Call it a hunch or call it a gamble, but the Titans spent the 144th pick on Matt Gulbin, a name most had 39 spots down the list.
They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. That is a cornerback worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher. The Myles Garrett deal gives the class an established piece to lean on.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.22
· Pick 22
· Arvell Reese
· LB
· rank 7
In the 22nd pick they get the heartbeat of the defense, and a steal at that. A clean fit for the roster.
R2.23
· Pick 55
· Gennings Dunker
· OT
· rank 49
Nothing to complain about; Gennings Dunker went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R3.2
· Pick 66
· Mike Washington Jr.
· RB
· rank 75
Mike Washington Jr. at slot 66 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R3.6
· Pick 70
· Keith Abney II
· CB
· rank 43
Keith Abney II at the 70th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
R3.22
· Pick 86
· Ted Hurst
· WR
· rank 89
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Ted Hurst. It fills a real need, too.
R4.1
· Pick 101
· Logan Jones
· C
· rank 91
Logan Jones slipping to pick No. 101 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R4.3
· Pick 103
· Keylan Rutledge
· OG
· rank 114
They paid a round early for Keylan Rutledge in pick 103, more than the board wanted. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R5.2
· Pick 142
· Louis Moore
· S
· rank 166
They reached a country mile for Louis Moore at No. 142, and the board is aghast. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
R5.4
· Pick 144
· Matt Gulbin
· C
· rank 183
This one needs a full-page explanation: Matt Gulbin in the 144th pick, miles early. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R6.3
· Pick 184
· Kaleb Elarms-Orr
· LB
· rank 178
A reasonable price with a little left over, Kaleb Elarms-Orr in slot 184. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R6.13
· Pick 194
· Josh Cameron
· WR
· rank 187
Josh Cameron at the Round 6 slot is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A need, and now a little less of one.
R7.9
· Pick 225
· TJ Hall
· CB
· rank 222
TJ Hall in pick No. 225 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.