The Titans have given up on Dorial Green-Beckham. They almost certainly will release Justin Hunter before opening day. And Kendall Wright comes off a poor year and is sidelined with a hamstring injury. Three wide receivers selected with top-40 picks, and the Titans haven’t gotten enough out of any of them.
It continues a length history of futility at the position. In the last 20 years, this franchise has selected 16 wide receivers in the first four rounds of drafts. They truly hit on only one of those picks (Derrick Mason, who goes down as one of the best fourth-round picks of the 1997 draft).
Other than that, it’s been misses. They’re taken three in the first round, Kevin Dyson, Kenny Britt and Wright. All at least had some flashes, but in hindsight (if given a do-over) the team wouldn’t have gone near any of those guys. They famously selected Dyson before Randy Moss. Britt was plagued by injuries and off-field issues.
They’ve been even worse in the second round. Joey Kent, Tyrone Calico, Hunter and Green-Beckham. All go down as big misses.
| TITANS WIDE RECEIVERS (LAST 20 YEARS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Rd-Pk | Player | School |
| 1997 | 2-46 | Joey Kent | Tennessee |
| 1997 | 4-98 | Derrick Mason | Michigan State |
| 1998 | 1-16 | Kevin Dyson | Utah |
| 2001 | 4-124 | Justin McCareins | Northern Illinois |
| 2003 | 2-60 | Tyrone Calico | Middle Tennessee St. |
| 2005 | 3-68 | Courtney Roby | Indiana |
| 2005 | 3-96 | Brandon Jones | Oklahoma |
| 2005 | 4-136 | Roydell Williams | Tulane |
| 2007 | 3-80 | Paul Williams | Fresno State |
| 2007 | 4-128 | Chris Davis | Florida State |
| 2008 | 4-126 | Lavelle Hawkins | California |
| 2009 | 1-30 | Kenny Britt | Rutgers |
| 2010 | 3-77 | Damian Williams | Southern California |
| 2012 | 1-20 | Kendall Wright | Baylor |
| 2013 | 2-34 | Justin Hunter | Tennessee |
| 2015 | 2-40 | Dorial Green-Beckham | Missouri |
—Ian Allan