The Tennessee Titans landed a young man who was arguably the NFL Draft’s top talent at the wide receiver position.
Wright has superstar potential and only a lack of ideal height truly kept him from being in the mix to be the first receiver off the board in round one.
Wright has a ton of talent, can make highlight reel catches, is a savvy route runner who can star in the slot and could be ready to make an instant impact for the Titans if Jake Locker starts.
Wright can man the slot between Britt and Washington and can also fill-in for Britt when injured and will eventually supplant Washington as the number two in this offense.
Here is what others had to say about Wright:
“National Football Post: Despite his less than impressive 40 time at the combine, Wright plays as fast as any wideout in the draft. He can take the top off a defense and create big plays both from the slot and on the perimeter. He gives the Titans a big-time vertical threat and shouldn’t have any problems improving the offense from Day 1. NFL ceiling: Mike Wallace-type player. NFL floor: Vertical slot guy.:
ESPN:
“Doesn’t have great size and he doesn’t have great ball skills, but he’s a big play waiting to happen. He’s fast enough to stretch the field and he’s competitive in 50/50 ball situations. One of the things he needs to improve is catching the ball in stride, but he’s elusive and explosive after the catch.
This position has a chance to really improve if the Titans hit on Wright. Kenny Britt is an explosive playmaker, but he’s coming off an knee injury that kept him out of the lineup in 2011, and Nate Washington is coming off a career year, but can he repeat it? If both guys play up to form in 2012, Wright could be the perfect slot receiver inside to take advantage of his quickness, and that would give the Titans a really good three-wide receiver package. Although, this offense was very vanilla in 2011, with a more complete passing game, they could really open things up. You could see Wright really flourish with yards after the catch inside.”
Fantasy Analysis:
Kendall Wright – A big play waiting to happen Wright’s dynasty stock is through the roof as he is expected to replace Washington as a starter before long and will have the luxury of playing in single coverage across from Kenny Britt. While he may be the third or fourth receiver off the board in dynasty formats, the argument can be made that Wright is the most talented. His redraft value is up in the air with the QB uncertainty in Tennessee but he could emerge with WR3 value in year one. Wright projects as a flex2 with WR3 upside in his rookie campaign. Long-term we envision Wright as a solid WR2/WR3.
Kenny Britt – Kendall Wright is destined to become the number two receiver on this team so his selection does little to affect Britt’s dynasty value. Britt may actually benefit from Wright’s addition by year three as opposing defenses will have to pick their poison between two supremely gifted top-25 caliber wide receivers in Britt and Wright. Britt is still locked in as a WR2 with WR1 upside for the 2012 fantasy football season.
Nate Washington – Nate Washington has been put on notice as Kendall Wright is expected to supplant him for the number two role by seasons end and $4.8 million for a number three in 2013 is a little excessive. It is our feeling here that the Titans also have an in-house replacement in Damian Williams further mitigating Washington’s dynasty league value going forward. Washington will fight for flex value this season but is surrounded by more talented receivers and thus we recommend placing Nate on your do not draft list.
Matt Hasselbeck – Early indications seem to point to Hasselbeck getting the nod to start the season only to give way to Locker when the schedule gets easier or the Titans realize they will not be making the playoffs. We are avoiding Hasselbeck in drafts this year and advise you to do the same even as a QB2.
Jake Locker – Locker displayed his fantasy upside last season but unfortunately it looks like the plan is to give Hasselbeck the starts early until the schedule eases up. This may allow for Locker to be a sneaky in season pickup capable of filling in for injuries and bye weeks. We like Locker much better as a fantasy asset, and the addition of Wright gives him a solid corps of playmakers to work with going forward. There is a lot to like about his dynasty league prospects going forward.
Jared Cook – Cook was a popular breakout candidate last year but it never happened. Here we are again in late June and Cook’s ability is still undeniable. With that said however they could not work him to the offense last year and there is no reason to believe they will be able to with an extra mouth to feed. We are avoiding last years fools gold until TE2 territory where his upside is too good to pass up.
Chris Johnson – Any strong additions to the pass game is only going to help a motivated Chris Johnson. Eager to show that 2010 was no fluke CJ2K will find less stacked boxes than he has seen at any time in his career now that the Titans boast a trio of impressive receivers and a tight end oozing with upside. CJ2K will rush for over 1,600 yards this season and finish as a top-5 running back unless the Titans win less than 4 games.
