On his way back from a cross-country trip to Washington last month to watch quarterback Jake Locker run through some drills, Mike Munchak thought back to his playing days.
He pictured himself in the huddle with Locker, and felt how much he and others would “love playing for this guy.”
The workout amounted to only a brief glimpse, but the new Titans coach came away impressed with Locker’s intensity, ability, and potential.
Munchak was won over. So were the Titans, who snapped up Locker with the eighth overall pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday.
“I think he has something special in that he’ll bring out the best in other players,”
Munchak said. “I think they’ll play hard for him. I think he is one of those guys who will find a way to win for us. And I think the guys in this building will believe in him.”
The Titans passed on Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert, the quarterback most draft analysts rated higher than Locker. They passed on Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley, a player almost every analyst said the Titans would pick because he would immediately upgrade the defense.
Asked why Locker was the pick, Titans Vice President Ruston Webster said: “His leadership, his toughness, his smarts and his talent. When everybody talks about him they talk about his intangibles, but he is also very talented. And that combination is going to bode well for him. He is a great athlete and all that.”
How quickly the Titans can get Locker up to speed and behind center as their starter remains to be seen. General Manager Mike Reinfeldt said he still plans to sign a veteran quarterback — perhaps Kerry Collins — to pair with Locker and rising second-year pro Rusty Smith.
Vince Young, a first-round pick in 2006 and starter the past five years, is on the way out via trade or release whenever the NFL resumes business as usual.
In Locker, the Titans believe they have a player capable of changing the fate of a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game since 2003, is coming off a 6-10 season and is transitioning to a new coaching staff. In the wake of a rocky parting with Young, they also think Locker will invigorate the team atmosphere.
“We have a new culture here at the quarterback spot, a guy who is going to be the first one in here and the last one out,’’
offensive coordinator Chris Palmer said. “I am very, very excited about him.”
The knock on Locker is his accuracy — he completed 55.4 percent of his passes as a senior — but he’s also considered to have enormous potential.
Last offseason, many draft analysts said Locker might have been the No. 1 pick had he entered the 2010 draft instead of returning to Washington for his senior season.
Locker passed for 7,639 yards and 53 touchdowns with the Huskies.
“I feel really good that I ended up in his situation, and I am looking forward to it,”
said Locker, who is expected to be in Nashville on Saturday for a press conference. “I’ve said throughout this process whenever I get my opportunity I am going to make sure I am prepared for it and take advantage of it, and that is going to be the attitude I approach this with.”
Munchak said there are no plans to put extra pressure on Locker to take over right away, but it’s clear the Titans don’t think they will need to hold him back either.
“When you draft this high, obviously we think a lot of him. I think he’ll have the opportunity to come in and compete right away,”
Munchak said. “And if we think he’s the best fit, I think we’ll feel that when the time comes in August and September. We wouldn’t hold that against him that he’s a rookie.”
