Mel Kiper 2011 NFL Mock Draft: Will Tennessee Titans Risk Drafting Nick Fairley?

Mel Kiper 2011 NFL Mock Draft Has the Titans Rolling the Dice on Fairley

Like most people, I imagine, I keep a list of all the guys that it would absolutely suck to get tackled by. Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime is on top until further notice, but Nick Fairley isn't far off the pace.

Of course, this is exactly why Fairley is on the top of quite a few NFL Draft wish lists out there. The former Auburn defense tackle was an absolute menace throughout his junior season, and there are plenty of SEC quarterbacks out there who can vouch that he hits hard (just tread carefully if you want to ask Goergia's Aaron Murray).

For a time, Mel Kiper projected Fairley to go No. 1 overall to the Carolina Panthers on Draft Day, but character issues and other concerns caused Kiper to drop him to the Tennessee Titans at No. 8 in his latest 2011 NFL Mock Draft (must have ESPN Insider).

Kiper made it out to be a simple matter of a the Titans filling a need:

Fairley gives [the Titans] immediate help at a spot they need to address, and he offers the value of a top-five pick. Disruptive versus both the run and the pass, he will help this defense now, and they can look for a linebacker later on.

If Fairley performs anywhere near the level he did at Auburn, where he spent the 2010 season racking up 11.5 sacks and 24 tackles for loss, the Titans could end up with the steal of the draft.

 

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Unfortunately, the red flags associated with Fairley's name at this point in time do make this pick something of a risk. He's been known as a dirty player for a while now, and a recent story from Vinnie Iyer of SportingNews.com sheds some rather unflattering light on Fairley's character. Apparently, he's not the most responsible chap.

Interesting. Kinda sounds like another star defensive tackle that used to be on the Titans. He would go on to accept a huge payday from the Washington Redskins, and he spent much of the 2010 season being ridiculed for being a worthless hack of a football player.

In case you're not getting my drift, we're talking about Albert Haynesworth. The last think the Titans need is a man after his image.

As always, one assumes that Kiper is aware of all this. Even so, it's hard to blame him for assigning Fairley to the Titans. He does fill a need, and he could be a star. So we shall see.

Grade: B

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