Rookie TE Chig Okonkwo is making waves at Titans minicamp
Tennessee Titans rookie tight end Chig Okonkwo may have only been a 4th round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but the 22-year old Georgia native is already making his mark on the Titans offense. Okonkwo has been consistently impressive with his workouts during both Titans rookie minicamp and voluntary OTAs, but it was at […]
Tennessee Titans rookie tight end Chig Okonkwo may have only been a 4th round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but the 22-year old Georgia native is already making his mark on the Titans offense.
Okonkwo has been consistently impressive with his workouts during both Titans rookie minicamp and voluntary OTAs, but it was at Tuesday's mandatory minicamp that his stock really began to take off.
During the team's 7-on-7 period focused on red zone execution, Okonwko caught three touchdown passes. Two from starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill and one from backup Logan Woodside. The first one from Tannehill came in the back corner of the end zone, and Okonkwo made an impressive grab in tight coverage over All-Pro safety Kevin Byard.
I had a chance to talk with Okonkwo after practice on Tuesday and discuss his big catch, his continued improvement, and what/who he will look to as he tries to continue improving. Okonkwo mainly discussed the upcoming TE University camp and his veteran teammate, Austin Hooper.
Okonkwo has seriously been turning heads. An offensive weapon of his size and athleticism getting a feel for route running and the system this early is a beautiful sign for the 2022 Titans.
With the question marks that continue to linger about the WR core and the reliability of Treylon Burks, having a young player show early flashes of greatness is refreshing. Not to mention what it's doing for Okonkwo's chemistry with coaches and teammates.
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill and head coach Mike Vrabel each spoke to the media after practice and discussed what they've seen from the rookie and been impressed with:
Tannehill later added that when a young or new player makes plays in practice, it's something he takes note of as the quarterback.
"You definitely notice who's making plays. If a guy flashes and makes a one-on-one play for me, then that gives me a lot more confidence in him."
– Titans quarterback ryan tannehill
Okonkwo's performance in these early practices will go along way towards proving himself to his coaches and his quarterback. His chemistry with Tannehill has only appeared to improve since he first arrived, and paired with Austin Hooper (who has also been impressive) the duo could be a huge asset for the 2022 offense.
It's always "one day at a time" at this point in the year, but today was a real good day for Chig, and I expect more to come in the future.
Image via George Walker IV / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK
