The Tennessee Titans have been needing to add weapons around Marcus Mariota for a couple of years now. The Titans decided to select A.J. Brown with their second-round pick in this year's draft.
Everyone knows about Brown's teammate at Ole Miss in D.K. Metcalf but Brown outperformed his running mate while in college. All in all, Brown is way more well-rounded as a wideout compared to Metcalf.
Time will tell who will have the better career but Brown figures to immediately step into a starting role in Tennessee. The only other wide receivers who should be in front of Brown on the depth chart is Corey Davis and Adam Humphries.
The Titans lost their offensive coordinator from 2018 in Matt LaFleur to the Green Bay Packers. LaFleur helped turn the Titans offense into a run-heavy offense due to the injuries at quarterback.
The Titans will likely remain a run-oriented team moving forward with Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis. Although, guys like Brown, Davis, and Humphries can make the offense dangerous if Mariota can improve his play this year (and stay healthy).
The Ole Miss wideout will want to show why he was one of the first receivers taken in the draft.
Here are three bold predictions for A.J. Brown in his rookie season in 2019.
3. 55+ Catches
Again, there aren't going to plenty of opportunities for wide receivers to make plays for the Titans but Brown figures to see a large share of the targets.
Tennessee has transformed themselves into a bruising, running team centered around Henry.
Their offense ranked 29th in passing offense but seventh in rushing offense in 2018. Although, their aerial attack should improve with the addition of Brown to the offense.
At Ole Miss, Brown caught 160 passes over his last two seasons in college. He likely won't get 75-80 receptions but 55 could happen even though the Titans offense likes to keep it on the ground.
The route running ability and solid hands should allow Brown to eclipse 55 receptions in 2019—whether it's Mariota or Ryan Tannehill under center.
2. 6+ Touchdowns
The Titans offense doesn't tend to throw the ball 35-40 times like a lot of the offenses in the NFL do. As a result, the scoring opportunities for wide receivers have become scarce in the past couple of seasons.
For instance, last season, Corey Davis led the team with just four receiving touchdowns. All of the quarterbacks on the Titans combined to throw just 16 touchdowns in 2018.
In addition, the Titans haven't had someone score six or more receiving touchdowns since 2016 when both Delanie Walker and Rishard Matthews did it.
That number should absolutely go up regardless of who is under center. The addition of Brown to someone like Davis and Humphries can provide a much-needed spark in the passing department.
Someone like Humphries will likely be the guy who garners the most receptions but Brown can showcase his talents by scoring. Brown managed to score 17 touchdowns in his last two seasons at Ole Miss.
The Titans rookie wide receiver could find himself in the end zone six times or more if he's given the opportunity.
Brown might just wind up leading the team in receiving touchdowns in 2019.
1. 900+ Receiving Yards
The boldest of the bold predictions are obviously saved for last. With a suddenly crowded wide receiver group, yards are going to be hard to come by for everybody.
The Titans are going to have to find ways to get the ball in all three of their receivers' hands this season. That will be a daunting task, considering the fact their offense isn't built to air the ball around.
In college, Brown led Ole Miss in receiving yards in his last two years attending. He was able to combine for 2,572 yards over those two seasons alongside talent like Metcalf.
So Brown knows how hard it will be to receive a ton of targets, although he was the main guy in college. This is due to him having a very polished skill set compared to his teammate in Metcalf.
Now, he comes in as a rookie, fighting for targets against guys who have been in the league for a few years.
Brown will make the most of his targets to become the first 900-yard receiver for the Titans since 2016.
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