In the Post’s seven-round Titans mock draft earlier this week, we chose Missouri defensive lineman Darius Robinson in the second round.
We’re hardly the first to see a match between Robinson and the Titans, who lost versatile and productive defensive lineman Denico Autry to the Houston Texans in free agency.
The 6-5, 285-pound Robinson spent the bulk of his first four seasons as an interior defensive lineman, before primarily playing on the edge last year. Robinson put up his best numbers at the new position in 2023, totaling nine sacks, 27 quarterback hurries, six quarterback hits and 14 tackles for loss.
The rugged, physical Robinson also totaled a career-best 43 tackles, an indication he wasn’t selling out to pile up quarterback pressure numbers. He excelled in all facets of the game, per Pro Football Focus, posting an overall grade of 83.1 — 81.4 against the run and 78.4 as a pass rusher. There’s upside with him, too, as Robinson is still a bit raw as a pass rusher.
Sound like a perfect fit for the Titans?
ESPN NFL analyst Field Yates thinks so, which is why in his latest mock draft, he sees the Titans moving up in the second round — from No. 38 to No. 33 — in order to pick Robinson. In that trade scenario, the Titans would surrender their fourth-round picks in 2024 and 2025 to the Carolina Panthers.
“I felt bad not having him in the first round to be honest,” Yates said during a conference call on Thursday. “This guy is versatile, he’s powerful, he’s got awesome football character, plays with an edge about him, and he’s a pass rusher. You can never have enough of those in the NFL.
“At Missouri, this was a defensive tackle for a good portion of his career, trimmed off a little bit of weight, moved to edge. And then this past season, [he had] his best season at Missouri, I would argue. He can still get the job done as an interior pass rusher. He can get the job done as an edge rusher. Down at the Senior Bowl, one-on-ones are often made for defensive linemen to really show off, but he kicked down as far inside as nose tackle and was doing some great things, giving centers all kinds of fits there. So the versatility was too good to ignore.”
Would the Titans, who don’t have an abundance of draft capital, really consider surrendering picks in order to move up a few spots for Robinson?
Yates thinks so, basing his decision on the aggressive approach taken this offseason by Titans general manager Ran Carthon, who has signed multiple free agents (including wide receiver Calvin Ridley) and also traded for cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.
“It feels like the Titans are probably still one pass-rusher short and I wanted to build upon the theme of aggression this offseason from this franchise, right?” Yates said. “Whether it’s the trade for L’Jarius Sneed, whether it’s paying top of the line money for Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard, Lloyd Cushenberry, it feels like this team is — not necessarily all in — but they’re unafraid to, if they find a target, pay whatever it takes to get to that target.
“So while obviously draft capital is already at a bit of a premium for them, with no third [round pick] from the Will Levis trade a year ago and then next year’s third being shipped away for L’Jarius Sneed, I felt like if there was a team that might say to itself, `Let’s take a swing,’ Tennessee could be it.”