Alabama's Courtney Upshaw slipped through round one on Thursday undrafted.
The Tennessee Titans chose to ignore the defensive side of the ball in round one by adding wide receiver Kendall Wright, University of Baylor. The Titans do need to turn their attention to defense in the later rounds, however.
With the departure of Cortland Finnegan, Vanderbilt star Casey Hayward could help fill a need in the secondary, and should be available in the second or third round.
It also looks as though the Titans want to upgrade at the linebacker position. With Will Witherspoon in the last year of his deal, the Titans could look no further than Alabama’s versatile LB/DE Courtney Upshaw. If Tennessee is really serious about showing teams different looks outside of the 4-3 base, adding Upshaw could do wonders. The Titans could add an extra rusher in either Upshaw or Akeem Ayers, and drop the other into coverage with Colin McCarthy.
However, it seems unlikely that Upshaw will be available when the Titans select at 52. When asked if his team would move up in tomorrow's round GM Ruston Webster replied, “There is a chance that we could move up.”
Webster added that the Titans like what could be available in the middle rounds of the draft and that moving into the top 10 of the second round would likely cost them a fourth-round choice.
Other options may include adding a defensive end, offensive lineman, or safety. What is your opinion? Who should the Titans target in rounds 2-3?
- Dan Ariks
- a contributor to TitanInsider.com - TitanInsider