Pick 116 of the 2019 NFL Draft: Amani Hooker, S, Iowa

I heard Greg Cossell today say he loved every pick of the Titans except Hooker. He said Hooker isnt well enough equipped to play slot corner for us, is subpar athlete for SS but will be fine depth, and is a decent returner. He said there were better options at that pick, but every other pick was a slam dunk.

I'm struggling with this. His measurables are great. The tape grinders dont seem to be fans though.

 

Honestly, he was probably too busy to watch the tape. It sounds like the complaints people had about Desmond King at Iowa, who is now PFF's #2 CB. They loved both equally in college, despite scouts claiming that they were too slow

 

If at the very least this guy becomes a damn good back up and a serviceable nickel safety then we got a good deal.

We had a huge need at depth at the position and hes got the tangibles to possibly start.

 

For now...but if one of them can play in sub packages and be a legit backup at S will be active on game days. So whichever shows in coverage assuming they both are good at ST...will be next man up.

 

Honestly if we're constantly replacing starters I don't know if its a good thing unless we're winning Super Bowls.

Some guys may be great players but just may need to find another place for a starting gig. I think Byard and Vaccarro could be special and while its great for an upgrade, if they're performing, it might be hard to crack the starting lineup.

I think now that we're getting athletes who can compete we're gonna have to get used to true team building and not simply replacing players who can't perform. Even if a player sits 2-3 years, it doesn't matter, they could start for much longer and if we're winning, that's all that matters.

We could run into situations where we just have too much talent now. Ex. RB and S and LB. We might have to let some guys go who start some place else, but if we have our starters and scheme and good coaching, we should be good.

Good problems

 

Well if he becomes another Byard, you might be right. But if Simmons turns into another Fletcher Cox or Suh, it'll be a hard argument.

I've re-watched all the tape I can find. I'd say the biggest issues with him are that they almost never play man. Like 95% zone coverage so not much in man. He's a very active player and goes for the big negative plays in the run game which occasionally get him a little overcommitted and he'll miss a tackle for loss here and there (of course he makes some of those too). it also means he can start 12 yards off the ball and tackle the rb for a 3yd gain. In coverage he played man the most in the red zone...especially inside the 10yd line and did well there. In zone he's very active and very aware. Only issues I saw were on a couple of vertical routes. He got beat as the deep S in the Ohio state game and almost (the wr got by him but no catch) in another game. He seems to be anticipating the break. Something he'll have to be more careful with in the NFL.

But he looks very good on tape at CB, NB and S. Most of the time he played a robber type look when they started in a two deep look but rolled into cover 3 with him dropping down into a short middle zone. He's a good player. If you're throwing into a zone and are inaccurate, stare down your guy or throw late, he can make a play on the ball. But his man skills are a question mark as I saw very few reps there. I would have thought his short height and short arms might be a problem in taller wr's having their way with him in the red zone or when he faced the likes of Hakeem Butler...but he seems to get by wr blocks pretty quickly. He'll have to clean up some of his pursuit angles here or there. He won't be able to make too many shoestring tackles in the NFL.

I don't trust pff's grades so those numbers don't mean much to me...especially with a guy playing 95% zone. But he's a very good zone defender and makes quick tackles if he can't get there.

Too many question marks for me in man coverage so I think he's a 3rd round pick but with definite upside. He is a potential starter if we can develop him a bit. In the mean time, I think he will earn playing time in sub-packages at some point and be a special teams guy for now. But he does remind me of Byard in his anticipation, break on what he sees, and his hands! Not saying he's gonna be him, but you see some of that. He seems to also have a lot of the traits the Titans want in their culture. leadership. Hard work. Passionate about football!

 

Sub-par athlete for SS??? LOL! I guess he thought a lot of these DB's can't play.

Hooker's 4.48 40 is slightly above avg for a S and avg for a cb. For comparison, Baker and Murphy - 2 of the top cb's ran slower.

Hooker is between top 5 to top 10 in 3 cone, short shuttle and 60yd shuttle. That's out of ALL the db's at the combine and better than almost all of the cb's drafted. His 37" vert is above avg for the position and good for a cb.

If he doesn't like the pick and would have taken someone else, fine. But to say he is a sub-par athlete is a bit silly unless he's gonna rip almost every db in the draft (who are even less athletic) and thinks all of these players are only depth players and special teams guys. I'm sure he doesn't which makes his comment silly at best.

 

Eventually we are going to have to let good players walk because we can't afford to pay them. Especially if we end up resigning Mariota. Better have depth you trust behind them.

 

Yes, you keep your core and keep adding to that as you let players walk and hopefully developed them so you get a nice 3rd round comp for your trouble. You need to develop those players into solid starters to manage the cap well.

 

CBS Sports ranked this the 8h best trade out of 40 trades in the draft.

8. Titans leap for safety

• Ttans get No. 116 (S Hooker), 168
• Jets get No. 121, 157

The Titans made this move at a good price, as it only cost them a small move back later in the draft to jump five spots for a safety in Amani Hooker who could have gone a round earlier. He could have easily been taken in that five-pick wait until No. 121 -- the Browns in fact nabbed a safety of their own during that stretch. The Titans got a player that shouldn't have been available at a price that was fair to tilted in their favor. That's what makes a great deal.