Top 10 Titans 25 and Under
NASHVILLE – We all know the NFL offseason is also the league’s unofficial ranking season.
So, as June slowly creeps toward July – and with training camp still nearly a month away – expect to see a proliferation of team, coach, player and position rankings concocted to create speculation.
Why not, for lack of anything else going on?
The 33rd Team, a website created by former NFL executives Mike Tannenbaum and Joe Banner weighed in Tuesday with their rankings of the league’s top 25 players under 25.
There were no current Titans on the list, though wide receiver A.J. Brown – traded from Tennessee to Philadelphia in April – came in at No. 17 overall. Defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons is currently 24 and unquestionably deserving of a spot, but he will turn 25 next month and, therefore, won’t be under 25 at any time during the season.
That doesn’t mean we can’t create our own list for the Titans.
First disclaimer: This one is built more on what players have actually done for the Titans in their young careers – as opposed to what they might do when they get on the field. It also will feature players 25 and under, which allows for Simmons – and a few others – to be included.
So, with that logic in mind, we’ll leave the 2022 rookie class – which includes wide receiver Treylon Burks, cornerback Roger McCreary and quarterback Malik Willis among others – entirely out of the equation. In addition, some potentially high-upside players from last season’s draft class – like cornerback Caleb Farley, tackle Dillon Radunz and edge rusher Rashad Weaver – were downgraded or eliminated simply because we haven’t seen enough sample size.
One thing worth noting: It appears the core of strong young players – at least at this point – is more heavily weighted toward defense. Four of the top five and eight of the top 10 listed here play on that side of the ball. The 2022 draft class may change that in years to come, as it includes Burks, Willis, tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere, running back Hassan Haskins, tight end Chig Okonkwo and wide receiver Kyle Philips.
Here’s the list of the top 10 Titans currently 25 or younger, which, again, is based primarily on production as opposed to potential: