Really, when you think about it, the selection of Chris Johnson says more about the previous two years of Titans draft failures than it does about screwing up this one. I think what really burns me is how quickly they give up on a highly-picked guy and then select another guy *just like him* for the same reasons and somehow hope for the best again. And sure enough, the Titans are still following the same “40 first” philosophy that’s gotten them in trouble with pretty much every first day pick over the last two drafts.

When you think about *just* Johnson, though, you can make the argument he’s closer to McFadden than a lot of people might think. Don’t believe me? Watch him bust tackles and big runs in his highlight reel, paying special attention to how many guys taking *good* angles still can’t even come close to catching him:

His pad speed, balance, and drive through tackles form a potent skillset. I can live with the pick, though I’m still not sure I can live with what it says about the way the Titans play this very important game called the NFL Draft.

Let’s see now, in the last 3 years, the Titans have burned a 1st and 2 2nds now on RBs with tantalizing skills who appear ill-suited to carry the load in the NFL. Chris Johnson is just like Chris Henry last year — the fastest back in the draft with little to show for his speed. Is Johnson better? Sure. But why do the Titans continue to ignore so many other needs when RBs are often found in the later rounds?

The pick of Johnson isn’t necessarily terrible in a vacuum, but it points to a disturbing trend. Clearly, the Fisher/Reinfeldt decision team looks first at 40 times, and maybe *only* at 40 times, when choosing their first-day players. Griffin, Henry, Paul Williams, and now Johnson had little else to recommend them at the spots they were chosen. And remember — this is the team that thought Griffin’s 40 time alone was enough to turn him from a safety to a corner. That experiment lasted about 2/3rds of a season.

So now the Titans still lack a second pass rusher, still have a shaky secondary, still have no wideouts. And they had Merling, Jenkins, and Thomas on the board and ready to slap on a Titans cap. But hey, they have two of the fastest backs in the entire league.

If the road to the Super Bowl ever transforms into a track meet, maybe they’ll get somewhere.