The Tennessee Titans are the subject of a plethora of pre-2015 NFL Draft trade rumors at the moment, thanks to their position at No. 2-overall and the expectation that a large handful of teams will look to trade up and into their spot in order to select one of the top two quarterbacks slated to be available later this month.
What seemingly hasn't gotten much consideration for the Titans is what they'll do should they trade back into the latter portion of the first and/or with their early second-round, second-day pick.
From the latest report, it sounds as though the Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt and GM Ruston Webster may be targeting a wide receiver within the first two rounds of the 2015 NFL Draft.
"Even though the Titans have some talented young receivers in Kendall Wright and Justin Hunter, they have been spending a lot of time with the top receiving prospects in the 2015 NFL Draft. Alabama's Amari Cooper, Central Florida's Breshad Perriman, West Virginia's Kevin White and Louisville's DeVante Parker have all had or are taking pre-draft visits to Tennessee. According to sources, Arizona State's Jaelen Strong can be added to the list, as he will take a pre-draft visit to the Titans," reports Charlie Campbell of Walter Football.
With Nate Washington off to the Houston Texans during the NFL's free agency period, the Titans could be in the market for another receiver to add to their stable of weapons, whether they be catching passes for Zach Mettenberger, Philip Rivers, Marcus Mariota or some other as-of-yet unnamed option.
"If the Titans draft Strong to join Wright and Hunter, that could give them a dangerous trio with mismatch size and speed. If the Titans trade down, Strong could be in play for Tennessee, but the more likely scenario is that Strong will be in consideration for Tennessee with the 33rd-overall pick to lead off the second round of the draft," writes Campbell.
Strong, 6-foot-2, 217-pounds, finished the 2014 season for Arizona State with 1,165 yards and 10 touchdowns on 82 receptions. He's big and physical and will win contested balls.
While he doesn't seem to play fast, he posted a surprising 4.44 40-yard dash.
"He's not going to run fast, but it won't matter because any team who drafts him is going to have a plan for him. When he has a quarterback who can throw him open, his speed won't matter much. I love him," an NFC West scout told NFL.com.
Strong isn't a player that will wow you with any individual aspect of his game, but his overall package of skills is strong and with some improved route-running he can become a workman-like, work-the-chains receiver for whoever drafts him.
