When Andrew wrote up the selection of Missouri linebacker Zaviar Gooden with the Titans' third-round compensatory pick, 97th overall, his reaction was a common one. Gooden is a weakside linebacker. The Titans already have a starting weakside linebacker, Zach Brown, whom they drafted in the second round last year. Brown has plenty of room for improvement, but looked pretty good at times last year and is not about to be replaced.

The real key to the pick of Gooden, though, is found in the Titans' media release before the draft. While the depth chart included in there is unofficial, one thing in particular stood out: Zach Brown was the only player listed at weakside linebacker. Brown is coming off offseason shoulder surgery. Offseason surgery is not a big deal until it becomes a big deal. Both Ruston Webster and Mike Munchak noted Brown's surgery as a reason for drafting Gooden in radio interviews after the draft, and Munchak indicated he may be limited until training camp. Backup weakside linebacker was on my list of team needs, but it was somewhat lower down and a position I thought would be most likely filled by a veteran, especially considering the overall youth of the starting linebackers. If there was the right veteran who fit their needs there and was willing to be a backup, though, they'd already have signed him.

So did the Titans really just draft a backup whom injury may force into the lineup in the third round? Well, mostly. There are situations in which Gooden could see the field on defense-this isn't drafting a backup offensive linemen or quarterback, whom you hope plays 0 snaps at all. In the right scheme, you could play him and Brown at the same time. That would most likely be in some sort of sub package. After last offseason's Akeem Ayers speculation that basically never panned out, though, I'm reluctant to suddenly declare the Titans will do a lot of exotic or particularly interesting things with their linebackers. Even when linebackers coach Chet Parlavecchio talked about playing them together, he said "you could see that develop into a situation where both of them are on the field at the same time." To me, that says it's something you could see in the future, but it's not necessarily in the immediate plan for Gooden. Further, aside from some brief and ill-advised moments with Gerald McRath, the Titans' nickel linebackers have been linebackers who played in base personnel. It just makes a lot more sense to do things that way.

Is drafting a backup a good use of a third round pick, even one in the compensatory part of the round? Well, it's not that unusual of a situation. Expectations for picks there are relatively modest. When I wrote about the 2007 draft, I noted Leroy Harris, who went half a round later and didn't become a starter until his fourth season, was about average. The expectations for Gooden are slightly higher than that, but not by that much. It speaks to a certain, well, lack of ambition, but that's not exactly a new criticism from me when it comes to how the Titans have used later picks. In a "win in 2013 or get fired' world, Gooden fills an immediate need that may be bigger than we all thought.

As far as who Gooden is as a player, he's a weakside linebacker, a fairly pure run-and-chase player who struggles in the box and when asked to take on players. The upside of a player like that is Zach Brown. Gooden tested really well at the Combine, but whereas Brown at times really flashed dominant athleticism, watching Gooden was similarly at times exasperating and not nearly as impressive an experience. At least when talking about the corners, the Titans have indicated they may be playing more man coverage. Gooden would be a better fit there, I think, than as a zone defender. With a young Brown's inattention to his responsibilities and without Brown's athleticism and recovery speed, Gooden's tape portends NFL difficulties without big improvement. But he should be really good on special teams.

After signing 15 undrafted free agents despite only having 12 roster spots after selecting eight players in the draft, the Titans needed to clear some roster space. And they did, releasing wide receiver Lavelle Hawkins and waiving wide receiver Michael Calvin and safety Suaesi Tuimaunei.

Obviously Hawkins is the biggest name of that trio. The Cal product was a fourth round pick in 2008 who struggled to find consistent playing time his first three years in the league, totaling only 19 catches and never more than seven in a season. He finally found a niche in 2011, as a slot receiver in new offensive coordinator's Chris Palmer run-and-shoot-inspired offense, and totaled 47 catches for 470 yards. The Titans were impressed enough by this to hand him a three year contract in January for $7.5 million, including a $2 million signing bonus, then barely used him. Drafting Kendall Wright and a return to health (more or less) by Kenny Britt relegated him to the sidelines. Hawkins finished the season playing in only 51 offensive snaps over seven games and had a mere 5 catches for 62 yards. As he himself recognized, it seemed very unlikely the Titans would pay Hawkins' scheduled $1.9 million salary for a receiver whom they played that little the prior season, and I always considered his release a matter of when rather than if.

Of the other players released, Michael Calvin was another Cal wideout. He joined the Titans on a futures contract in January after spending time last year as a rookie undrafted free agent with the Falcons. Suaesi Tuimaunei joined the Titans' practice squad last December when they elevated tight end Brandon Barden to the 53-man roster to fill Jared Cook's spot. He signed a futures contract at the end of December and was part of a crowded and murky bottom of the safety depth chart. Pending the announcement of the undrafted free agents, the Titans have nine receivers and eight safeties.

Hawkins' release creates $1.33 million in dead money, all of which hits the 2013 cap. The loss of his salary, though, increases the Titans' available cap room to about $7.0 million from $6.3 million. The cap hits from the Calvin and Tuimaunei releases are negligibile. The Titans should have about $4.4 million in salary cap space after signing their draft picks.

Now that we're after the draft, it's time to say some more things about the players the Titans drafted. I covered Chance Warmack on Friday, so next up is the Titans' second-round pick, wide receiver Justin Hunter.

Andrew covered some of this when he wrote up the Hunter pick, but the former Vol standout could be anywhere from a great player to Yet Another Titans Second Round Receiver Bust. Mike Munchak noted in an interview he was the top receiver on the Titans' board, which is completely believable. Even people who are more skeptical of his NFL future mention names like Randy Moss and A.J. Green in terms of his raw physical talent. Why, then, did people like Matt Waldman and Optimum Scouting rank him the 12th-best receiver in the draft class?

Simple. Hunter is a project for wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson. As Waldman chronicled here and here, he has plenty of work to do to be a good wide receiver. Waldman compared him in a sense to Stephen Hill, but Hill's rawness as a prospect stemmed from playing in Georgia Tech's triple option offense with an unsophisticated passing game. Tennessee ran a dropback passing game (more or less) and had its receivers run a route tree. That Hunter is not more skilled at his technique is because, if you believe Derek Dooley, Hunter did not put in the hard work needed to be a better player. Reading the various scouting reports and watching Hunter drop entirely too many passes in 2012, Dooley's contention is completely believable.

With the draft in the books and before I delve into more detail on the players the Titans drafted, I thought it was worth taking a broader look at how the Titans handled the draft.

Coming into the draft, the Titans had two clear immediate needs, for a starter at right guard and a cornerback who could at least compete to play significant snaps as a rookie, even better if he could play in the slot. Beyond that, they had a need for depth at linebacker and defensive end in particular. Next in priority came future starters at a number of positions, including offensive tackle, linebacker, and safety. While not necessarily holes in the depth chart, the Titans also had a need for impact payers everywhere on defense, and particularly on the defensive line.

In selecting offensive guard Chance Warmack from Alabama with the tenth overall pick, the Titans filled that biggest need, for a starter at right guard. I wrote about Warmack before the draft and also covered him the day after the pick was made. Even the people like me who don't like Warmack that much think he's likely to be a good NFL player for a long time, and he clearly fills an extreme immediate need. That Jonathan Cooper was already off the board as the first guard probably made it easier for the Titans to grab Warmack here, though they seemingly would have otherwise considering that he was apparently the number two player on their draft board.

In the second round, the Titans traded up from their 40th pick to the 34th and selected Tennessee wide receiver Justin Hunter. There are two interesting things here, Hunter and the trade, and I'll discuss Hunter in this post and leave the trade discussion for another day. Before tearing his ACL in 2011, he flashed explosive big-play potential. As a tall (6'4"), thin (195 pounds) receiver, he inevitably drew comparisons to Randy Moss, though of course there are a lot more guys who look like Randy Moss than there are guys who play like him. Still, I thought he could be a top ten pick. In 2012, though, he played like a guy who was coming off an ACL injury, not showing the same physical explosion and struggling badly with drops. Hunter seems like Kenny Britt insurance, but this was a weird pick to me because the Titans seemed relatively set at receiver. Further, even early-round wideouts have shown they are very hit-and-miss in terms of rookie production. The Titans assumedly have a plan for how they'll use Hunter productively even as a rookie, but I don't know what that is.

The Titans have added the following undrafted free agents, as per tweets from Jim Wyatt.

With their final pick of the 2013 NFL Draft, #248 overall, the Titans selected Nebraska SS Daimion Stafford.

Stafford is a big, physical in the box strong safety, a big hitter who might need some improvement in his coverage skills.

If he makes the roster, it appears that he'll be depth behind Bernard Pollard and George Wilson.  Pollard is signed to just a one-year contract and Wilson for two years.

With their sixth round compensatory pick, #202 overall, the Titans selected Nevada CB Khalid Wooten.