NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- With the final pick in the draft, a team gets the chance to secure a guy it would have otherwise been hoping to land as an undrafted free agent.
It seems the Tennessee Titans did more than that when they drafted Southern Miss cornerback Kalan Reed as Mr. Irrelevant, 253rd and last in the 2016 draft.
At 5-foot-11 and 192 pounds with a 40-time in the 4.3s, he looks to offer more than the one trait teams often get in a late pick.
“Yeah, for sure,” Titans general manager Jon Robinson said. “We do some of the analytics research for what it is, we look at the Pro Football Focus stuff just for reference purposes. I think he had one of the better completion against rates in the country, being able to cover guys.
PFF loves Reed, who was their 54th-rated player, valued as a second rounder.
Mr. Irrelevant will be far from irrelevant for the @Titans.
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) May 2, 2016
Kalan Reed ranked No. 54 on our final draft board: https://t.co/6QjOoP0SyP
A personnel man I trust said his team rated Reed as a late-rounder.
“Has speed,” he said. “Needs more mass and grit.”
Reed grew up rooting for the Titans and played his first organized football in Nashville, where he lived from ages 3 to 6. His team played pee wee football at halftime of a Titans game at what is now Nissan Stadium.
He’ll have a chance to break into a group that includes Jason McCourty, Perrish Cox, Brice McCain, Antwon Blake, B.W. Webb, Cody Riggs, Blidi Wreh-Wilson and fifth-rounder LeShaun Sims.