LAS VEGAS – Mark Dominik knows Titans GM Jon Robinson well.
Robinson joined the Buccaneers as director of player personnel after Dominik's long run with the team. From there, Dominick saw Robinson continue his upward trek after first entering the NFL with the Patriots, and in just a few more years, Robinson would become GM of the Titans.
Now, in his sixth draft with the Titans, Robinson once again has some tough decisions to make in this year's NFL Draft, which begins here on Thursday night. The Titans are scheduled to pick 26th overall in the first round, and Dominik pondered what might be going through Robinson's leading up to the draft.
"It is easy to take a wide receiver there (at 26) – and I don't want it to be tied to A.J. Brown," Dominik said. "I would have considered a wide receiver with or without this A.J. Brown (contract discussion). And if it is not (a receiver), to me, it is still trying to figure out this offensive line. I thought (as a unit) it could have played better than it did last year. I expected it to be more consistent, and to me it just wasn't. And, knowing this draft class and knowing the personality of (Mike) Vrabel and the personality of Jon, I could see them sit there and say: Let's go get an interior offensive lineman and kind of boost this thing up while hoping that Dillon (Radunz) continues to step up and play better at right tackle.
"I think interior offensive line fits the depth in the draft, right where they're picking, or wide receiver makes a lot of sense to me."
Guards Kenyon Green (Texas A&M) and Zion Johnson (Boston College) have been popular picks for the Titans in mock drafts.
Receivers Treylon Burks (Arkansas) and Jahan Dotson (Penn State) have also been tabbed to the Titans plenty at No.26 in mocks.
Dominik, who hosts "The SiriusXM Blitz" Friday afternoons on SiriusXM NFL Radio, is serving as a draft analyst on both the SiriusXM NFL Radio and ESPNU Radio channels this week in Las Vegas. Dominik worked in a NFL front office role for 20 seasons, 19 of them with the Buccaneers, first as a pro personnel assistant and scout, then as the team's Director of Scouting, and ultimately as the franchise's GM.
Dominik suspects Robinson is also pondering a few other things as the draft approaches, like potentially trading out of the first round to acquire more picks.
After pick No.26, the Titans aren't scheduled to pick again until pick No.90 in the third round.
"I think for Jon, I think he is hoping these quarterbacks don't go (early)," Dominik said. "I think Jon is probably focused on, 'I'm in a sweet spot for somebody to come back up and maybe get a quarterback at 26 from the top of the second. So, I would think they would make a lot of sense if they wanted to get back and pick up that lost 2nd or maybe a 3rd or 4th or whatever it might be.
"If they could pull an extra third and move back three or four spots, that would make a lot of sense to me. To me, that would be a good move. But Jon is pretty decisive – when he has his mind on something he is pretty much locked in, and he has kind of drafted that way."
