The Titans are still paying for taking bad quarterbacks in the top ten. Not once, but twice, over the course of the last nine years. Neither player panned out and they’ve already moved on to rookie Zach Mettenberger at this point. The Titans seem to be drafting better as of late so the jury is still out on how those players will develop, but their miserable season suggests they’re still paying for past draft sins. Here are the five most recent biggest mistakes:
5. Rennie Curran, LB, Georgia – 97th overall pick in 2010 (3rd round)
Not that teams expect 3rd round picks to be Pro Bowlers, but Curran is as unproductive of one as it gets. His career lasted 9 games with 7 tackles, that’s it. He’s currently in the CFL after being unable to land a spot on anyone’s roster. The next two linebackers taken, Darryl Sharpton and Perry Riley, turned out to be much better pros.
4. LenDale White, RB, USC – 45th overall pick in 2006 (2nd round)
Weight problems, injuries, and a bad attitude plagued White, who’s NFL career lasted just four seasons. He did rush for 1,110 yards his second year and scored 15 touchdowns his second season, but he never came close to realizing the hype that surrounded him. He went from the Titans’ apparent back of the feature to retired in just two years. In hindsight, Maurice Jones-Drew might have been a better call?
3. Adam “Pacman” Jones, CB, West Virginia – 6th overall pick in 2005
Like White, Jones suffered from major attitude problems, except much worse. Jones lasted just two seasons with the Titans before arrests and numerous well documented off the field problems led to a suspension. Jones is actually still in the league and seems to have turned his life around but there’s still no denying this was an awful pick by the Titans who clearly didn’t do their homework on his background – or blatantly ignored major red flags. Not how you want your 6th pick overall to turn out. The next two corners taken were Antrel Rolle and Carlos Rogers, both who have had decorated Pro Bowl careers.
2. Jake Locker, QB, Washington – 8th overall pick in 2011
Now that he’s been replaced by rookie Zach Mettenberger it’s time to face the reality that Locker is a bust. Locker has never played more than 11 games in a season (and more than 7 only once) in an injury plagued career riddled with inconsistency. His career completion percentage of 57.3% and TD-INT ratio of just 26 touchdowns and 19 interceptions have not cut it. He takes too many hits to be relied on for any duration and quite frankly his play has been spotty at best when he’s been healthy. His time in Tennessee is nearing its end. The next player taken would be Tyron Smith and two after that was J. J. Watt. At the quarterback position, 2nd rounders Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick have turned out much better.
1. Vince Young, QB, Texas – 3rd overall pick in 2006
The write up above for Locker just as easily could have been for Young. 57.9% career completions, 46 touchdowns and 51 interceptions. Even worse, he was selected 3rd overall. Young only passed over 2,000 yards twice in his career, and never over 2,600. Sadly the Titans gave Young 6 years for up to $58 million at the time, with over $25 million guaranteed. Somehow he filed for bankruptcy already blowing through all that money. If the Titans really wanted a quarterback, Jay Cutler would have been a much better pick. Or, they could have taken any of these three players drafted after Young: D’Brickashaw Ferguson, A. J. Hawk, or Vernon Davis. Haloti Ngata would have been a nice one too.
Check out our other installments:
Five draft picks why the Saints won’t make the playoffs
Five draft picks why the Jets won’t make the playoffs
Five draft picks why the Bucs won’t make the playoffs
Five draft picks why the Vikings won’t make the playoffs
Five draft picks why the Rams won’t make the playoffs
Five draft picks why the Raiders won’t make the playoffs
