The Tennessee Titans clearly held offense as a priority headed into 2015 NFL Draft, and took wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham with the 40th-overall pick after drafting quarterback Marcus Mariota in the first. The plan is for the two college stand-outs to mature together and establish themselves as the core of an offense on the rise, a plan that may very well work out given the abilities of both players.
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Green-Beckham is the definition of a physical freak, standing at a robust 6’5” and weighing in at 237 lbs. Combine that size and catch radius with his 4.49-speed and you have all the makings of a premier NFL talent. He has incredible hands and body control, and has the burst to blow by corner backs on any given route. Green-Beckham has no reservations about being physical, and made a habit of coming down with balls that he really had no business catching. For example, this end zone fade against Indiana in 2013:
In 2013 he led Missouri with 12 touchdowns and 883 yards on 59 receptions, so he’s performed at the highest level of college football. Green-Beckham was also widely considered one of the best blockers of the top-tier wide receivers in the draft class, which is a huge boost in his overall value to the team. This ability likely stems from his propensity for contact--where many wide receivers shy away from bumping in their routes, Green-Beckham oftentimes will be the one doing the chipping. The same follows for hand-fighting while in the air.
However, his profile is not without warts. He was dismissed from the Missouri program following a litany of arrests and incidences, most of which were marijuana-related. The former High School Player of the Year has long been regarded a “problem child”, both on and off the field—his work ethic was called into question during his college career in addition to the legal issues. As we have seen in recent years with Justin Blackmon and Josh Gordon, no amount of talent can overcome legal problems and massive character flaws, so Green-Beckham will likely carry a red flag for the next few years regardless.
Assuming he can keep his life together, Green-Beckham offers massive fantasy potential, although perhaps not right away. The Titans are committed to Marcus Mariota, and Green-Beckham is the most physically-gifted receiver that he has to work with. Green-Beckham will need to develop as a route-runner, and likely won’t emerge as a fantasy asset until he does, so 2015 may be a lost cause. Going forward, he could become a legitimate WR2 as Mariota develops and the Titans offense improves overall. I could see Green-Beckham becoming a Dez Bryant-type receiver, capable of excelling at both deep balls and red zone passes. There have been plenty of comparisons to Calvin Johnson and even Randy Moss when so-called experts discuss Green-Beckham, and while I'm not putting him on that level just yet, it's also not out of the realm of possibility.
If you’re in a keeper or dynasty league, he is well worth snagging during the last few rounds of your 2015 draft and holding on to. In a rookie draft I'd look at Green-Beckham towards the middle of the first round, as he likely won't become a true impact player until a year or two down the road. I like him better than guys like Devin Funchess or Philip Dorsett, but he doesn't have the immediate upside of guys like Breshad Perriman, Kevin White, or DeVante Parker.
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