The Tennessee Titans hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, and after not investing in a big name offensive tackle in free agency, most expect them to use that pick on Mississippi offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil.

Adding Tunsil certainly fills a need, but so does selecting Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey. In adding Ramsey, the Titans will not only fill a need, but also select a player who can make the most immediate impact for a pass defense that struggled with injuries and inefficient play in 2015.

In part due to injuries — including a groin injury that limited top cornerback Jason McCourty to just four games — the Titans’ pass defense fell apart down the stretch in 2015. The Titans allowed the third-most passing touchdowns (34) and the seventh-most 40-plus yard passing plays (12) in the NFL.

Deep coverage was a major issue for the Titans, and they were unable to find a safety with the range to play next to Da’Norris Searcy. The Titans have since moved on from deep safety Michael Griffin, releasing him in February and freeing up $6.5 million in 2016 salary cap space. The Titans run a defensive scheme where both safeties are expected to have the ability to defend the deep half, and adding Ramsey to the mix would provide them two safeties who can make plays in the deep half and at the line of scrimmage.

At Florida State, Ramsey was used as a cornerback, deep safety and even in the slot to match up with move tight ends and make plays around the line of scrimmage. Ramsey possesses the size (6-foot-1, 209 pounds), explosion (11’3” broad jump), and most importantly the mentality to be a play-maker in the box. On film, you see a player who is not only a willing tackler, but also someone who is not afraid to get physical at the point of attack.

Ramsey also possesses the deep speed (4.41 40-yard dash) to play the deep half of the field successfully. In addition to his projection at safety for the Titans, he has the proven track record and athletic projection to be utilized as both a nickel defensive back in the slot or as a press cornerback on the outside.

(Photo by Logan Stanford/Icon Sportswire)

The Titans allowed 11 touchdowns to tight ends in 2015 — that’s not a misprint. Rob Gronkowski only accounted for one of them. Ramsey will immediately provide the Titans with a much better option to matchup against the NFL’s tight ends in the red zone and on key third downs.

Despite allowing just the 26th-most passing yards per game, the Titans allowed 21 touchdowns to wide receivers in 2015. This number does not rank them among the league’s bottom feeders, but it is certainly not one to write home about either. The defense allowed 12 touchdowns to wide receivers from Week 12 on — a major factor was the injuries.

Ramsey has had success at Florida State matching up with wide receivers in one-on-one coverage on the outside. He is not a quick twitch athlete, but he is long, strong and he has the recovery speed to match up with most of the NFL’s outside receivers. He displayed solid technique as an outside cornerback in college and even earned strong coverage grades from Pro Football Focus throughout the last three seasons.

Early draft picks at offensive tackle have struggled over the last few seasons. Many NFL analysts believe this is largely due to the fact that fewer college offenses are preparing offensive tackles for the next level — the spread offensive concepts that we are seeing more of at the college level do not translate well. Tunsil certainly has upside to develop into an elite tackle — in the Tyron Smith mold — but it could take time.

Titans general manager Jon Robinson admitted that he would consider trading the No. 1 overall pick for a package of draft choices, but adding an elite talent to the secondary — to pair with McCourty — creates a fast track for the Titans to compete for the AFC South division title immediately.