MOBILE, Ala. – The Titans have their quarterback.
This offseason, one of the team's missions is to surround Marcus Mariota with more playmakers, especially at the receiver position.
The process has started here at the Senior Bowl, where some top prospects are on display.
"In the end it is about getting the right type of guy,'' Titans general manager Jon Robinson said. "The quarterback-receiver relationship is a very important one and Marcus has to be able to trust those guys to be where they are supposed to be. Knowing Marcus and his personality and the types of guys he is going to get with, it is important to get those type of players for him."
Mississippi's Laquon Treadwell, considered the top receiver in the NFL Draft, isn't here this week. Neither is Baylor receiver Corey Coleman.
Plenty of dynamic playmakers are on display, however, from Oklahoma's Sterling Shepard to Ohio State's Braxton Miller to Leonte Carroo from Rutgers. Southeast Missouri State's Paul McRoberts and Michigan State's Aaron Burbridge are also here.
Following a draft when the Titans selected a big and physical receiver like Dorial Green-Beckham in the second round, what is the team looking for at the position?
"Probably the most important quality is dependability,'' Robinson said. "When he is supposed to run the route, and he is supposed to be 15 yards and coming back to 12, he's at 15 yards and he comes back to 12. The ability to get open, and the ability to catch a football. We are not going to throw the football to him if he can't catch it. (We want) dependability about where he is supposed to be route wise, and when he's open can he catch the ball."
While in New England, Robinson saw undersized receivers like Wes Welker, Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman excel. In Tampa, the Buccaneers rolled out some big receivers in Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson.
In other words, size doesn't necessarily matter to Robinson. In addition to Green-Beckham, the Titans also have a tall and lanky receiver in Justin Hunter, in addition to veterans Kendall Wright and Harry Douglas.
"(We just want) guys that can get open and catch the football,'' Robinson said. "Obviously the bigger guys, you have to cover those guys a little differently than the slot, quick guys. It is all a matchup game so we're going to get guys that give us the most competitive matchups."
