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Can the Titans find defensive help in the first round?

With two first-round picks, the Tennessee Titans may look to supplement a defensive line that already features one of the league’s top interior linemen in Jurrell Casey (85.4 overall grade in 2016).

Tennessee, which often has its defensive ends line up in the 3-technique, may look toward drafting Alabama’s Jonathan Allen, Stanford’s Solomon Thomas or Michigan State’s Malik McDowell.

  • Allen was PFF’s top-graded pass-rusher among interior defensive linemen this past season. He ranked fourth in the nation with a pass-rush productivity of 12 and his 67 total pressures were the most for any interior defensive lineman. He also produced a run-stop percentage of 11.5.
  • Solomon Thomas, the top-graded run defender for interior defensive linemen, had a run-stop percentage of 12 last season. He made 36 run stops and applied 44 total pressures in 2016.
  • Malik McDowell, whose season was cut short due to an ankle injury, had a pass-rush productivity of 11.7 and a run-stop percentage of 11.2.
  • All three players saw sizeable workloads as 3-techniques last season.

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