The Titans Top Three Picks from each round since the move to Tennessee. And all draft hit miss percentages.

[Lantern]

Tonight I went back through Tennessee drafts and tried to identify who the best three picks we have "hit on" in each round over the years.

 

I did this because I started following the team when they moved to Tennessee, before that I was a fan of another franchise. I do not know enough about Oilers history to weigh in. 

 

1. I listed the top three players IMO from every drafted round. 

2. I listed the hit/miss percentage of every draft since 97 based on whether the player drafted was a player who started/impacted actual games. 

 

Just looking over the list, I took every player we have drafted since 97 and gave them a hit or moss grade. A hit grade equates to an average starter. 

 

Every year I get excited about the draft and I have followed it every single year. 

 

This is a mindless exercise and just something I wanted to do. All my opinion of course. It's interesting to me how often we miss on third, fifth, and sixth round picks. 

 

Round 1: 

1. Javon Kearse 99

2. Chris Johnson 08

3. Keith Bulluck 00

(HM Lewan, Haynesworth)

 

Round 2

1. Derrick Henry 16

2. Michael Roos 05

3. Samari Rolle 98

 

Round 3 

1. Jurrell Casey 11

2. Kevin Byard 16

3. Denard Walker 97

 

Round 4 (Round 4 has been good to the Titans)

1. Derrick Mason 97

2. David Stewart 05

3, Alteraun Verner 10

(HM  Hooker, McCariens, Tulloch)

 

Round 5

1. Benji Olson 98

2. Jacob Bell 04

3. Avery Williamson 14

 

Round 6

1. Jason McCourty 09

1. Robaire Smith 00

3. David Long 19

 

Round 7

1. Cortland Finnegan 06

2. Kevin Long 98

3. Marc Mariani 06

 

Percentages of Titans hits and misses. Again, all I am measuring a hit again as someone who started games, or had an impact. 

 

It is clear that the Titans drafts really went to crap from, 2012-2015, and 2020-2023

 

97: 4/7  57%  Holmes, Mason, Walker, Kent

98: 5/8 62 %  Dyson, Rolle, Sydney, Olson, Long

99: 4/8 50% Kearse, Thornton, Pillar, Mitchell

00: 5/10 50% Bulluck, Kinney, Sirrmon, Chamberlain, Smith

01: 4/7 57% Dyson, McCareins, Meier, Berlin

02: 4/10 40% Haynesworth, Beckham, Williams, Hartwig

03: 2/6 30% Brown, Nickey

04: 7/13 53% Troupe, Laboy, Odom, Starks, Schobel, Bell, Amano

05: 6/11 55% Jones, Roos, Fuller, Stewart, Scaife, Hill

06: 3/10 30% Young, Tulloch, Finnegan

07: 2/10 20% Griffin, Henry

08: 4/7 42% Johnson, Jones, Stevens, Hayes

09: 3/11 27% Briit, Cook, McCourtey

10: 3/9 30% Morgan, Verner, Mariani

11: 3/9 30% Casey, Klugg, Ayers

12: 2/7 28% Wright, Brown

13: 0/8 00%

14: 2/6 30% Lewan, Williamson

15: 1/9 11% Mariota

16: 4/10 40% Conklin, Henry, Byard, Sharpe (?)

17: 4/9 44% Davis, Jackson, Smith, Brown

18: 2/4 50% Landry, Evans

19: 4/6 83% Simmons, Brown, Davis, Hooker, Long

20: 1/6 17% Fulton

21: 1/8 12.5% Molden 

22: 1/9 20% Okonkwo, McCreary

23: 2/6 30% Skoronski, Spears

24: 37% Latham, Sweatt, Brownlee

 

 

Historically speaking our best drafts ever are 2019 (ironically the year Nashville hosted) and 1998 which set our Super Bowl run up. The best era of Titan draft hits are 97-01 which led to the "golden age of the Titans".  Also the 2004 and 2005 drafts which set us up for the 2007 WC and Championship season of 2008. We had decent drafts from 17-19, setting up a 4 out of 5 year playoff run. 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 25, 2025 by Lantern

[Grizz]

Nice breakdown. It puts into perspective what we all know--our success and failure now and in the past is linked closely to the draft, and we really shit the bed in terms of how some of these drafts impacted our roster. 

[OILERMAN]

Bulluck not Bullock

[NashvilleNinja]

1 hour ago, OILERMAN said:

Bulluck not Bullock

 

Even after all these years. He even got it right the first time...

 

[Lantern]

On 5/15/2025 at 8:17 PM, NashvilleNinja said:

After all that, the take a way was a spelling error. 

 Yep

Edited May 18, 2025 by Lantern