Less than a year after swinging a blockbuster trade to give up the No. 1 position in the 2016 draft, Titans general manager Jon Robinson isn’t ruling out more bold maneuverings this offseason. While Tennessee has the fifth and 18th picks in this year’s draft, Robinson told Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com that “it would be a mistake” to assume he’ll end up selecting in those spots. Robinson also implied that, if anything, he’ll move down again. The Titans are without a second-round pick, but they would “love” to have one, Robinson said. “Draft currency is a powerful thing in this league because it gives you a chance to acquire young talent,’’ he added. “They are less expensive players than guys who have played in the league six, seven or eight, nine or 10 years. So to be able to get two of those guys, or one of those guys if we trade, or three of those guys if we trade. … Whatever it is, draft picks are valuable currency as it relates to team building.”
More from the AFC:
While the Jets have two recently drafted quarterbacks on their roster in 2015 fourth-round pick Bryce Petty and 2016 second-rounder Christian Hackenberg, the franchise has little faith in either, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. General manager Mike Maccagnan opined Thursday that Petty has starting-caliber potential, but the organization only regards him as a backup behind the scenes, according to Mehta. Petty struggled mightily this season in his first taste of NFL action, completing 56.4 percent of attempts, tossing three touchdowns against seven interceptions and posting a 60.0 passer rating in parts of six games. Hackenberg wasn’t even active until Week 17, when he backed up Ryan Fitzpatrick, and a team source scoffed at the notion Thursday that the ex-Penn State Nittany Lion could be the Jets’ long-term solution. “He will never make it,” the source told Mehta. “Never.” Although Maccagnan stated that Hackenberg made progress during the season, the executive also implied that the Jets will look for an outside starter, revealing that “all options are on the table.”
More from New York and three other AFC cities:
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Let’s take a look at some notes out of the AFC on this Saturday evening…
Jalen Ramsey would prefer to play cornerback despite excelling at both secondary positions at Florida State, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union reports.
His preference for the higher-paying position, though, comes with the obvious caveat of being willing to play safety as well, possibly expressing malleability to increase his chances of being taken in the top three picks.
One AFC scout in attendance said, “Take your pick; either one” regarding Ramsey’s NFL fit. “He has the range; he’s got some length to him, and he has the ball skills,” the scout told O’Halloran regarding Ramsey’s ability to slot at free safety. “He has a lot of things going for him.”
Four GMs — the Titans‘ Jon Robinson, the Steelers‘ Kevin Colbert, the Buccaneers‘ Jason Licht and the Bills‘ Doug Whaley — attended the pro day, while Mike Mularkey and Mike Tomlin were on hand as well.
Here’s the latest about this year’s crop of top prospects.
The Browns were in attendance for Cal quarterback Jared Goff‘s Pro Day, but Zac Jackson of ProFootballTalk.com notes that the team made the prospect go through an additional workout.
Associate head coach Pep Hamilton reportedly drenched several footballs with water and asked Goff to make additional throws. The request makes sense, as Cleveland can have unpredictable weather during the football season.
“Growing up in California, I’m sure they wanted to see that,” Goff said. “It makes sense. But at the same time I’ve played in cold weather before. I wouldn’t be the first quarterback from California to play in cold weather. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers have done pretty well. They’ve been able to do it.”
Let’s take a look at some more draft notes from around the league…
Here’s the latest from around the NFL as we draw closer to free agency:
A look around the NFL as divisional weekend wraps up. . .
7:42pm: The Falcons offered Vital a different position, but he declined it, deciding instead to move on, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“I just felt, we felt that it would just be fairer for the new guy, who is going to be doing that duty, to deal with fresh people,” Vital said, per Ledbetter. “I don’t want to be staring at him and I don’t want him staring at me. I think it works out for both parties. The Falcons have been good to me. That’s how I want to leave it.”
6:07pm: The Falcons and director of player personnel Lionel Vital have parted ways, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Atlanta is only a year removed from increasing the workload of Vital, whom the team awarded additional pro scouting responsibilities and a role in college scouting last January. However, after a third straight non-playoff season, the Falcons and Vital are going in separate directions.
[RELATED: Falcons To Retain GM Thomas Dimitroff]
Vital, who has racked up 25 years of experience working for various organizations, has strong ties to newly hired Titans general manager Jon Robinson, reports ESPN’s Paul Kuharsky (Twitter link). That could make the 52-year-old a fit to join Robinson in Tennessee.
Despite going 2-7 in his most recent head-coaching audition, Mike Mularkey appears to be the clear favorite to become the Titans’ next full-time head coach, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.
The PFT reporter hears it would be a “massive upset” if the Titans don’t retain Mularkey, who replaced Ken Whisenhunt after seven games last season. This goes along with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reporting earlier today the Tennessee job is Mularkey’s “to lose.”
Owner Amy Adams Strunk developed a strong relationship with Mularkey, per Florio, last season and prefers the 54-year-old coach keep the job. Recent GM candidates Chris Ballard and Chris Polian did not share Strunk’s views on Mularkey’s potential, so they were not hired, Florio reports.
New GM Jon Robinson reportedly did agree to consider keeping Mularkey, who Florio notes will be offered a short-term deal with a salary on the low end of the head-coaching earnings scale.
Rapoport points out the Titans could make this official today. The team’s also interviewed Doug Marrone and
Teryl Austin and is set to meet with Titans DC Ray Horton today.
Mularkey carries an 18-39 coaching record and would be a rare third-try head coach without a playoff berth on his resume. His best season came with the Bills, when they went 9-7 in 2004. Mularkey’s Buffalo tenure lasted just two years, and his Jaguars stint, in 2012, produced a 2-14 mark.
Mularkey joined the Titans as their tight ends coach in 2014 before being elevated to assistant head coach prior to the 2015 season’s outset.
The Titans have gone 5-27 the past two seasons.
Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images
7:28pm: The Titans have officially announced the hiring of Robinson as their new general manager.
“As we visited with Jon and researched his career, his proven track record for scouting talent, leadership skills, and ability to build relationships make him an ideal candidate to lead our football operation,” controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement. “Jon is a proud Tennessean who is excited to be coming home, and we look forward to the future of our football team under his leadership.”
8:51am: The Titans are set to hire Jon Robinson as their GM, as Terry McCormick of Cover32 reports. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) first ID’d Robinson as the frontrunner for the job. An announcement finalizing his appointment could come as soon as today, per La Canfora. 
[RELATED: Titans Part Ways With GM Ruston Webster]
Robinson spent the bulk of his career with the Patriots, where he worked with Buccaneers GM Jason Licht. It was Licht who later brought Robinson to Tampa. Robinson, a Union City, Tenn., native, was mentioned as a potential candidate for the job shortly after Ruston Webster was let go. This time last year, Robinson was a candidate for the Jets’ GM vacancy, a job that ultimately went to former Texans scouting director Mike Maccagnan.
If the Titans do go ahead and hire Robinson, the ex-Bucs exec may tap Josh McDaniels as his head coach, Shalise Manza Young of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) hears. The Patriots offensive coordinator, who has been connected to multiple openings this offseason, reportedly has interest in the Titans job. McDaniels, 39, has been the the Patriots’ OC since 2012 and one has to imagine that he would be anxious to have Marcus Mariota as his quarterback. Meanwhile, McCormick (on Twitter) believes that all signs still point to Mike Mularkey being retained as head coach.
Webster joined the Titans in 2010 as VP of player personnel and was elevated to the GM job two seasons later. The team’s 18-46 record during his tenure is tied for the second worst in the NFL.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.