Did they make it? Looking back at previous first picks by the Titans.

With the draft being tomorrow - the first round at least - I decided to take a look back at the Tennessee Titans previous first picks. It's interesting to see who panned out, who is on another team, and who is out of the league entirely. So without further adieu, let's go back to 2003.


2003

Actual Pick (28th overall): Andre Woolfolk, CB, Oklahoma
Notable Miss: Nnamdi Asomugha, CB, California [drafted by Oakland 31st overall]
Satisfied with the pick at the time: Yes
Satisfied with the pick now: No

Andre Woolfolk starred on an Oklahoma team that went 12-2 and won the Rose Bowl his final season. He was a big corner (6'2", 197) and the Titans needed someone opposite Andre Dyson. I liked the pick, but he was a huge bust, only picking off three passes and never playing more than 13 games in his career.

Meanwhile, Nnamdi Asomugha - another big corner (6'2", 210) - fell three spots further down to the reigning AFC champion Oakland Raiders. He has turned into one of the top three corners in the NFL...talk about a miss.


2004

Actual Pick (2nd round, 40th overall): Ben Troupe, TE, Florida
Notable Miss: Bob Sanders, SS, Iowa [drafted by Indianapolis 44th overall]
Satisfied with the pick at the time: No
Satisfied with the pick now: No

With Erron Kinney still as a Titan - and a reliable tight end to boot - the Titans became infatuated with Troupe's combine numbers and chose them with their first pick. Troupe had a solid year in 2005 with 55 catches, but he never lived up to the potential Tennessee saw in him.

Once All-Pro safety Bob Sanders was still on the board and with Lance Schulters in the last year of his deal, they could have taken the small Iowa safety to plug in after Schulters left in the off-season. Sanders is injury prone but when he's healthy, he's one of the best safeties in the game.


2005

Actual Pick (6th overall): Adam "Pac-Man" Jones, CB, West Virginia
Notable Miss: Roddy White, WR, UAB [drafted by Atlanta 27th overall]
Satisfied with the pick at the time: Yes
Satisfied with the pick now: Yes

Pretty much everyone knew that the Titans would choose either Adam Jones or Antrel Rolle with the sixth overall pick. Andre Woolfolk was looking like a bust in front of the coaching staff's eyes and with Andre Dyson leaving in the off-season to Seattle, they needed a corner to step up immediately. Enter Mr. Jones, who had a decent rookie campaign, but showed All-Pro potential in his second year.

Surprisingly, I am satisfied with the pick still to this day. I wish he wouldn't have gotten into trouble like he did, but when on the field he showed a Deion Sanders-esque game to him. He was an electric returner and blanketed receivers like Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson/Ochocinco/Hachi Go in his second year. The sky was the limit for Pac-Man; sucks he couldn't keep his nose out of trouble though.


2006

Actual Pick (3rd overall): Vince Young, QB, Texas
Notable Miss: Haloti Ngata, DT, Oregon [drafted by Baltimore 12th overall]
Satisfied with the pick at the time: Yes
Satisfied with the pick now: Yes

Young, Leinart, or Cutler? That was the debate as the Titans came up to the podium with the third overall pick. They decided on the Rose Bowl hero Vince Young, whose mentor was current quarterback - at the time - Steve McNair. However, after McNair was traded to the Ravens, Young stepped in early in the season and made a lasting impression with two games - the 24-point fourth-quarter comeback against the Giants and the 40+ yard overtime touchdown run against the Texans - that had Titans fans seeing a bright future.

However, he struggled in his sophomore campaign and by now we all know his struggles in 2008 with the suicide and quitting on his team rumors. This past year he took over for a struggling Kerry Collins after the bye week and led the Titans to an 8-8 record after starting the year 0-6. This season will prove whether he can be a consistently solid quarterback in the NFL, but for now I'll mark this pick as a success. I still expect big things from VY and have hope he can become the next Steve McNair.


2007

Actual Pick (19th overall): Michael Griffin, FS, Texas
Notable Miss: Dwayne Bowe, WR, LSU [drafted by Kansas City 23rd overall]
Satisfied with the pick at the time: No
Satisfied with the pick now: Yes

I personally wanted a big target for Young with the Titans' first rounder, but Griffin didn't really upset me too much. I knew our secondary was shaky and Griffin could immediately upgrade the safety position. He had a good rookie year, picking off three passes in 10 starts, but in 2008 he made the Pro Bowl with seven interceptions and 75 tackles.

I can say that I'm satisfied with the pick, but he still has a few things to improve on. He's got very good ball-hawking skills, but last season exposed his weak tackling and his consistency to bite on pump-fakes. If he can work on those weak areas of his game, he will be a great safety for years to come in this league.


2008

Actual Pick (24th overall): Chris Johnson, HB, East Carolina
Notable Miss: DeSean Jackson, WR, California [49th overall by Philadelphia]
Satisfied with the pick at the time: No
Satisfied with the pick now: Yes

I was absolutely furious with this selection. LenDale White was coming off a 1000+ yard season and I had confidence that he could be our feature back for years to come. Drafting another runningback with all the top receivers still on the board really had me scratching my head. However, Johnson - who has the fastest recorded 40-yard dash time in NFL Combine history at 4.24 - had a great rookie season, rushing for 1228 yards and nine touchdowns. The Titans went 13-3 that season, which shut me up about taking the speedster from East Carolina.

Obviously after a 2006 yard, 14 touchdown sophomore season, I'm satisfied with this pick. I can confidently say that the Titans have the best runningback in the NFL at this point and he will be in Tennessee for years to come. With Young, Johnson and the 2009 first round pick that I will mention in a moment, they will also have a great QB-RB-WR core that should scare many defenses.

2009

Actual Pick (30th overall): Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers
Notable Miss: Ray Maualuga, MLB, USC [38th overall by Cincinnati]
Satisfied with the pick at the time: Yes
Satisfied with the pick now: Yes

With a weak receiving corps, I was ecstatic that the Titans took the best wide-out on the board in Kenny Britt. After years and years of begging for a receiver, I was finally satisfied they pulled the trigger on their first first-round one since Kevin Dyson back in the day.

Britt had a solid rookie campaign, despite only starting six games. I say that he was the Titans' best receiver last season, despite Justin Gage and Nate Washington having better statistics; because they had more playing time than the Rutgers product. Britt also made one of the best catches of the year, pulling in a fourth-down touchdown pass by Vince Young while taking a vicious hit in the Titans incredible comeback win over Arizona. With more playing time, Britt should become a very nice #1 receiver...something the Titans haven't had in a while.