NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Titans are scheduled to make their highest draft pick since the team moved to Tennessee when the 80th Annual National Football League Player Selection Meeting commences on Thursday, April 30 in Chicago, Ill.
The NFL will conduct the seven-round draft from Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago, while Titans personnel will be headquartered at Saint Thomas Sports Park in Nashville.
Barring a trade, the Titans will select second overall. The last time the franchise drafted that high was 1984, when the Oilers took tackle Dean Steinkuhler with the second pick.
The opening night of the draft (7 p.m. CT) will consist entirely of the 32 picks in the first round. The second and third rounds are set for Friday, May 1, beginning at 6 p.m. CT, and the draft concludes with Rounds 4-7 on Saturday, May 2, at 11 a.m. CT. The current three-day format was unveiled for the first time in 2010.
The Titans enter the draft with seven total selections. They are scheduled to pick first on Day 2—the 33rd overall choice—and continue with one pick in Round 3 (overall slot 66), Round 4 (100) and Round 5 (138). In Round 6, they own their original pick (177) and a pick from the New England Patriots (208) as a result of trading linebacker Akeem Ayers in 2014. The Patriots also acquired the Titans' seventh-rounder (219) in the deal.
ON THE AIR AND THE WEB
Fans can watch the draft in its entirety on NFL Network and ESPN/ESPN 2. Radio listeners can tune to the Titans Radio Network, including Nashville flagship 104.5 The Zone. Titans Radio will feature special draft programming throughout the weekend, including gavel-to-gavel coverage of the first round.
**[
TitansOnline.com](https://email.nfl.net/owa/redir.aspx?C=9be1e1cf3ae9406a989dbb40d63b4278&URL=http://www.titansonline.com/)**, the official website of the Tennessee Titans, will provide up-to-the-minute information on the team's selections and live coverage, including press conferences with Webster, Whisenhunt and other members of the organization.
Additionally, fans can follow the team through its social media platforms, including Facebook (facebook.com/Titans), Google (plus.google.com/ Titans), Twitter
(@tennesseetitans) and **Instagram** (@tennesseetitans). Social media users also are encouraged to follow and use the hashtag #TitansDraft.
WEBSTER ENTERS FOURTH DRAFT
The selection process will be the fourth for the Titans overseen by Ruston Webster, who was named general manager on Jan. 18, 2012. His first three drafts yielded 21 total players, and 18 of those finished the 2014 season on the 53-man roster or injured reserve.
Webster spearheaded the selection of six players in the 2014 NFL Draft: Michigan tackle Taylor Lewan(first round), Washington running back Bishop Sankey (second round), Penn State defensive lineman DaQuan Jones (fourth round), Wyoming defensive back Marqueston Huff (fourth round), Kentucky linebacker Avery Williamson (fifth round) and Louisiana State quarterback Zach Mettenberger (sixth round). All six players stayed on the 53-man roster for the duration of the season.
Lewan, the 11th overall pick in the first round, played in 11 games with six starts as a rookie and was named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie team. Sankey led the team in rushing as a rookie (569 yards), while Williamson recorded 107 tackles, the most of any Titans rookie since 1999. Mettenberger became the third quarterback in franchise history to start six or more games as a rookie, recording a team-high 1,412 passing yards.
In 2013, Webster chose Alabama guard Chance Warmack with the 10th overall pick and the first of eight total draft selections. In the second round, the Titans took Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Justin Hunter. Warmack became the team's fourth rookie since 1999 to start all 32 games in his first two NFL seasons, and Hunter's 18.5-yard receiving average during that timespan led the NFL (minimum 40 receptions). Another 2013 draft pick, fourth-round center Brian Schwenke, started 20 total games in his first two campaigns.
The 2012 selection process, which was Webster's first as general manager, yielded seven new Titans, including Baylor wide receiver Kendall Wright with the 20th overall pick. Wright totaled 215 receptions from 2012 through 2014, the most in franchise history in a player's first three seasons. In 2013, he ranked seventh in the NFL with 94 receptions while notching his first 1,000-yard season (1,079). The Titans' second-round pick, North Carolina linebacker Zach Brown, was the only player that season to finish among the top five rookies in both interceptions (three) and sacks (5.5). Fourth-round cornerback Coty Sensabaugh (43 games, 12 starts) played extensively in the nickel and base defensive packages in his first three seasons.
THE SECOND PICK
In determining draft order, non-playoff clubs select first through 20th, according to the reverse order of their standing (i.e., the team with the lowest winning percentage receives the first pick, the team with the second-lowest winning percentage receives the second pick, etc.). Playoff teams select 21st through 32nd based on their level of advancement in the postseason.
The Titans were one of two teams in 2014 to win two games, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Titans and Buccaneers will rotate the first and second picks in each round, meaning the Titans were assigned the first spot in the second round, the second pick in the third round, the first pick in the fourth round, etc.
In NFL history, eight Pro Football Hall of Fame members have been chosen with the second pick in the NFL Draft: linebacker Les Richter (1952, Dallas Texans), offensive tackle Bob Brown (1964, Philadelphia Eagles), guard Tom Mack (1966, Los Angeles Rams), defensive tackle Randy White (1975, Dallas Cowboys), running back Tony Dorsett (1977, Dallas Cowboys), linebacker Lawrence Taylor (1981, New York Giants), running back Eric Dickerson (1983, Los Angeles Rams) and running back Marshall Faulk (1994, Indianapolis Colts).
Other second overall picks from the last 20 drafts include the following: tackle Tony Boselli (1995, Jacksonville Jaguars), quarterback Donovan McNabb (1999, Philadelphia Eagles), offensive lineman Leonard Davis (2001, Arizona Cardinals), defensive end Julius Peppers (2002, Carolina Panthers), running back Reggie Bush (2006, New Orleans Saints), wide receiver Calvin Johnson (2007, Detroit Lions), defensive end Chris Long (2008, St. Louis Rams), defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (2010, Detroit Lions), linebacker Von Miller(2011, Denver Broncos) and quarterback Robert Griffin III. Last year, the St. Louis Rams chose tackle Greg Robinson with the second selection.
The Titans/Oilers franchise has owned the second overall pick three times previously in the "common draft era" (1967–present). It was in three consecutive seasons—1983, 1984 and 1985—that the Oilers were scheduled to pick second, but they traded the pick in 1983 and 1985. In 1984, the team chose Steinkuhler, who went on to play 100 games in seven seasons for the club
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FREE DRAFT PARTY APRIL 30
On Thursday evening, April 30, the Titans are opening the East Club at LP Field to fans for a free draft party. Beginning at 6 p.m. CT, fans can watch draft coverage on the stadium video boards; meet players, cheerleaders and T-Rac; and take part in a variety of other activities, including the following:
• Player autograph stations (current and former)
• Live Draft coverage with 104.5 The Zone and Mike Keith
• Kids Zone
• Face painting
• Balloon artists
• Inflatables and games
• Self-guided locker room tours
• NFL equipment display
• On-field activities
• Titans trivia and prizes
There will be additional exclusive access for Titans season ticket members. More information is available at TitansOnline.com.
DAY 3 ANNOUNCEMENTS
All of the Titans Day 3 draft selections will be made at the Tennessee Army and Air National Guard headquarters on May 2. The Titans are throwing private draft party for the military personnel at the base, and select soldiers who are Titans season ticket members will announce the team's picks which will be streamed live on TitansOnline.com. Titans players and cheerleaders will be on hand to sign autographs and pose for pictures at the event.
