Tennessee

Titans

Boyd spent the first eight years of his career in Cincinnati. The Bengals showed no interest in re-signing him after a quiet 2023 season with 667 yards and two scores. The Chargers, on the other hand, could use a veteran slot receiver to round out their young receiver room. Quentin Johnston did next to nothing as a rookie and can’t be counted on to produce in 2024. That leaves first-year receiver Ladd McConkey and veteran wideout Joshua Palmer as Justin Herbert’s top pass-catchers. The Titans have a better receiving duo up top with Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins but may be looking for an upgrade over Treylon Burks in the slot.

Small (5’9/198) is a slightly undersized back who spent four years at Tennessee. Appearing on the verge of a breakout in 2021 when he rushed for 140-792-9 as a sophomore, Small added another 157-734-13 in 2022 but was relegated to RB2 duties behind fellow 2024 draft class mate Jaylen Wright. Small offered limited upside as a pass-catcher, and struggled to evade defenders while with the Vols. He’s a willing blocker, but his size could present challenges when it comes to slowing pass rushers. Small could earn a role as an early-down runner if needed, but it’s unlikely he ever develops into a lead back.

Duke (6’3/246) totaled 21 TFLs and 14 sacks during his five years at Kansas State and finished with a career-high six sacks in 2023. Duke was a three-year starter for the Wildcats, but that ample playing time seldom led to high-end production. He’s a bit undersized for a traditional end, but quick off the snap. However, Duke will need to develop a better rapport of moves to shed blockers and get to the quarterback and is likely best suited in a 3-4 scheme.

As the leading rusher for the Pac-12 champion Washington Huskies in 2023, Johnson (6’0/217) totaled 233 carries for 1,195 yards and 16 touchdowns. He added 24 receptions for 190 yards receiving, getting the opportunity to start for the Huskies after transferring from Mississippi State, where he spent his first three college seasons. Johnson is known for his physical runs and was able to handle higher volume in the Washington offense as a senior. At the combine, Johnson ran a 4.68 40-yard dash and 1.62 10-yard split, ranking second-to-last and last amongst running backs in those categories. His slower profile will make it difficult for teams to see him as a three-down back. Still, Johnson’s physicality can provide short-yardage value in the NFL.

The Tampa product started in 12 games as a Junior and all 15 games as a senior receiving Honorable Mention All-Big Ten recognition as a key starter for the National Champion Wolverines. Coming off his most impressive season, Harrell (6’4/250) finished with 10.0 TFLs, 7.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles in 2023. He wins by setting up tackles in open space, and using his athletic tools to bend around them, inside them, or counter with his extremely polished spin move. He has the traits he needs to be an effective power rusher, but does not consistently load his legs and drive his hands through the tackle’s chest with the tenacity of an NFL caliber EDGE. He is a talented “peek and shed” player but does not play with the anchor or aggression to set an edge in the NFL. An impressive combine helps his profile with a 4.68s 40-time (90th%) and 37” vert (94th%), for an 8.46 combined relative athletic score. Adding play strength and some weight to his frame may scale back some of the explosive traits, but it would allow him to become a much better run defender.

Most expect Williams to move to linebacker, but the Titans announced him as a safety. After only three seasons at Miami, Williams (6'4/231) declared for the draft with a year of eligibility left in his pocket. He played a traditional safety role for the Hurricanes while earning an 85.4 PFF grade in coverage, but he projects better as a box player at the NFL level. As a safety, some of his most impressive moments were as a run defender, earning a 64.8 PFF grade in the area. The former five-star prep star flows well towards the action and often met the ball carrier with authority, but would benefit by filling with more decisiveness. His 78 tackles in 2023 and “poor” speed profile for a safety mean that a potential switch to nickel linebacker may be where he succeeds in the NFL. While Williams continues to add weight and improve his skill set, a special teams coach will have plenty of fun utilizing him. With a year of development, he could slide in on defense and be a competitor for snaps in nickel packages.

Jackson (5’9/188) spent five years at Tulane, but never saw more than 48 targets in a season, and topped out at 554 yards in his fourth year. He’s an undersized slot receiver who also rushed for 12-116-1 for his career on limited carries, but he did force a missed tackle on 23.1 percent of his offensive touches (receptions and carries). Jackson averaged 16.0 YPR for his career and averaged a solid 7.3 YAC/REC. His athleticism coupled with his ability to create after the catch make him an intriguing prospect in Nashville, and he could be an immediate contributor on special teams.

Brownlee Jr (5 ’11/194) spent his first three collegiate campaigns at Florida State, starting 22 games with 51 tackles in his final season, before transferring to Louisville in 2022. He thrives on physical play whether it is at the line of scrimmage jamming wide receivers, or after the catch when he lays the big hits. He’s an asset in run support having lined up almost 100 times in the box and accounting for 44 run stops over the past three seasons. The 2021 All-ACC performer ran a sluggish 4.59s 40-yard dash (47th%) and a 4.32s shuttle but dominated both of his jumps for a praiseworthy 8.95 RAS. Brownlee does well with his footwork and can mirror wide receivers in man coverage. In zone coverage, he tends to struggle with stacked routes. Although his aggressive play style is an overall positive, sometimes he makes mistakes in his pass-offs leading to missed assignments. Brownlee also brings a special teams element to his game appearing in 63 punt return packages over the past two seasons. He should see time on special teams to begin his career in 2024.

Gray was recruited as an athlete by mostly lower-division schools until UNC HC Mack Brown made him an offer. While the Charlotte product only played six defensive snaps during the tumultuous 2020 campaign, he became an indispensable leader of the defense as a sophomore by accruing 100 tackles and two interceptions in his first taste of extended reps. Gray would go on to post three-consecutive seasons of 100-plus tackles, while being named First Team All-ACC in each of his last two campaigns. He proved his chops in coverage with 72nd percentile PFF cover grades in each year as a starter while allowing a sub-70% completion rate when targeted in all three seasons. Gray’s burst is on display when read/reacting and crashing downhill, which along with his high football IQ helps to keep him in the play on most downs. He doesn’t have the upper body strength to absorb heavy contact from NFL-sized blockers, but is crafty in how he dips around them. He should compete for immediate playing time in the Tennessee linebacker room.

Sweat (6’5/366) is a true super heavyweight who rarely gives an inch and eats up double-teams. A mountainous five-year defensive tackle who moves with supernatural quickness that belies his gargantuan frame, Sweat’s two-gapping ability earned him the highest PFF run grade (92.0) in the country last year. The Outland Trophy winner fine-tuned his approach on the rush and became an every down force, posting the sixth-highest pass rush grade (85.3) among P5 defensive tackles en route to earning Unanimous All-American recognition. To put his athleticism into perspective, his blazing 2.59s time-to-first-pressure this year is actually faster than his Texas counterpart Byron Murphy (2.63s), who is 60 pounds lighter. Sweat’s Combine performance wasn’t great with a 1.8s 10-yard split (46th%), 5.27s 40-yard dash (30th%) and 19th percentile broad jump (8’02”) for a combined 4.27 RAS that perhaps doesn’t tell the whole story with the massive defensive tackle. Sweat explodes into contact while leveraging his massive frame to extinguish running lanes and has the short-area burst to shoot through gaps and create havoc plays. Has the all around functional mass to routinely overpower lighter, movement oriented centers and demands extra attention in the middle. It’s unfortunate that he was arrested in April for DWI, but Sweat still has enough talent to become a dependable early-down run stuffer who can also bring heat up the middle when called upon in pass defense. He’s got a big man profile reminiscent of a souped-up Tyler Shelvin.