I caught up with Nick Bishop to talk about the Titans draft (and of course Vince Young). Nick is a Titans blogger from TitanSized.com. He has some good insights into the hated Titans, and I recommend checking out his site if you want to keep up with the competition.

Which Titans’ draft pick were fans most pleased with?

I think majority of Titans fans would say the Britt pick in the first round was their favorite. It’s not that most people are even that crazy about it, but more the organization’s new commitment to the position. Him and the Jared Cook selection in the 3rd round showed fans that the Titans are trying to add even more explosiveness to the offense. Can you imagine if the O was as scary as the D? Nightmares. Overall, I would say that most fans are pleased with how the Titans drafted top to bottom.

Which Titans’ draft pick were fans most upset with?

Maybe CB Ryan Mouton in the 3rd round. I think the Titans had him higher on their board than a lot of other teams (he was a projected late round pick) but I kind of like him. He reminds me a lot of Courtland Finnegan with his instincts and aggressiveness.

Funny thing is, some may actually say it’s Kenny Britt. With LB Rey Maualga and CB Darius Butler still on the board (both positions of need) I have to say that I was a bit taken back when I heard Britt’s name called. In the end, I think they made the right pick. Kid has got tons of upside.

Which players from the Titans’ 2009 Draft Class do you think will be starters when the season starts and why?

I imagine Britt is already penciled in as the 3rd wideout. The rest will probably serve as backups and special teams guys. The Titans have most of the starting spots filled, but a lot of the picks from this class are players they hope will be able to play significant roles in the next 2-3 years. Gerald McRath, Tony Kropog, Cook and Mouton could be starters or first line depth guys in the next few seasons.

Do you think the Titans made any reaches in the draft?

Like I said earlier, Mouton may have been a bit of a reach, but the Titans apparently liked him enough to take him in the 3rd round. They feel like he plays with the same type of edge Finnegan does. Plus, he’s fast as hell and could possibly return kicks.

Some people may have a problem with giving up a 2nd round selection in next year’s draft to the Patriots to move up in the 3rd and select Jared Cook from South Carolina, but with what we’ve seen so far in OTA’s, he may have been a steal.

Do you think the Titans got any steals?

For sure. RB Javon Ringer out of Michigan State in the 5th round is the probably the biggest. He may lack size and ideal speed, but no way he should have fallen that far. I mean the dude rushed for over 4,300 yards in college. He creates major competition in the backfield immediately. Chris Henry is officially on notice and LenDale White will be elsewhere after next season if he’s looking for more money than the Titans are willing to give and they feel Ringer is capable of taking over the No. 2 role.

LB Gerald McGrath out of Southern Miss is another guy that I really like. He’ll get the opportunity to learn the outside linebacker position from Keith Bulluck and David Thornton with the expectation of him taking over for one of them in the next few years. No way he should have still been around when the Titans drafted him.

Just as I said that Cook could be considered a reach by some considering what they gave up, he could easily be one of the steals of the entire draft (all teams included) if he pans out. He is an absolute beast (6’5”, 246 with a 41” vertical) and I think he has a chance to not only contribute, but also make a major impact this season.

I was shocked that Mitch King didn’t get drafted, and the Titans signing him as an undrafted free agent was quite a coup when you put him with Sen’Derrick Marks and Jason Jones. With so many young and talented DTs on the roster, and after the departure of Albert Haynesworth, who would you speculate will be the starting DTs when the season starts?

To be perfectly honest, I didn’t really know a whole lot about King before the Titans signed him. I remember seeing his name in some post-draft coverage as a guy people were surprised didn’t get drafted, but other than that, not much. After reading about him though and his reasons for coming to the Titans I was blown away. I won’t go into it too much here, but I highly suggest you check out his story. Sounds like a great guy with an absolute motor.

As far as how the DT situation works out, I still think there is a lot left to be determined. I believe the starters are Javon Haye and Tony Brown right now, but I think we could see both Jones and Marks supplant them at some point. King even could if he’s serious about this “man on a mission” thing. I think the Titans will use more of a rotation than most teams because of this. And let’s not forget about Kevin Vickerson, although he is going to have to fight for a roster spot. Yes, losing Haynesworth was tragic (although I’m soooo glad we didn’t even consider paying him that much) but this group may be even deeper than last year’s.

How do you see Javon Ringer fitting in to the backfield with Chris Johnson and LenDale White ahead of him? Also RE: the RBs, what are the chances Chris Henry can stick around?

I think right now, he’s probably the 3rd running back on the Titans roster, but so are Rafael Little and Quinton Ganther. I’m not sure how it shakes out after “Twitch” and LenDale, but it’s a 3A/B/C thing. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s probably Ganther/Little/Ringer heading into camp, but by the end of, I could see it being Ringer/Little/Ganther. That most likely would leave Chris Henry as the odd man out because I don’t see the Titans rostering six RB’s.

Last season while checking out the Titans’ online community, it seemed like people were pretty evenly split on Vince Young still being the Titan’s QB of the future. In 2009, the last year where Young isn’t a huge drain on the salary cap – where does that debate sit?

I’d say it’s about 60/40, 70/30 or so. It seems like most people have lost all hope that Young will ever start for the Titans again, but the camp that is still behind him remains very strong. It’s hard to argue with his body of work on the football field (at least the win/loss record), but it just seems like the kid doesn’t get it. This is by far the biggest season of his career. He has to completely re-dedicate himself to football and to learning the playbook and reading defenses. The problem is, there are a lot of people that don’t believe he is capable of doing that. If something were to happen to Kerry Collins this season that forced him to miss some time (which as a immobile 36-year old isn’t that far-fetched), Young may be given another shot to run the offense. That is, if they don’t call on Patrick Ramsey instead…

Thanks again to Nick at TitanSized.com. I’ll catch up with the Jags and Colts at some point in the next few weeks as well. Anything to get us through the offseason doldrums.