8. Tennessee Titans - Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson Tigers
It's imperative that the Titans go defense early in the 2011 NFL Draft. Sure, quarterback is a huge need, but both Blaine Gabbert and Cameron Newton are off the board, and that's a big factor. Many mocks have someone like Nick Fairley falling to Tennessee, and surely they'd be giddy to take the Auburn tackle, but in this scenario, he's not around, and the Titans are left to consider a couple options.
To me, it truly is only a "couple" options, in that Da'Quan Bowers and Robert Quinn are the guys to watch here. They need a pass rusher and they need a defensive end, but more than that, they just need to strengthen their front seven. Bowers has injury concerns, but they stop becoming a factor at one point. He's a top five talent who fell to the back-end of the top ten because of said injury concerns, and the Titans are the team to pull the trigger. He could end up in Denver, Buffalo, Cincinnati or Cleveland before he winds up in Tennessee, but in this scenario, he's around.
And they take him, with gusto. Bowers is athletic, disruptive and versatile. He will do exactly what the Titans want him to do, and he'll do it whenever they tell him to. He'll play every down and, providing his leg holds up, he'll make the Tennessee defensive line one of the better units in the National Football League.
One other player I considered here was Julio Jones, wide receiver. I don't consider it likely that he goes at this point, but if they feel like they need offensive playmakers, eight isn't necessarily a reach for that kind of talent.