Titans should draft quality over quantity at WR

As we all know, the Titans haven’t selected a wide receiver in the first round since Kevin Dyson was chosen over Randy Moss with the 16th pick of the 1998 NFL Draft. Injuries derailed Dyson’s once-promising career while Moss continues his trek towards making his claim as one of the league’s all-time greatest receivers.
The Titans’ misfortunes with drafting wide receivers have been worse in the rounds outside of the first, where 13 selections have been devoted towards the wide receiver position since Dyson was picked. As the case with Fridays, thirteen has been an unlucky number for the Titans as well, with the aforementioned thirteen receivers combining for a grand total of 0 1,000 yard seasons.
In the last three drafts alone, the Titans have made a whopping seven selections in their quest to improve a WR unit that has been a thorn in the team’s side for years. While Roydell Williams and Brandon Jones have shown signs of being competent NFL wideouts, the ill-fated Titan tenures of Courtney Roby, Joel Filani and Jonathon Orr have already come and gone.  
The end result of the Titans’ cost efficient attempts of improving the wide receiver position is the predicament that still exists today: the ongoing search for a legitimate go-to WR.

Instead of the “Aldi” value approach towards adding groceries to their offensive arsenal, the Titans should for the first time since 1998, shop in the “Publix” of the NFL Draft: the first round. With the likes of Roydell Williams, Brandon Jones, Paul Williams, Chris Davis, etc. already on board, there is no need to continue to stock the cupboard with “value” WR draft selections outside of the first round.
The Titans are in need of a premium talent, such as Limas Sweed, Desean Jackson or Devin Thomas, receivers who, on paper, have the physical skills to be difference makers in this league.
Sure, there is the potential for WR busts in the first round: the fans of the teams that selected J.J. Stokes, Charles Rogers, David Terrell and Troy Williamson can without hesitation vouch for that. The financial repercussions associated with a first round bust are also greater when compared to investing in lower round choices.
However, as the Titans unfortunately know, you’re just as likely to select the likes of Jake Schifino, Tyrone Calico and Eddie Berlin when treading the murky waters of the lower rounds of the draft. Instead of drafting those forgettable duds, the picks could have been used to bring in more David Stewarts, Cortland Finnegans and Jacob Bells; players drafted in the lower rounds who emerged as viable contributors for the Titans over the years.
Drafting a first round wide receiver is long overdue in Nashville, and since I’m more of a Publix kind of guy (not a fan of Aldi), here’s hoping the Titans will choose quality over quantity at WR next weekend.