Craig Stevens was a draft pick based on value, not need
It seems like every year I get caught up in the all the hype and hoopla during the draft. As the draft progresses and as each Titans’ turn to be on the clock nears, I find myself looking to see what position of need will be addressed next.
I plead guilty for looking so much at positions of need and in the excitement failing to recognize that’s not the way things always work. It was certainly a case of making a decision based on value rather than need when Tennessee called Craig Stevens‘ name with the 22nd pick in the third round, the 85th selection overall.
Although the Titans had needs at receiver, d-line, corner and linebacker they invested their third round pick in Stevens, a tight end. While there was some need for another TE, it certainly wasn’t a priority at the beginning of the second day in the draft.
In my opinion, that means that Stevens was the player the Titans had graded highest on their board at that point. And if so, fair enough. Now that the heat of the moment has long passed, I no longer mind them selecting a player based on value. After all, I should be looking at long-term value here and how the selections will have panned out four years from now.
In the short term, I like the fact he’s rated as such a great line of scrimmage blocker. He can contribute right away there, filling the void left after the loss of Ben Hartsock. Let’s face it, there are questions about Alge Crumpler’s blocking and Bo Scaife is a H-back, not an inline blocking tight end.
There’s also the hope Stevens might develop into a decent receiving TE. He didn’t get that many passes thrown his way in college, but that’s primarily because Cal had DeSean Jackson and Lavelle Hawkins at WR. The scouting reports on him are certainly promising.
This is what Jeff Fisher had to say about Stevens:
“We had a number of players targeted and when we got to our pick and Craig [Stevens] was there, there was no question. He is a very, very productive tight end. He has all the characteristics – height, weight, speed, can catch. He is in our opinion one of the better blocking tight ends to come out and he can do both. He gives us depth and he has the ability to play right away, contribute on special teams and do all those things. For where we were and the need, we thought Craig was just the perfect pick there. … He can stretch the field because he has the speed. Craig is a tough guy and he can run and catch and stretch the field. He is a complete tight end from that standpoint. He gives us the insurance and depth and will develop into a good player.”
Scout Phil Neri had this report:
“He has always been a dependable guy in the weight room and those kinds of things. He is one of those, you hate to use the blue collar, but that is what he is. What you see is a tough, hard nosed guy. That is kind of his background. He is a San Pedro kid who has worked his way up. Every year he has gotten better there. His upside is as a receiver. He has been a very solid player at both ends of the spectrum.”
I’m not uncomfortable with this draft pick now and I have a gut feeling I’ll like Stevens a whole lot more in a few years. Guys who can block have always been favorites of mine and if Stevens catches a few passes along the way, then that’s just gravy.
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12 Responses to “Craig Stevens was a draft pick based on value, not need”
May 15th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
I hope you are right Andrew about Stevens’ value. With a CB like Justin King, WRs like Andre Caldwell and Mario Manningham and DEs like Jeremy Thompson and Cliff Avril still available, I was as surprised as anyone that the Titans took Stevens. I would have thought that each of these guys would have been valued as highly as Stevens. Besides, I thought Dwayne Blakley was going to be the blocking TE for the Titans this year. I didn’t think they needed more than one.
May 15th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Bo is entering the last year of his contract, and will likely get a decent payday if this years Free Agency is any indication. (see Troupe and Hartsock both top 5 TE FA’s)
Alge is a known playmaker but at his age and with his knees he is likely on his way to retirement. (next Corey Simon?)
Time will tell if he rebounds well this season and still has gas left in the tank.
Hartsock last season was a very good blocker for us but wasn’t much of a passing threat.
It sucked to let him go because he was a very good blocker for us,
There just wasn’t value for us to overpay a good blocker with no upside.
Dwayne Blakely hasn’t done much in 4 seasons.
Leonard Stephens has been in the league since 2002 and has quite literally done nothing.
Jamie Petrowski is an NFL Europe guy who hasn’t done anything.
I believe that many of us have wrongly assumed we were fine at TE, but upon closer examination, we actually were in serious need of a good TE for the future as well as a good blocker to fill Hartsock’s production in that area.
When you consider that both Alge and Bo could easily be gone after this season, the need for a good TE becomes DIRE!!!
Especially when we don’t know how deep the 2009 TE class will be, or who will be available at our picks.
Potentially having to heavily depend on a rookie TE next season isn’t very appealing either.
May 16th, 2008 at 7:31 am
I couldn’t agree more PBV - Titans can’t count on Crumpler, anything he gives them is a bonus. Also, Titans will not likely shell out the cash necessary to lock Scaife up long term.
May 16th, 2008 at 8:29 am
I don’t understand Crumpler production being a bonus. The guy may not be a Pro Bowler any more, but he’s easily good for 50 catches this year. If we get that, I would consider that to be expected, not a bonus. Crumpler returning to Pro-Bowl form would be a bonus.
May 16th, 2008 at 10:30 am
It is possible that Crumpler’s poor performance last season shouldn’t be attributed to age/knee issues, but to the horrendous qb situation last year in Atlanta, with Harrington/Leftwich/Redman combining to form a terrible trio.
I could easily envision a scenario where Crumpler has a good season as a result of being in a new environment, especially if Vince continues his development.
Crumpler’s biggest role will be in the redzone, where he has been an impact player for years in Atlanta. If Crumpler can catch 5-8 TD’s in the redzone, color me satisfied.
As for Stevens, the guy has the right attitude and work ethic to succeed in this league. Now it’s up to him to come in and make an impact by becoming a threat in the passing game.
May 16th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I have believed that the Titans needed a more dependable TE that can block AND catch. It seemed that McNair always had Wycheck to throw the ball to. While the pundits graded the Titans draft as an “F”, it seems VY could use a reliable TE as a safety valve. Speaking of Wycheck, the same “blue collar, hardworking” label applied to him as well.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
i love this pick because i saw how much hartsock affected the run game last year.
i think craig stevens fills a definite need, and talking about manningham (isn’t he injured?) or caldwell (florida bust?) as better picks is questionable.
he was a very valuable pick, but i still think he was a pick based on both value and need because of the space he fills.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
I’d be shocked if Manningham was on the Titans’ board at all. They weren’t about to draft a player who’d been suspended for dope or who lied to teams who interviewed him. No way, no how, not having finally gotten rid of Pacman.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Garland - apparently the other teams in the league don’t share your unbridled optimism about Crumpler. Seattle was the only other team seriously pursuing him. He got 2y/6m from the Titans. Falcons paid 3y/9m for Hartsock (yes a little different because he’s a blocking TE) and Cincinatti paid the same for Utecht who’s a 35 catch guy. Not trying to be negative, but take a realistic look at the situation - only one other team thought he was worth a shot and if he’s a 50+ catch guy, then the Titans got a steal.
May 17th, 2008 at 6:43 am
The Titans wouldn’t have even had Mannigham on its draft board because he smoked a little weed in college and was afraid to tell people about? I can accept that he would slide down the draft board because of this, but to eliminate him completely, that’s crazy. He was a great college player (perhaps the best WR in the draft) based on college production. He was not a one-year wonder and he played in a top-tier college program against a high level of competition. And he produced big-time in that environment. His transgression was smoking weed, not assaulting people in bars and strip clubs or breaking and entering. At least Mannigham, and even Caldwell to a lesser extent, consistently put up good reception numbers in college - and did so in more than one year. That is something that Stevens did not do.
May 17th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I know this is highjacking the Stevens thread, but look at it as Manningham v. the rest of the WRs, not Stevens v. Manningham. Manningham was a really productive college player, but (i) ran a really bad 40, (ii) reportedly scored a 6 on the Wonderlic, (iii) had enough of a problem with marijuana in college UM Coach Lloyd Carr suspended him for a game last year, and (iv) lied to NFL teams at his combine interview. You can admit to pretty much anything in the combine interview (Gaines Adams and Calvin Johnson reportedly admitted to using marijuana last year, and they went #2 and 4 overall), but lying is an absolute kiss of death.
I was high on Manningham at the end of the year, figured he’d be a late 1st round pick, but then all of (i)-(iv) came out. He went about as high as he could reasonably expect to have gone. I’d bet least 10 teams took him off their board completely. For more, see MGoBlog.
June 5th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Stevens was a phenomenal pick and will get better and better throughout his time with the Titans!!!
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