Tennessee Titans general manager Ruston Webster said ideally he would like to draft a player on Thursday at 20th overall at a "position of need" and since he's stated the team needs to improve its pass rush that's where many feel he will go.
Among the group of names that experts tend to think will be available at that spot are North Carolina defensive end Quentin Coples, Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus, Southern California's Nick Perry and Alabama's Courtney Upshaw, who is being projected as a defensive end after playing a combination of outside linebacker and end in coach Nick Saban's 3-4 scheme.
Webster, running his first draft with the organization after being promoted in January, said in a news conference earlier this week that the Titans will have six players on their board so that "there's no panic in the room" if some of them get taken by the time the Titans are ready to pick. With that in mind, South Carolina's Melvin Ingram could rank among Webster's six, as some are projecting Ingram could go anywhere between No. 7 and No. 16.
Taylor Jones, a FOXSports.com contributor who specializes in the NFL Draft, said he thinks regardless of which player the Titans take, they should not expect someone to come in and post 10 sacks as a rookie.
"I just don't see it," Jones said, "especially with the rest of the line not being able to take a bunch of pressure off of them. You see a guy like [the New York Giants'] Jason Pierre-Paul with sixteen and a half sacks last year, but that's also a lot of his teammates. Justin Tuck is taking pressure off inside, Osi [Umenyiora] taking pressure off outside. So it's having a balanced attack more than having a dominant edge rusher any more.
He projects the Titans, who ranked 31st in the NFL in sacks last season, will take Mercilus.
"Whitney Mercilus is more of that one-year wonder type," Jones said. "Some have him as an outside linebacker in the three-four. But either way he's more of a pass rusher than he is more than a traditional a defensive end who can stop the edge."
Mercilus (6-foot-4, 261 pounds) was an outside linebacker who posted 16.0 sacks during last season as a junior. He won the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's top defensive end. He had nine forced fumbles and 22.5 sacks for a loss. At the combine, he ran a 4.68 40 time and has been gaining momentum since he announced he was going pro.
Perry (6-3, 271) had 9.5 sacks for the Trojans last season and had a strong combine performance to improve his stock, as he ran a 4.64 40 time.
One enticing possibility is that the Titans could move up. In recent days, reports have surfaced that teams ranging from No. 3 overall all the way to No. 16 are interested in trading down. For the Titans to trade up to No. 7 – where some suspect Jacksonville could take Ingram – they would have to pay a heavy price.
However, if they only have to trade up to No. 16, the price to move up is not nearly as steep. Webster said he is not predisposed against trading up but he said to do so the team would have to give up picks and he would "rather not do that, but it depends on the player." He also said a team would have to call first to make their desire for the Titans' pick known.
Jones noted that if numerous teams are attempting to trade down then, "the price of poker is a little bit cheaper, too."
"Simple supply and demand will tell you [that] you don't have to give up as much to move up," he said.
Those who saw him play in the Southeastern Conference might already be familiar with the kind of player that Ingram is. He had 10 sacks and 15 tackles for loss last season and scored two touchdowns in a 45-42 win over a 10-win Georgia team. He is 6-1, 264 and ran a 4.79 40 and experts love his athleticism.
Staying in the SEC, Upshaw is 6-2, 272 with a 4.76 40 time. He led the Tide with 8.5 sacks and was second in the SEC with 17 tackles for loss. Coples is the biggest of the group at 6-6, 284. He ran a 4.78 40 time and had seven sacks and 15 tackles for loss.
The Titans' needs also concern the interior offensive line. However, by signing long-time Pro-Bowler Steve Hutchinson, they may have diminished that to the point where they do not have to take a guard or center with their first pick. Jones said that Wisconsin's Peter Konz could be a possible first-round pick for the Titans if they want a center, but Jones said he thinks that would be a reach.
Instead, the Titans could address that need in the second round with the 52nd overall pick. Philip Blake (6-3, 311) from Baylor is a possibility. Titans head coach Mike Munchak, himself a Hall of Fame offensive lineman and a long-time offensive line coach, said his preference for a guard or center would be to "look for a player who's going to make a difference."
