Tennessee Titans: If not Antonio Brown then maybe the next best thing?

The Pittsburgh Steelers might be trading Antonio Brown, but it's unclear if the Tennessee Titans, who could use a game changing wide receiver, will pursue the star wide receiver. It's also unclear if the Steelers will actually end up trading Brown, who still has three years left on his contract. The desire to trade Brown […]

Zach Ragan Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
Add as preferred source on Google

The Pittsburgh Steelers might be trading Antonio Brown, but it's unclear if the Tennessee Titans, who could use a game changing wide receiver, will pursue the star wide receiver.

It's also unclear if the Steelers will actually end up trading Brown, who still has three years left on his contract.

The desire to trade Brown stems from an indecent at the end of the season when the Pro-Bowl wide receiver skipped Pittsburgh's final walk through. Brown reportedly felt "under appreciated" by folks in the Steelers organization.

While it definitely sounds like a tough situation for Pittsburgh, there's a reasonable chance this all blows over. Steelers offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey thinks the situation will be resolved with time, telling reporters "I honestly think, and I've been playing football a long time, things will get worked out".

Regardless of what happens with Brown (and I ultimately believe he'll be playing for the Steelers next season), the Titans could still use some help at the wide receiver position. Especially with Marcus Mariota entering his contract season.

So if the Titans can't land Antonio Brown, maybe they can land the next best thing — Brown's cousin.

247Sports' latest mock draft has the Titans selecting Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Marquise Brown, who happens to be Brown's cousin.

Here's what 247Sports has to say about the potential selection:

The Tennessee Titans will be adjusting this off-season following the departure of offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, who took the Green Bay Packers head coaching gig. Tennessee recently invested a high pick in Corey Davis but they need more explosion on offense. Antonio Brown's cousin, 'Hollywood' Marquise Brown, can provide that to the team. He recorded 75 receptions for 1,318 yards and ten touchdowns.

I'm on record as saying the Titans shouldn't use their first round pick on a wide receiver (I might regret that). But if the younger Brown is available, it might be too temping for Tennessee general manager Jon Robinson to pass up.

Brown isn't a very big wide receiver (5-foot-10, like his cousin), but he has a history of elite production in two seasons at Oklahoma.

The former Oklahoma standout also has elite speed, reportedly running the 40 yard dash in 4.33 seconds.

A combination of Brown and Corey Davis, combined with Taywan Taylor and Tajae Sharpe, would give the Titans a very good, young and deep receiving corps.

Of course, the Titans still have other needs that might be a priority over wide receiver. Interior offensive line and pass rushers could take precedence over drafting a wide receiver.

Personally, I think the free agency market is where the Titans should address their biggest team needs. The draft is a place where I think teams should, for the most part, take a best player available approach.

If Brown is still around when the Titans make the No. 19 overall selection, it will be hard to argue that he's not the best player on the board.

After all, Marquise Brown might not be Antonio Brown, but he could be the second coming of the supremely talented Miami native.

Featured image via Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports