Why Did The Titans Trade Up For Keldric Faulk?

Last night, the Tennessee Titans traded back up into the first round with the Buffalo Bills to pick Keldric Faulk with the 31st overall pick. The move has surprised fans around the league as the talent that was available and expected to be available at pick 35 is very similar. The odds are that Keldric Faulk and Zion Young, the two best edge rusher on the board, would still be there when the Titans picked.

Via Tennessee Titans

One of the the biggest sellings points for the Titans moving up into the end of the first was the ability to get the fifth-year option for Faulk. Only first round picks are elligible for the fifth-year option, which gives teams an extra year of top talent without having to work out a long-term contract. They are expensive but often not as expensive as some long term contracts can be yearly.

This move also just showcases how highly they thought of Faulk. As previously mentioned, Zion Young, another good pass rusher would likely have fallen to pick 35. Mike Borgonzi was not going to settle though and made a move up for his guy. The Auburn Tiger has speed off of the edge to threaten the opposing quarterback and the ability to shed tackles and stop the run before it even gets started.

The price was also extremely fair for moving up into the end of the first round. The main aspect was swapping the first day 3 pick which was a fourth rounder for a mid fifth rounder. The other aspect was trading back in the third round by three spots.

A first round pick is worth a lot, so the Titans knew what they had to do and went out and got it, making for a very exciting moment in the NFL draft and I am sure we will see other crazy moves all around the league tonight.