INDIANAPOLIS – New Titans coach Robert Saleh gave a pretty good description of what he's looking for in a cornerback here at the NFL Combine.
When LSU's Mansoor Delane, one of the top defensive backs in this year's NFL Draft, stepped up to the podium on Thursday it was almost as if he was trying to impress Saleh.
"I love tackling," Delane said. "A lot of corners might be scared to tackle, but I love it."
The Titans need cornerbacks this offseason, whether it's in free agency or the NFL Draft.
During the course of last season, the team traded away cornerbacks Jarvis Brownlee Jr and Roger McCreary, while losing L'Jarius Sneed to injury. Titans GM Mike Borgonzi said on Wednesday Sneed continues to rehab, without giving any definitive indication about his future in Tennessee.
Aside from Sneed, the Titans currently only have cornerbacks Marcus Harris, Micah Robinson and Keydrain Calligan under contract.
Meanwhile, Jalyn Armour-Davis and Kaiir Elam are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents, and Darrell Baker Jr. and Kemon Hall are scheduled to become restricted free agents.
Saleh is looking for some tough guys at the cornerback spot.
"We want guys who will stick their face in the fan, and get ready to go play," Saleh said. "Obviously, we'll sacrifice a little bit to make sure they can cover and do all those things. But if you don't like contact, you're not going to be a corner in our defense."
In addition to Delane, two of the top-rated cornerbacks from this draft are from the University of Tennessee – Jermod McCoy and Colton Hood. In fact, NFL.com draft analyst Bucky Brooks has McCoy as his top-rated cornerback, with Hood the third best. Clemson's Avieon Terrell and South Carolina's Brandon Cisse are also in the top five, along with Delane.
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has Delane ranked eight overall on his top 50 board, with McCoy (14th) Hood (16th), Terrell (30th) and Cisse (31st) also on the list.
"I'm not afraid to stick my head in and tackle," McCoy said on Thursday. "It's just relentlessness and being ready to make plays and stuff."
The Titans, scheduled to pick fourth overall in the first round of the NFL, have plenty of other needs aside from cornerback, of course.
But at this point, the cupboard is pretty bare, and it needs restocking, in March (free agency) and April (NFL Draft).
Borgonzi said the Titans are looking for toughness, and versatility.
"You're always looking for, obviously, guys that can run, guys with length," Borgonzi said. "But then there's a component of the instinctual feel, and especially in today's offenses, there's so many bunch formations and their ability to process information fast is more than ever at this point. So, I'd say length, speed and the ability to process instinctually."
