Titans select TE Josh Whyle with 147th overall pick
With the 147th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans selected Cincinnati Bearcats tight end Josh Whyle. Whyle, who is 6-foot-6 and 248 pounds, had 32 catches for 326 receiving yards and three touchdowns at Cincinnati in 2022. His athletic tools and untapped potential as a pass-catcher make him an intriguing player […]
With the 147th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans selected Cincinnati Bearcats tight end Josh Whyle.
Whyle, who is 6-foot-6 and 248 pounds, had 32 catches for 326 receiving yards and three touchdowns at Cincinnati in 2022.
His athletic tools and untapped potential as a pass-catcher make him an intriguing player to pair with Chig Okonkwo in 12 personnel sets. Despite not being the wide receiver the Titans needed, Whyle should play meaningful snaps as a rookie.
Looking into Whyle's college tape and pre-draft workouts, he comes in above-average in every athletic area. Whyle ran a 4.69 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. That speed makes him a threat in the seam and his ball skills are impressive.
While Whyle's blocking ability leaves something to be desired, he is a willing blocker, and that's what matters more than anything to Mike Vrabel.
This is not the wide receiver that the Titans desperately need, and for that reason alone, any criticism of this pick is probably fair. But that shouldn't take away from who Whyle is as a player.
I'd expect to see Whyle playing a good amount of snaps for the Titans as a rookie. His versatility and experience in 12 personnel packages while playing with Leonard Taylor should make his transition into Tennessee's offense even smoother.
Whyle told Titans media that because of his background as a receiver, he's a more natural pass-catcher than he is an inline blocker, but that he feels good about the strides he's made in his blocking ability over the last year. Whyle has also worked as a fullback in college at times.
"They like the idea that I can do a little bit of both," Whyle said of his conversations with Mike Vrabel, Ran Carthon, and the Titans during the pre-draft process.
