A sampling of what some national voices and the Titans are saying about the team trading up to the eighth overall pick to select Michigan State offensive tackle Jack Conklin (and bypass Ole Miss tackle Laremy Tunsil):
Peter King, Sports Illustrated:
“I think I understand what Jon Robinson says when he insists he had Jack Conklin ahead of Laremy Tunsil on Tennessee’s draft board. But that just speaks of the worry around the league about Tunsil—even before the bong images showed up late Thursday. Teams were worried about him for the off-field stuff, and Miami had better have a huge support system to make sure he doesn’t stray. South Florida. Youthful indiscretions. What could go wrong? Tunsil worries me. A lot.”
Greg Bedard, Sports Illustrated:
“Love the move by Titans general manager Jon Robinson trading back from No. 1 and then back up to No. 8 (pocketing a bunch of picks in the process) to get a needed tackle, but I’m not crazy about the Titans having two tackles (Taylor Lewan, Jack Conklin) who are similar in the sense that neither definitely has the feet to be a good left tackle. One could, but that’s a projection.”
Mel Kiper, ESPN:
“I haven’t really been hiding my affection for Jack Conklin, the offensive tackle out of Michigan State. He was No. 4 on my final Big Board, and I think he has a high floor. Maybe he’s not a future left tackle, but he could be, and he could also be really good on the right side. So Tennessee, a team in desperate need of a tackle, moved down in the draft — and got a massive haul from the Rams to do so — and still managed to get the tackle prospect it wanted. Hard to argue with that. Good draft so far for general manager Jon Robinson.”
Chad Reuter, NFL.com:
“Even after giving up quality picks in the trade up for Conklin, the Titans still made out due to their move down from the top spot. Conklin’s a beast who will thrive on the right side of the line, across from Taylor Lewan. So they met their need and gained picks … that’s a win.” (continue reading at Tennessean)