2013 NFL mock draft: Titans select Jonathan Cooper

With the 10th pick in Pride Of Detroit's 2013 NFL mock draft, the Tennessee Titans select North Carolina offensive guard Jonathan Cooper. Detroit_fan is serving as the Titans' general manager, and his reasoning for the pick is below.

Taking a look at the Titans going into the 2013 draft, I think it's clear that they want to become a more physical football team. Heading into free agency, I think their biggest need was clearly at guard, and they really had two holes to fill at that position. The Titans have been major players in free agency, signing Shonn Greene, Sammie Hill, George Wilson and Bernard Pollard, and they didn't waste any time in filling one of the guard positions with the addition of Andy Levitre. You might think that the addition of Levitre will make them look elsewhere at No. 10, and I did think about taking a gamble on a playmaking wide receiver or pass rusher. But when your head coach is a Hall of Fame guard, I think the importance of having the offensive line be as strong as possible will dominate the discussion when making the pick.

A lot of people see Luke Joeckel and Eric Fisher as 1A &1B when it comes to offensive tackle, and I feel the same about Warmack and Cooper at offensive guard. Warmack is a more physical player but lacks versatility, and Copper is more athletic and can play all three interior positions. Just about anyone who studies him comes away very impressed with his explosiveness and overall athleticism. Cooper had a great combine and was one of the leaders on the bench press with 35 reps.

Jake Locker is entering his third season with the Titans, but he is still very raw and has limited experience, and when you pair Cooper with Levitre, I think this offensive line goes from a major weakness to one of the team's strengths. Not only does Cooper help protect Locker in passing situations, but he is a great run blocker, and he should really help the Titans improve their running game, which was in shambles last season.

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Check out the 2013 Pride Of Detroit Community Mock Draft tracker for a look at all of the picks.