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NASHVILLE, Tenn. –** Boston College linebacker Harold Landry III tried not to pay attention to all the buzz leading up to the NFL Draft.
All the while, the Titans were keeping a very close eye on Landry, considered one of the best pass rushers in this year's draft.
On Friday night, the Titans selected Landry in the second round, and they jumped way up in the order to get him. The team's aggressiveness excited Landry, who said he plans to reward the Titans for believing in him.
"It showed how much faith they have in me," Landry said. "It showed how much love they have for me. I am just going to show up, go to work, and return the favor. … I am not going to let them down. I am not going to let the fans down, let the organization down. I am going to show up and go to work and do what I have to do my rookie year to help get this team ... to the Super Bowl."
The Titans selected Landry at pick No. 41 in the second round. The team was initially scheduled to pick at No.57, but general manager Jon Robinson saw a chance to get a player the team coveted, and he went for it. Robinson traded away the team's third round pick (89) to make the move, but felt it was well worth it.
The Titans considered Landry a first round talent.
"Really excited to add Harold to the football team," Robinson said. "Really good football player, can play a lot of different positions for us. Fortunately he was there at the top of the second. He wouldn't have been there at 57, I don't think, and we found a willing trade partner in Oakland and moved up and took him. Can't be more excited about the two guys we've added over the last two days."
In the first two days of the draft, the Titans feel they've added two impact players.
In the first round on Thursday night, the Titans moved up to get Alabama linebacker Rashaan Evans.
So did the Titans get great value in the players?
Well, this nugget says so: NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock had Evans listed at No.13 on his Top 100 players list heading into the NFL Draft, and the Titans got him at pick No.22. Mayock had Landry rated No.18 on the same list, and the Titans got him at 41.
"I think they'll come in and determine their role," Titans coach Mike Vrabel said of Landry, and Evans. "But we'll develop them like we will all of our players. … The players will eventually determine their role and where they fit on the football team."
Like Evans, there's a lot to like in Landry.
Landry set the Boston College single-season record with 16.5 sacks in 2016, and he racked up 26 sacks in his career. Landry's 47.5 career tackles for a loss rank second in Boston College history while his 22.0 in 2016 were second all-time in a single season.
Robinson said he has no injury concerns regarding Landry, who produced five sacks in 2017 while playing in just eight games.
Landry said he wants to be a factor for the Titans from the jump. Getting off the line of scrimmage quickly is what Landry is known for as a player.
"I think I can make an immediate impact," Landry said. "I know when I was meeting with the defensive coaches there, we were going through their scheme, and I think it's a perfect fit for me. I wish I could get the playbook now and start learning. I wish I could go there right now and start to get to work. I think I have a chance to help this team out as much as possible my rookie year. I am definitely coming into camp with a chip on my shoulder. I am just ready to get to work. … I think they are going to be able to use my skill set. I think it will be an awesome fit."
Landry said he was hoping the Titans would pick him. He's planning to take his game "to the next level."
"Tennessee on my visit, working out with coach Vrabel, meeting with him, he is definitely a coach I've always wanted to play for all along," he said. "Tennessee is definitely a place where I want to raise my family. I think it is a perfect fit, and I am just beyond excited to get down there and get to work. It is a dream come true, a chance to play in the NFL, and to be able to start my career off in such a great organization. I am beyond blessed."
As for the Titans, things seem to have worked out pretty well during the first two days of the draft.
Robinson, asked at the end of a Friday night press conference what he would've said if someone had told him he'd get Evans and Landry with the first two picks, smiled.
"I'll take it," Robinson said. "I'll take it."
