NASHVILLE, Tenn. – NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock has done his homework on every draft-eligible player, and researched the needs of every team leading up to next week's NFL Draft.
With less than a week to go, he's ready to hear the names called as much as anyone.
The Titans are scheduled to make eight picks in this year's draft, including a pair of first-round picks – 5 and 18.
On a conference call Friday, Titans Online asked Mayock: What would an ideal first round look like for the Titans?
Here's what Mayock said:
"I think it's a defensive back at 5 – (Marshon) Lattimore or (Jamal) Adams. And I think it's a wide receiver at 18, and there are three of them, they are all different. I think any one of the three can fit what Tennessee does, whether it is speed, whether it is size. So I think it is Lattimore or Adams at 5, and one of the three top wide outs at 18."
Mayock has Ohio State's Lattimore listed as his top-rated cornerback, ahead of fellow Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley and Alabama's Marlon Humphrey.
Mayock has LSU's Adams listed as his top-rated safety, ahead of Ohio State's Malik Hooker and Michigan's Jabrill Peppers.
So which receiver does Mayock like best? In his positional rankings, he lists Clemson's Mike Williams ahead of Washington's John Ross and Western Michigan's Corey Davis.
"The receiver question is difficult this year because there is only one that is right now clean, and when I say clean I mean no injury concerns or character or anything and that is Mike Williams,'' Mayock said. "He is big-bodied, 6-3, 218 pounds, and he ran a 4.55 and that is plenty. I don't have any speed concerns about him and I think he is today's NFL's X receiver – you can throw (him) the back shoulder fade, red zone, etc, quick slants. And I love what he brings from a competitive standpoint to the game.
"John Ross, and I don't care if he ran a 4.22, a 4.32 or 4.42, he can fly. The concern there – and there are teams that have pushed him down their board or off their board – is because of injuries. He's had the surgery on his shoulder, he's had surgery on both knees and he has a small frame. So the durability is a big issue with him right now. But I love the fact that he can step in Day One and help you as a return guy and as receiver. He puts the ball in the end zone and a huge fan of John Ross.
"And then Corey Davis hasn't been able to work out because of his ankle. And there's some concerns because of the ankle, the fact that he comes from a mid-major conference – which doesn't bother me at all, I think you just watch the tape. I don't think that he is a 4.4 guy – I think he is 4.48, 4.50.
"But all three of those guys are going to go, I believe, somewhere between about 10 and 22 or 23."
