on the line, Young has the underlying skills to be a franchise quarterback at the next level. Needs a tremendous amount of work from the ground up, yet a perfect choice for a franchise building for the future rather than a team expecting immediate results.

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Titans trade pick #39 to Eagles for Picks #45 and #116

#45

Lendale White RB USC



Position: RB
Class: Jr
School: USC
Conference: Pacific-10
Ht., Wt.: 6-0.5, 238
40 Time: 4.65
Selected by: Tennessee Titans
Round 2, pick 13 (45 overall)
Grading System

BIO: All-Conference and All-America selection last season when he shared starting duties. posting 177/1,178/21 on the ground. Started all but two games the prior year totaling 203/1,103/15.

POSITIVES: Strong, bruising ball carrier with excellent instincts. Patient, waits for blocks to develop and possesses terrific vision. Immediately finds the running lanes and follows blocks, running with balance and body control. Makes quick cutbacks in a small area or wiggles his way through the traffic. Powerful, easily breaks tackles and picks up a lot of yardage off initial contact. Flashes a burst and works runs hard.

NEGATIVES: Not a sudden runner and lacks the pure foot-speed to outrun opponents. Cannot create if things break down.

ANALYSIS: A perfect complement to Reggie Bush, USC's other ball carrier is an outstanding prospect in his own right. Possessing the size, strength and running back skills to be a feature ball-handler at the next level, White projects as a first-round pick and could quickly break into a starting lineup.

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#102

S Calvin Lowry Penn State

Position: S
Class: Sr
School: Penn State
Conference: Big Ten
Ht., Wt.: 5-11, 200
40 Time: 4.54

Grading System

BIO: Two-year starter and All-Conference selection as a senior after posting 79/4/2. Junior numbers included 50/4/1.

POSITIVES: Hard-working, coachable player with a good feel for the game. Diagnoses the action and displays outstanding timing. Flashes on the scene, has a burst of speed and plays with a good degree of suddenness. Solid ball skills and good hands for the pick.

NEGATIVES: Slow getting off blocks and has tackles broken. Minimally effective as a return specialist.

ANALYSIS: A solid defensive back, Lowry has been consistent the past two seasons while also elevating his game. Solid late-round pick who could develop into a starter in the right system.

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#116

LB NC State Stephen Tulloch

Position: OLB
Class: Jr
School: NC State
Conference: Atlantic Coast
Ht., Wt.: 5-10.5, 241
40 Time: 4.92

Grading System

BIO: Moved into the starting lineup midway through his sophomore campaign, totaling 75/14/1. All-Conference selection last season, leading the team in tackles, posting 119/16/3.

POSITIVES: Athletic linebacker who likes to mix it up. Displays good range, fast in any direction and forces the action. Effective on the blitz, collapses outside defending the run and rarely off his feet. Hard hitter who wraps up tackling.

NEGATIVES: Hesitant reacting and does not display top instincts. Inefficient and takes poor angles to the action.

ANALYSIS: Undersized but explosive, Tulloch has potential on the weak side and can be used in a variety of systems. Must polish his game and become more effective making plays in coverage to have any chance at the next level.

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#137

OLB Miami (Ohio) Terna Nande

Position: OLB
Class: Sr
School:
Conference: Mid-American
Ht., Wt.: 6-0, 232
40 Time: 4.55
Selected by: Tennessee Titans
Round 5, pick 4 (137 overall)
Grading System

BIO: Four-year starter and twice an All-Conference selection. Posted 44 tackles as a senior, missing five games with a lacerated liver. Posted career-high numbers of 109/20/5.5 as a sophomore.

POSITIVES: Explosive defender best as a one-gap linebacker. Fast laterally, collapses from the outside defending the run and stays with assignments. Flashes abilities in space, easily alters his angle of attack and stands out in pursuit. Turned in a terrific combine.

NEGATIVES: Not efficient, over-pursues the action and takes incorrect angles to the play. Late reacting in coverage and has marginal ball skills.

ANALYSIS: A hard-working defender, Nande is a solid run-defending linebacker best in the box. Must complete his game, but at the very least a developmental prospect who should stand out on special teams.

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#169 (Compensatory pick)

Jesse Mahelona DT Tennesee

Position: DT
Class: Sr
School: Tennessee
Conference: Southeastern
Ht., Wt.: 6-0.5, 311
40 Time: 5.08
Selected by: Tennessee Titans
Round 5, pick 36 (169 overall)
Grading System

BIO: Junior College transfer who made an immediate impact upon arriving at Tennessee. Senior totals were 35/8/2 after 42/18.5/5 the prior year.

POSITIVES: Hard-working one-gap tackle who plays with a nasty attitude. Explodes off the snap, plays with good pad level and displays solid hand technique protecting himself. Fires up the field between gaps, flashes on the scene and has a burst of closing speed. Stays with the action and plays injured.

NEGATIVES: Plays on a straight line, loses balance when he changes direction and is a marginal pass rusher. First-move lineman who cannot shed blocks once engaged at the point.

ANALYSIS: Built low to the ground, Mahelona.s combination of explosion and leverage gives him an advantage at the next level. Best suited to a system where he is able to slant or shoot through the holes.

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#172

Jonathan Orr WR Wisconsin

Position: WR
Class: Sr
School: Wisconsin
Conference: Big Ten
Ht., Wt.: 6-2, 198
40 Time: 4.45

Grading System

BIO: Four-year starter who totaled 40/688/8 as a senior. Impacted the program as a freshman, when he started 13 games and produced career-best numbers of 47/842/8.

POSITIVES: Outstanding athlete with great upside for the next level. Quick to top speed and runs away from opponents in the open field. Strong, makes the tough catch in a crowd or out-muscles defenders for the reception. Consistently comes back to the quarterback, working to make himself an available target. Effective blocking downfield for ball carriers.

NEGATIVES: Must improve his route-running. Double-catches a lot of passes and lacks overall consistency.

ANALYSIS: After a sensational freshman season, Orr watched his play level off. Showed signs of life last season and has tremendous size/speed numbers. Could reward a franchise that is patient.

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#215

CB Cortland Finnegan Samford

Position: CB
Class: Sr
School: Samford
Conference: Ohio Valley
Ht., Wt.: 5-9.5, 177
40 Time: 4.46
Selected by: Tennessee Titans
Round 7, pick 7 (215 overall)
Grading System

BIO: Four-year starter awarded multiple All-Conference and All-America honors since his sophomore campaign. Led the team in tackles for the third straight season as a senior posting 98/1/7. Also averaged 15.1 yards on 14 punt returns and 25.1 yards on 15 kick returns.

POSITIVES: Athletic prospect with marginal size. Instinctive and quickly locates the ball. Explodes up the field in run defense, works hard in coverage and has a quick break to the play. Tenacious punt returner who follows blocks throughout the play.

NEGATIVES: Undersized, not strong at the point and has tackles broken. Struggles in man coverage when his back is to the ball.

ANALYSIS: A high-revving defender, Finnegan would be an asset on special teams in the NFL.

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#245 (Compensatory pick)

Spencer Toone OLB Utah

Position: OLB
Class: Sr
School: Utah
Conference: Mountain West
Ht., Wt.: 6-1.5, 238
40 Time: 4.68

Grading System

BIO: Three-year starter awarded All-Conference honors the past two seasons. Led the team in tackles as a senior posting 113/5/2.5 after a junior campaign of 115/4/1.

POSITIVES: Run-and-chase linebacker best playing downhill. Displays solid sideline-to-sideline range, works through the traffic and makes plays in all directions of the field. Effective in pursuit, fast to the flanks and gets depth on drops.

NEGATIVES: Not efficient, takes a lot of missteps and constantly over-pursues the action. Bites on ball fakes and displays marginal skill in pass coverage. Easily smothered at the point by blocks.

ANALYSIS: Possessing solid size/speed numbers for weak side linebacker, Toone must significantly improve his skill in pass defense to have any shot of making a roster at the next level.

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#246 (Compensatory pick)

RB Quinton Ganther Utah

Position: RB
Class: Sr
School: Utah
Conference: Mountain West
Ht., Wt.: 5-9.5, 218
40 Time: 4.56

Grading System

BIO: All-Conference selection as a senior after totaling 205/1,120/7 on the ground and adding 25/314/1 as a pass catcher. Posted 654 yards rushing in two starts as a junior.

POSITIVES: Strong, multi-purpose back who overcame a difficult childhood to get where he is today. Aggressive and gives effort in every facet of the game. Follows blocks, has a burst through the hole and doles out punishment to opponents. Breaks several tackles during a single run and stuns defenders with a forearm shiver. Solid receiver with consistent hands. Chips defenders blocking, removing them from the action.

NEGATIVES: More of a straight-line back who has difficulty around the corners. Safety valve as a receiver rather than a true downfield threat.

ANALYSIS: One of the more underrated ball-handlers in the draft, Ganther is a competitive ballplayer with multi-dimensional skills. Solid prospect who could develop into a No. 2 back.

[StevenOtero]

Just on NFL Network.

[StevenOtero]

buuuuuuummmmmp!

[Kangaroo]

Good now they will suck for years

[Cajuncowboy]

I've been telling everyone that for weeks.

[gbrittain]

I called that a long time ago. Not tuting my own horn, but it was a no brainer Young was going to the Titans. Helps when you know people within the organization as well.

[Da Hammer]

The Titans made the right choice and I guarantee that they win a couple of SB's before he retires. They just got a new fan, after the Cowboys of course

[Shotgun Dave]

How is this possible when the Saints haven't made THEIR pick official?

[ComicBookGuy]

Originally Posted by Da Hammer

The Titans made the right choice and I guarantee that they win a couple of SB's before he retires. They just got a new fan, after the Cowboys of course

Riiiight. Their defense still sucks.

I don't like this pick. 1st round picks should make impacts now. Projects don't usually make good 1st round picks.

[txlonghorn14]

i love it. i'm actually pumped to see vince in titans blue. TN just got a new fan, (of course after dallas) HOOK 'EM HORNS!!!!!!!

[Bobo]

Originally Posted by ComicBookGuy

Riiiight. Their defense still sucks.

I don't like this pick. 1st round picks should make impacts now. Projects don't usually make good 1st round picks.

They've made some FA moves for the D, and it's very young. Could come around.

How many QB's make an impact right away? The vast majority don't. McNair was a 2 year sit and learn project.

[austintodallas]

Congratulations Vince!

[ComicBookGuy]

Originally Posted by Bobo

They've made some FA moves for the D, and it's very young. Could come around.

How many QB's make an impact right away? The vast majority don't. McNair was a 2 year sit and learn project.

I think it's going to take more than 2 years for him to project as a successful starter though. It wouldn't suprise me if he didn't see much time at QB until his 4th year. He's got an incredibly high ceiling, but he is just about as unpolished a high 1st round pick QB as there has been.

McNair was also a better passer in college than Young has been. Personally, I just wouldn't take a QB that unpolished in the top 10.

[dcboy]

My new second favorite team. Glad he didn't go to someone that I already hate.

[Sasquatch]

All the crap he took after the combine. Sweet vindication!

Hook em, Vince!