Smalltalk » The Race to Make the NFL Draft an Exact Science

Editor’s Note: As the Raiders approach a do or die matchup with the Titans Derek Carr Jersey White , I caught up with Jimmy Morris, editor-in-chief at Music City Miracles to ask a few questions about the upcoming matchup. He discusses the Titan’s formula for success, a few under-the-radar players and his prediction for the game.Q: The Titans have had a bit of a mid-season resurgence with Ryan Tannehill as the quarterback. What has been Tennessee’s formula for success?The Titans offense is built around a power running game with Derrick Henry and a play action passing game. Henry being effective opens up a lot of easy throws in the passing game. Marcus Mariota was missing those throws earlier in the year. Tannehill has done an excellent job with that. He has also proven to be more aggressive down the field and more decisive in where he goes with the football. It has been really fun to watch.Q: The Titans are sitting pretty at No. 4 in run defense DVOA, but are near the bottom of the league with the No. 24 ranked pass defense. Why do you think this split is so great? Is Tennessee selling out to stop the run first, or is it a personnel issue?The Titans have an issue with the pass rush. Dean Peas does and excellent job scheming up pressure with blitzes, but they have a problem creating pressure when they don’t send extra people. That problem got even worse when they lost Cameron Wake a few weeks ago. They have also had injuries in the secondary to Malcolm Butler and currently Adoree Jackson. All of these things have combined for struggles with the passing defense. The good news is they have been a really good redzone defense, so teams haven’t piled up a bunch of points against them. Q: What matchups do you think the Titans can exploit on either side of the ball? Is there a particular matchup problem the Raiders may pose that worries you?The Titans are going to try and establish Henry when they have the ball. I haven’t watched the Raiders very much, but I do know they have been gashed by running backs the last couple of weeks. The Titans will be thrilled to take advantage of that.Tyrell Williams worries me for the Raiders. Jackson is the guy they would typically match-up with a guy like Williams that can get down the field. They could struggle against him with Jackson missing this game.Q: Who is an under-the-radar player on offense and defense who is making a big impact in Tennessee this year?Jonnu Smith is they guy to watch on offense. He is the TE1 with Delanie Walker on IR. The Titans will also be without Adam Humphries in this game. That opens up some opportunities in the middle of the field for Jonnu. He has had some big plays this year but has been quiet the last few weeks. He should get some chances in this one.The guy to watch on defense is Harold Landry. I probably won’t be able to use him as an under-the-radar guy because he has a sack every week. He is up to 9 on the season. Landry has been the one guy that has been able to consistently get pressure on opposing QBs. Q: What’s your prediction for this game? And how do you see the AFC Wildcard race shaking out?The Titans have been dreadful on the West Coast for as long as I can remember, but this team is different. They are on a roll and the Raiders have been struggling. I think we see a lot of points and the Titans win 34-27.I might be a homer here, but I think the Titans are going to win the AFC South. If they do, the Houston Texans will probably end up as the second wild card team behind the Bills. Raiders news2019 NFL Draft rumors: Raiders reportedly planning to make a surprising pick at No. 4 | CBS SportsLast week, the Raiders sent all of their scouts home in an attempt to protect their..."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Raiders StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Raiders NewsYahoo Raiders Team PageYahoo Raiders ReportYahoo Raiders Depth ChartYahoo Raiders TransactionsYahoo Raiders PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub 鉁昐ilver Mining 4/23: Rumors at No. 4 begin swirling for Raiders New,31commentsPDTShareTweetShareShareSilver Mining 4/23: Rumors at No. 4 begin swirling for Raiders Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsRaiders news2019 NFL Draft rumors: Raiders reportedly planning to make a surprising pick at No. 4 | CBS SportsLast week, the Raiders sent all of their scouts home in an attempt to protect their draft plans from a leak. While the Raiders’ plans are still entirely unknown -- with three first-round picks, they really could go in a number of different directions -- it sounds like they’re planning something entirely unexpected for the 2019 NFL Draft.NFL draft rumors: Raiders likely to stay at No. 4 to select D-lineman | NBC SportsWhen it comes to the Raiders, another interesting tidbit has surfaced regarding the Raiders. A source told ESPN’s Todd McShay that he thinks the Raiders will stick with the No. 4 pick and “take an impact, defensive lineman.”NFL Draft 2019 scouting report: Quinnen Williams is the best player in this draft | Silver and Black PrideAlabama has a history of sending talented defensive lineman to the NFL, but Quinnen Williams is the best of them. He is an absolute game wrecker that checks all of the boxes on and off the field. Williams impacts both the passing and rushing game and should be a three-down player in the NFL with All-Pro potential. Overall, he is the best player in the 2019 NFL Draft and is the closest thing to a “can’t miss” prospect.Khalil Mack or 20 new players? Maybe Gruden knew something after all | ESPN.comCoach Jon Gruden has an inkling Womens Bo Jackson Jersey , even if, as he says, it pains him and Khalil Mack fans to say it. Yes, the trade of the All-Pro edge rusher on Sept. 1 in the middle of Mack’s holdout netted not only a gaggle of draft picks and salary-cap space, but also some intriguing hardware.LA Times annual live beat writer mock draft number one overall pick sends shock waves through first round | Silver and Black PrideIt’s draft week. And as is the tradition, that means the LA Times holds their beat writers mock draft in which writers for various publications across the country make the pick for the team they cover. And right away, there was a shocker at number one overall. It got kinda cray cray from there too.AFC WestReport: Chargers among front-runners to land Cardinals QB Josh Rosen | Chargers WireNothing is set in stone as the draft hasn’t even begun. But Los Angeles appears to be at the top of Rosen’s destination list, if this does occur within the next few days.Seahawks have reportedly discussed Frank Clark trade with several teams, including Chiefs, Colts, Jets | CBS SportsIt’s not difficult to understand why so many teams would at least reach out to the Seahawks about Clark, a 25-year-old defensive end who can both set the edge and attack the quarterback. He’s racked up 35 sacks in four seasons, including nearly 11 per season since his rookie year. He’s a very good player, even though teams could be scared off by his troubling history away from the field. Damien Williams can carry the load for the Chiefs in 2019 | Arrowhead PrideOn Friday, the football analytics site published an article about the top five running backs in the red zone during 2018. Williams was ranked fifth behind Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans, Jordan Howard of the Philadelphia Eagles, Nyheim Hines from the Indianapolis Colts and Phillip Lindsay of the Denver Broncos.Rumor: Broncos are not interested in the first-round quarterbacks per ESPN’s Todd McShay | Mile High ReportMcShay notes that the Broncos want to “roll the dice” with quarterback Joe Flacco first before acquiring another “quarterback of the future”. Or in other words, they’re punting this big need down the road and revisiting it again in 2020 when Justin Herbert will be available.Broncos may use Von Miller more often in coverage this season | Broncos WireSome fans in Denver may not be too thrilled about the idea of Miller doing less of what he does best, but if it works Bo Jackson Jersey , fans won’t be able to argue with the results.NFL newsDisney Makes Big Play to Stay in NFL’s TV-Football Game | Variety Roberts, best known for her regular appearances on “Good Morning America,” will serve this Thursday as an important presence on one night of ABC’s multi-evening coverage of the NFL Draft, an annual highlight for pigskin fans that will also be broadcast on ABC’s sister, ESPN. Both networks are part of the Walt Disney Company, which looks to be making its best play for NFL football as discussions about broadcast rights for the sport are nearing a new round.Everything You Need to Know About the 2019 NFL Draft’s Top Storylines | MMQBHere are the top-line storylines—the names, picks and decisions—that will shape the 2019 NFL draft, and ultimately the futures of many franchises.Dear NFL, please don’t overthink these college stars | ESPN.comConsider it our free scouting service to NFL general managers: Here are five “sleeper” players who despite the tape, production and numbers from their college careers will invariably be undervalued in the upcoming draft -- whether for size, shorter arms, slower 40 times or being a “tweener” at the pro level.Wonderlic test scores of 2019 NFL Draft quarterbacks leaked | Sporting NewsA well-researched article on Medium looked at quarterbacks only and determined there was a minor benefit at this position: “There seems to be a sort of smartness threshold, where the best NFL quarterbacks need to be at least this smart to see success. But once a QB passes that threshold (around a score of 25), their additional smartness has little to no effect on success on the field.” | The RingerIt is not a surprise that teams view players differently—traditional draft boards have wide variances even without the use of complex formulas. Each organization believed its in-house analysts had identified specific targets to build its draft strategies around. But what struck me is how very few of the teams’ targets overlapped with each other. One was obsessed with body composition. Another, using data collected from the traditional scouting process, thought it had found a formula to determine what constitutes a red flag.