Titans go BPA in first round, select Boise State CB Juan Bigby
The Titans nearly traded out of the first round when they received a call from an unidentified team looking to get into the bottom of the first round, presumably to pick Bigby,who dropped lower than expected.
“It was a solid offer.” Titans GM John Robinson explained. “We considered it but in the end we were excited to have a chance to draft Juan there.”
Bigby, a fifth year senior from Boise State, led the Mountain West in interceptions with five despite a number of teams avoiding throwing at him.
Bigby is the 7th CB off the board in the first round. The Jets picked Auburn's Justin McPhee 4th, the Eagles selected Joel Grant out of Syracuse 11th, the Broncos chose McPhee's teammate Thurman Judge with the 13th pick, the Patriots took Dalvin Michaels from Clemson with the 19th selection, Washington's Cortney Webb went to the Vikings at 21 and Northern Illinois' DeAndre Ford was taken by the Lions at 23.
“A lot of talent at the position in this draft.” Mel Kiper Jr. said after the pick. “After McPhee and Grant I had a lot of those other corners jockeying back and forth week to week. If Bigby as at a bigger school he could have snuck into the top ten and I expected him to be a top 15 pick.”
Bigby, listed at 6'2” and 181 pounds, is a solid tackler who doesn't shy away from contact. Along with his five interceptions he also forced three fumbles, recovering two. Always looking to make the most of a takeaway Bigby found the endzone three times in 2021.
Bigby was a solid punt and kick returner early on at Boise State before focusing exclusively on defense the past two seasons.
CB may or may not be a need for the Titans. They've moved on from Buster Skrine and Janoris Jenkins, who played the most and second most snaps at CB in 2021. The team is looking toward the future with Kristian Fulton, Caleb Farley, Elijah Molden and now Bigby expected to be the top contributors at the position in 2022. All four are 23 years old.
Pick Details
Round 1, Pick 27
Juan Bigby
Cornerback
Boise State
6'2” 182
23 Years Old
2021 Stats: 53Tkl, 5Int, 3FF, 2FR, 3TD
CAR Stats: 107Tkl, 11Int, 5FF, 2FR, 5TD
Combine Results
40 Yard Dash: 4.46
Bench Press: --
Vertical Jump: 36.5
Broad Jump: 123
3 Cone Drill: 6.97
20 Yd Shuttle: 4.30
60 Yd Shuttle: --