Drafting in Quarantine: A Look at JRob's War Room

Titans GM John Robinson, Via USA Today

Tomorrow night marks the start of the 2020 NFL Draft, yet the glitz and glam of Vegas will not be adorning our television screens. In fact, NFL General Managers will set up their war rooms in their own homes, not letting the COVID-19 lockdown stop them from making some serious moves. Titans GM Jon Robinson is definitely ready for the event at hand. The Tennessee Titans posted a picture of Robinson's draft setup today and it looks very elaborate. From what I can tell, Robinson is armed with two large monitors, three separate laptops, three notebooks, a sophisticated-looking house phone, and a high tech contraption that I cannot even begin to try and recognize. Clearly, Robinson is ready to put on his game face and secure some great draft picks. 



But, which route will JRob go? There's no question that there are tons of different scenarios that could play out this weekend. One that comes to mind for me would be finding RB Derrick Henry some reliable help in the backfield. According to Sports Illustrated, history shows that running backs who accumulate over 300 handles in one season end up regressing significantly the following year. For instance, both La'Veon Bell's and Demarco Murray's performances declined substantially after both of their 300+ touch seasons. Like Derrick Henry, "Bell... was franchise tagged after that [breakout] season."  The following year, "...he ran for just 789 yards with 3.2 yards per carry." Murray experienced a similar fate, acquiring a mere 702 yards in 2015 after touching the ball a whopping 392 times in 2014 (Avery Yang, Sports Illusrated, 2020).

There's no question that the kind of reliance on the running back position that was used by the Titans last season could take a heavy toll on Henry's performance in the near future. So, how should Robinson try to combat history? The answer is simple: draft another worthy running back that can help alleviate some of Henry's workload. Some great prospects to look out for are Ke'Shawn Vaugn (RB, Vanderbilt), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB, LSU), and Cam Akers (RB, Florida State). Not only would another runningback help lighten Henry's endless list of responsibilities, but it could also keep him on his toes.