Tennessee Titans: What the Future Holds for the Titans' 2020 Draft Class
The Tennessee Titans' 2020 draft class was collectively disappointing in its rookie season. Everyone knows that first-rounder OT Isaiah Wilson was a colossal disaster, but every player the team drafted in 2020 was disappointing to some degree during the season. In fact, one could reasonably argue that the Titans' most impactful rookie in 2020 was […]
The Tennessee Titans' 2020 draft class was collectively disappointing in its rookie season.
Everyone knows that first-rounder OT Isaiah Wilson was a colossal disaster, but every player the team drafted in 2020 was disappointing to some degree during the season.
In fact, one could reasonably argue that the Titans' most impactful rookie in 2020 was DL Teair Tart, an undrafted free-agent signing who played a rotational role on the defensive front.
However, though Wilson has no future in the NFL and QB Cole McDonald, one of the team's seventh-rounders, was released just a week into Training Camp, the remaining four members of the class could make an impact for the Titans in 2021 and beyond.
Here's a look at what the future could hold for those four players.
CB Kristian Fulton
Fulton's rookie season was derailed by injuries. He missed a major chunk of Training Camp before making his NFL debut and then suffering another injury that kept him sidelined for most of the regular season.
When Fulton did play, he didn't look half bad. He even notched an interception early in the season against Jacksonville.
He figures to see a good amount of playing time in 2021 following the departures of Adoree' Jackson and Malcolm Butler, but he will have to put up a fight to keep rookie Elijah Molden off the field.
RB Darrynton Evans
Derrick Henry can't play every snap for the Titans' offense, at that's where Evans enters the picture.
Like Fulton, Evans' rookie season was severely limited by injury but he played well in his limited opportunities. He showed glimpses of the same burst and explosiveness that made him a college star at App State.
If Evans can stay healthy in 2021, he could end up playing a key role for the Titans' offense. He has a unique ability to create big plays, and new offensive coordinator Todd Downing would be wise to tap into that.
DL Larrell Murchison
Murchison fit right in with the rest of the Titans' rookie class as being disappointing in 2020. He played only a rotational role at his peak, and he was often a healthy scratch throughout the season.
Heading into 2021, roles on the Titans' defensive line look to be up for grabs behind Jeffery Simmons and Denico Autry. With a strong Training Camp and preseason, Murchison could reverse course from his underwhelming rookie campaign and earn increased playing time.
He'll have to fend off the likes of Tart and undrafted rookie Naquan Jones to do that.
CB Chris Jackson
After being thrust into the starting lineup early in the season due to injuries to Fulton and Jackson and being clearly overwhelmed, Jackson settled down as the season progressed.
He was a key rotational piece for the Titans in 2020 and figures to keep a similar role in 2021. He's not a starting caliber player, but that's not what teams look for in the seventh round.
Jackson, so far, is the Titans' biggest hit from 2020.
- Evans image: Andrew Nelles/USA Today
- Fulton image: George Walker IV/The Tennessean via pool
