The Tennessee Titans have had some movement on the offensive line with the loss of Jack Conklin at right tackle. Conklin left Nashville to head north to the Cleveland Browns on a three-year, $42 million deal. He was a starter for the Titans since he was drafted, and now with his departure, the Titans are left searching for someone to replace him. Here are some potential Conklin replacements in Tennessee.
TCU OT Lucas Niang
Lucas Niang seems like a rather natural fit here with the Titans. He has outstanding athleticism, moving quite well for his size. That is the one thing that sticks out about him right away. The big portion of his game that has seen growth over time has been his hand usage. He has always had heavy hands, but his placement was far better this year than ever before.
The question marks with Niang are equally concerning. For one, he does not maximize his movement skills. Niang has to do a better job of using his fleet footwork to put himself in a better position against speed rushers at the next level. In addition, he has the question of durability. He suffered a hip injury that he had surgery on that has sidelined him for the entire draft process. Regardless, however, Niang fits the physicality that Mike Vrabel looks for in the trenches and is among the potential Conklin replacements in Tennessee.
Georiga OT Isaiah Wilson
Wilson is more of a project than Niang, but Wilson is an absolute mauler in the trenches. He is nowhere near the functional athlete that you see in Niang, but you can see how strong his grip strength. Wilson does a great job of converting power from his lower body into movement in the run game. He ideally fits the gap blocking scheme with his lack of athleticism at the position.
You have to appreciate how feisty Wilson is against pass rushers. Even when beat around the edge, he does an excellent job of running guys around the arc even with notable hip tightness. I have some questions if he can do that at the next level without overhauling his mindset with his pass sets and making his feet quicker and lighter, however. That is cause for concern, but again, he fits the Vrabel mindset that he wants to set in the trenches.
Houston OT Josh Jones
Jones is a very athletic tackle prospect on film. This is a guy who is best fit in a zone scheme and can reach guys in the second level with absolute ease. I think he has some ways to go with his game, especially with his hand placement and pad level, as they are both rather significant issues with his game currently.
However, Jones is a high-upside pick that will be available right in the range the Titans pick in the first round. I could see them calling his name due to the upside he possesses and high intangibles he brings as a former captain at Houston. The big issue here is that Jones has not touched the right tackle position since 2017, which begs the question of how likely this one is for the Titans. It would be a learning curve for Jones if they select him and force him to switch sides.
Connecticut OT Matthew Peart
Peart is a physical specimen who was meant to be an offensive tackle. He has 36-inch arms and has terrific athleticism for the position on top of it all. If you want to look at upside in this draft, I do not think any tackle exemplifies that more so in the mid-rounds than Peart. Due to that upside, Peart is likely a late second to early third-round pick.
He is more of a project for the Titans to take on if they want to go this route, but we have seen guys with great movement skills, but raw technical skills are solid early on despite those flaws. I think Peart has the footwork and football IQ to be effective in pass sets just fine. I like the fit for Peart as a potential Conklin replacement in Tennessee. The Titans could bank on his upside, and he could still be a quality player from day one.