Tennessee Titans' first round draft analysis

The Tennessee Titans own the 28th pick in the draft this year and could be looking to upgrade in several different areas after a sluggish free agent period.

The Titans have been unwilling participants in this free agent market because they only have about $5,000 in cap room to play with, which won't even get them a second string water boy.

So it appears they will have to do most of their upgrading through the draft this April.

Free agency has hit the Titan's roster pretty hard as well. All told so far, they lost safety Rich Coady and defensive tackle John Thornton, and will more than likely lose receiver Kevin Dyson soon.

In addition, they released quarterback Neil O' Donnell, center Gennaro DiNapoli and defensive tackle Henry Ford.

We can consider all these players a loss (except for DiNapoli maybe) and now the Titans are presented with the problem of having to fill these holes, primarily though the draft.

So what are the Titan's biggest team needs?

What the team lacked the most last season was a big play receiver to help stretch out the opposing defense and complement the strong arm of Steve McNair.

As previously mentioned, it appears that the team will lose Dyson, their best receiver, so his imminent departure will create an even bigger void at that position. And of all the other positions on the team, this is the position with the most need.

Can Tennessee fix their problem at wide receiver through the draft?

The answer is yes, and they could do it one of two ways.

The first way, and the most likely, is to trade up in the draft to obtain a player such as Andre Johnson from Miami, who probably won't be around in the 28th round when the Titans have their current first round pick. It is a sure thing that Michigan State standout Charlie Rodgers will go fast and they probably wouldn't trade too high to nab him.

But, there is another quality receiver who had a strong showing during his pro workout just the other day, and whose stock in the draft has moved up as a result. His name is Kelley Washington from the University of Tennessee.

The jury had been out on Washington since he suffered a severe neck injury last season with the Volunteers.

Well, the verdict is now in and Washington might have just moved himself into the first round and into the Titan's lap.

What's unique about Washington is his size/speed ratio.

Washington stands a tall 6'2" and weighs 215 (he dropped eight pounds since the scouting combine last month). And in his pro workout, he ran a 4.45, 40 yard, which answered a lot of questions about his speed.

Also, let's not forget that Washington is a little older than the normal player coming out of college (he will be 24 when the NFL season kicks off this year), so he proved that age is not a factor with him.

Washington did not drop a single pass during his workout and showed a real finesse style when catching the ball.

During his time with the Vols, he ran good routes and took on defenders well when passes were thrown his way.

He has the height and the reach to outmatch most defenders and has the size and strength to block on running plays. And playing his college ball in Tennessee can't hurt him either.

This could be the type of player the Titans are looking for. He's strong, big and fast and could give opposing defenses headaches and give Steve McNair someone to throw to who is fast and reliable.

Washington might not be at the top of everyone's list of wide receivers in the draft, but he has definitely moved up that list in the last week.