Greg Cosell’s draft preview: Dante Fowler should be Titans’ pick at No. 2

Everyone has an opinion on what the Tennessee Titans should do with the second pick. Should they go with a quarterback? Or take USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams?

I’d have a different answer if I was making that pick for the Titans. I’d take Florida outside linebacker/defensive end Dante Fowler. I think Fowler is the best defensive prospect in the draft.

When I watch film of college prospects, I like to watch a couple games on a prospect, move onto other players, and a couple weeks later watch a couple more of that prospect. I don’t want my first impression to carry through six or seven games in a row on a player. I’m glad I took that approach with Fowler.

Early on, I saw a few flaws. I saw a troubling tendency when he was at defensive end to play too high at the point of attack and get moved by tackles and tight ends. He was engulfed by big tackles. I wondered if he had the size and girth to play defensive end.

The more I watched, the more I liked of Fowler, to the point where I’d take him over any other defensive player in the draft. Fowler has natural athleticism and flexibility, good balance, lateral quickness with explosion, closing burst and speed – all the traits you look for in an NFL pass rusher.

He’s still a projection as a pass rusher (remember, all college players are projects) but he is just scratching the surface of what he can become. But he flashed explosive traits with a quick first step and excellent closing speed; Fowler has a chance to be a multi-dimensional pass rusher who can win with quickness, power and speed. He was even deployed at times as a coverage defender, and he had the athleticism and natural movement to do that effectively. He’s really a plus athlete with quick feet and fluid athleticism, and a competitive playing personality.

There are still a few questions. I don’t think he can transition to an NFL defensive end; he’s not big enough to even match up to tight ends in the run game. Can Fowler transition to the NFL as a weak-side linebacker in a 4-3? Can he develop into a run-and-hit linebacker? I think his best transition position will likely be 3-4 outside linebacker. Rushing the quarterback is his best skill and that’s always a priority in the NFL. I see similarities to Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews and Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston when they were coming out of college.

There are a ton of tools to work with when it comes to Fowler. He has a lot of athletic and explosive traits to work with, He has a chance to be a high level NFL pass rusher – my sense is he will be a better pass rusher in the NFL than he was in college.

Here is a look at some of the other edge defenders in this draft (and there are many good ones):

Shane Ray, Missouri

Ray mostly played defensive end at Missouri, and he has the natural explosion off the ball you look for in a pass rusher. He won a number of times because he was first off the snap. He showed the initial burst to beat the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle and the body flexibility to bend the edge and close with speed. Ray is very strong and powerful for his size; he plays a violent, explosive game with tremendous passion. He is competitive with a bit of nasty edge, the kind of player that doesn’t accept getting beat.

Even though he was 245 pounds he also worked as a “3 technique” tackle in passing situations and was effective in that role too. Against guards he used excellent hand usage and technique and was often too fast for them. Still, his best NFL position is probably 3-4 outside linebacker. If he ends up at 4-3 end, the best comparison for a player his size might be the Indianapolis Colts’ Robert Mathis.

Randy Gregory, Nebraska

Gregory can do a little of everything because he’s so athletic. His excellent movement flexibility, loose and fluid hips reminds me of a basketball player. He also has point of attack strength to stalemate and set the edge in the run game. Gregory is a high-level athlete who can rush the quarterback or play in coverage.

To me, he’s an even better prospect than Jadeveon Clowney, who went with the first pick last year. He’s a better athlete with more flexibility and explosive movement traits as an edge player. I think he best projects as a 3-4 outside linebacker in a base defense, but he can align in a three-point stance at defensive end in sub packages and rush the quarterback. Gregory will need to get stronger but has the body type to gain weight without losing his outstanding athletic traits.

Vic Beasley, Clemson

Beasley can’t play defensive end in a 4-3. He just doesn’t have the size for it and would not hold up. Beasley isn’t a point of attack player. He needs space to operate most effectively; the more room he has off the ball the more he can utilize his quickness and speed.

Beasley does have explosive closing speed as a pass rusher, and an outstanding short area acceleration. he also has a nice array of pass-rush moves for a young player. But this point he’s a quickness/speed/explosion pass rusher, because he does not have the body frame or strength yet to be a speed-to-power rusher. The question is can Beasley develop into a Von Miller type of player? That comparison may be valid.

Alvin “Bud” Dupree, Kentucky

I really like Dupree. The more I watched him, the more I really liked his traits as a player and a pass rusher.

Dupree just moves differently than most guys. He’s a really good athlete. Athletically a good comparison might be Jamie Collins of the New England Patriots, and I don’t take that lightly because I think Collins is an exceptional athlete. Dupree is a little different than most of the players on this list because he wasn’t a designated pass rusher for Kentucky. He was utilized often in coverage, even in sub packages. He was asked to fill multiple roles with a lot of different responsibilities in Kentucky’s defense. Yet, if you line up Dupree and tell him to rush the quarterback, I sense he could turn into a good NFL pass rusher.

Dupree must play stronger to make an immediate impact in the NFL, as he did not play to his size and explosiveness consistently. And at this point no real moves as a pass rusher. But he showed the natural athletic movement and off-the-ball burst to develop into a quality pass rusher in the NFL, if a team wants to use him in that way.

Eli Harold, Virginia

My initial sense is Harold not quick enough to be an edge pass rusher and not strong enough to be a power rusher. He’s not a true bend-the-edge pass rusher. He did not show the flexibility to get low and skim the edge. Also, at this point he is not strong at the point of attack in the run game; he did not show ability to stalemate or defeat blocks.

How does Harold project with coaching, NFL training and experience as an edge pass rusher? That will determine his draft position. What is his upside? I do not believe he should be a first day choice in the NFL draft. He’s a significant projection as a pass rusher. At this point I see similarities to Erik Walden of the Colts, a base 3-4 outside linebacker who also plays in the nickel as edge rusher, but isn’t a great rusher.

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NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell watches as much NFL game film as anyone. Throughout the season, Cosell will join Shutdown Corner to share his observations on the teams, schemes and personnel from around the league.