Titans named best team fit for WR Josh Downs

The Tennessee Titans are in the market for a wide receiver in the 2023 NFL draft, and quite possibly multiple after the team has failed to address its biggest need in free agency.

One potential option for Tennessee is North Carolina wide receiver Josh Downs, who the team has met with previously prior to his pro day.

In an article naming the best team fits for some of the more notable offensive players in this year’s class, ESPN’s Matt Bowen paired Downs with the Titans. Here’s what he had to say:

Why he fits: This Titans’ offense needs more playmakers and overall juice in the route tree, so I like fitting Downs with them in the second round. He’s an explosive slot receiver who can be schemed as a motion/movement player. 

Yes, as long as Derrick Henry is in the mix, the Titans will tend to be more run-heavy on the call sheet. I get it. But adding Downs to pair with 2022 first-rounder Treylon Burks will boost the pass game for quarterback Ryan Tannehill. This is where the Titans can expand their route system — especially on dropback throws — and create stress on opposing defenses at multiple levels with two targets who have catch-and-run ability. Tennessee only threw the ball 435 times last season, 29th-lowest in the NFL, so adding a dynamic receiver who caught 11 TD passes in 2022 should help improve that part of the offense.

Downs, who is projected by Bowen to go in the second round, is a slot receiver and good route-runner who would add some much-needed explosiveness to Tennessee’s offense.

He has a small frame (5-foot-9, 171 pounds), but as our Shaun Calderon pointed out in his scouting report for Downs, the North Carolina product plays a lot bigger than his actual size.

In fact, the former Tar Heel plays much bigger than his size would indicate. He’s not going to be a primary blocker, but he objectively plays the ball better than a lot of the bigger receivers in this class do.

Last season alone, Downs produced an elite contested catch rate of 72.2 percent (13-of-18).

The Titans already have a slot receiver on the roster in 2022 fifth-round pick Kyle Philips, but the jury is still very much out on him after an injury-plagued rookie campaign.

If the Titans feel Downs is an upgrade, they shouldn’t hesitate to take him in the second round or later if he’s still available. He should not be an option at No. 11 overall, though.