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NASHVILLE, Tenn. –** Decked out in a tuxedo at this week's "Tailgate & Tuxedos" event for season-ticket members, Titans general manager Jon Robinson freely admitted he looked like a blackjack dealer at a casino.
Looks can be deceiving. Robinson's not about to show his cards leading up to free agency, and the draft.
When asked what position needs the most attention in the 2017 draft, Robinson cracked a smile as he answered the question from a fan.
"Good football players,'' said Robinson, being intentionally vague. "We are looking for good football players at every position. You can never have enough of those."
The NFL Combine begins next week in Indianapolis. It's an event that should provide more clues on prospects leading up to the draft in April.
Free agency begins on March 9, when NFL teams will have an opportunity to add veterans to the roster.
Robinson, in his second offseason with the team, said what happens in free agency should go a long way in determining what the team does in the draft. He was asked about weighing "best available player vs. position of need" in the draft.
"A lot of that plays off what we do in free agency, and that period starts here in a couple of weeks,'' Robinson said. "We've already evaluated those free agent prospects and once we get to the draft there's really three or four different things you can do. You can trade the pick, which we were able to do last year, you can address a need position.
"Hopefully the best player available and your need kind of meet -- that is the perfect storm, which is kind of what happened last year when we took Jack (Conklin) with the first pick. So you take every situation and look at it and make the best decision possible."
Robinson said the team's personnel department, including scouts, and members of the coaching staff have all done homework on potential free agents.
The team will be ready to act when the free agency period begins.
It's just a part of the process as the Titans try and improve from last year's 9-7 mark.
"You have a game plan, sometimes things change,'' Robinson said of free agency. "The financial component comes into team building. … We have a game plan together and we are looking forward to it in a couple of weeks when free agency hits and we try to continue to build the team."
The Titans celebrate 2016 season, look ahead to 2017 with season ticket members during Tailgate & Tuxedos event at Nashville's Music City Center. (photos: Donn Jones, Gary Glenn)
