The Tennessee Titans approach the 2023 NFL Draft with plenty of roster holes to fill on both sides of the ball. Picking at No. 11, the team can look to replace A.J. Brown, who they traded last offseason, Taylor Lewan, who they released this offseason, or go defense and draft a playmaker up front. With that in mind, here are the three best Titans NFL draft targets: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Paris Johnson Jr., and Myles Murphy.
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
The Titans traded away superstar wide receiver A.J. Brown during the 2022 NFL Draft. The team did take the pick it got from the Philadelphia Eagles and select Arkansas WR Treylon Burks, but the team could use more help at wideout in his year’s Titans NFL draft.
Tennessee got some of the worst production from wide receivers of any team in the league last season. Robert Woods was the No. 1 WR with 52 catches and 527 yards, and Burks was No. 1 with 33 and 444. To make matters worse this offseason, Woods is now gone, signing a deal with the Houston Texans.
With the No. 11 pick this year, the Titans may have a shot at the best WR in the class, albeit a weak class, in 2023. That would be Ohio State Buckeyes pass-catcher Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Smith-Njigba missed the majority of the 2022 college football season with an injury but he put the doubts about his health to rest at the NFL combine. The 6-foot-1 wideout led all wide receivers in the 3-cone drill and the 20-yard shuttle, proving he is as sudden and explosive as he looks on tape when healthy.
Speaking about “when healthy,” the last time Smith-Njigba was at full strength, he led Ohio State in yards and receptions in 2021. That is an impressive feat in and of itself. However, it gets even more noteworthy when you consider he out-produced his teammates, New Orleans Saints rookie sensation Chris Olave, and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Garrett Wilson.
If Smith-Njigba is the WR he seemed to be when healthy in 2021, he could be a Pro Bowl pass-catcher at the next level and make an excellent 1-2 punch with Burks for whoever the quarterback of the Titans is next season and beyond.
OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
Speaking of Ohio State Buckeyes, another option for the first-round Titans NFL draft pick is OSU offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr.
Johnson Jr. is 6-foot-6, 313 pounds, and protected C.J. Stroud’s blindside last season for the Buckeyes. With his size and athleticism, he projects as a long-term starting LT in the NFL. However, he is a little raw but his versatility of playing either tackle or guard should make him a Week 1 starter somewhere on the Titans' offensive line.
The Titans cut longtime starting LT and one of the faces of the franchise, Taylor Lewan, this offseason after injuries haunted him the last several seasons. They need a replacement for him immediately as the Titans starting tackles are currently Andre Dillard, who started nine games the last three seasons for the Eagles, and Nicholas Petit-Frere.
Petit-Frere started all 16 games for the Titans last season at right tackle, and that is the position he is best suited for. He does come from Ohio State, too, though, so partnering him with Paris Johnson Jr. would create some immediate cohesion.
The Titans are in the middle of a soft rebuild ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, and as such, they should focus on building up the lines before finding their long-term signal-caller. Johnson Jr. would be a great start to that.
EDGE Myles Murphy, Clemson
The Titans NFL draft shouldn’t overlook the defense, either. The team was in the bottom third of the league last season with just 39 sacks, so they can use some pass-rush help as well this offseason. Clemson EDGE Myles Murphy would be a solid pickup at No. 11 to help in that aspect of the game.
Murphy is scheme versatile at 6-foot-5, 268 pounds, and ranks high in both athleticism and production in college with 18.5 sacks at Clemson. He is still a little raw and needs to develop some more pass-rush moves beyond his overpowering bull rush, but if he does, he can be a double-digit NFL sacker.
With his size and style of play, the Clemson rusher could remind some of a former New England Patriots outside linebacker who had a motor that didn’t quit, just like Myles Murphy. That player is none other than Mike Vrabel, who would become Murphy’s head coach if the Titans pick him in the 2023 NFL Draft.
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