NASHVILLE – ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has pulled a switcheroo for the Titans in his second mock draft.
He's sticking with the same position, and school – he's just going with a different player.
In his Mock Draft 2.0 released on Thursday, Kiper has the Titans taking Miami Hurricanes defensive end Jaelan Phillips with the 22nd pick of April's NFL Draft.
Earlier, in his Mock 1.0, Kiper tabbed Miami's Gregory Rousseau to the Titans at pick No. 22.
Here's a look at Kiper's take on the pick:
As I mentioned in my Mock 1.0, the Titans have to be all over the edge rushers in this class. Their defense really lacked any pass rush last season, getting virtually nothing from Jadeveon Clowney and finished with just 19 total sacks. They'd be happy with Phillips still on the board. The UCLA transfer and former five-star prospect really came on last season and is rising quickly. Phillips had concussion issues at UCLA, so his medical checks will be important. But I love his 2020 tape. And yes, this is back-to-back Miami pass rushers, but Rousseau and Phillips never got to play together because Phillips missed the 2019 season due to transfer rules.
Kiper had Rousseau going one spot ahead of the Titans at pick 21, to the Colts. In his mock, Kiper had the Titans taking Phillips instead of Michigan's Kwity Paye and Georgia's Azeez Ojulari, who were still on the board.
Phillips (6-5, 258) had 4.5 sacks in two seasons at UCLA before transferring to Miami for his junior season, where he recorded eight sacks and 15.5 tackles for a loss.
The NFL Draft is scheduled for April 29-May 1.
