Dillon

Radunz

Levis got in three limited practices but didn’t progress well enough to get the start against the Patriots on Sunday. Mason Rudolph will get that nod with Trevor Siemian serving as the backup.

Radunz missed all of training camp while recovering from a torn ACL but is now back on the active roster after passing his physical. Radunz appeared in 11 games for the Titans last season, which included four starts. His return will be welcomed by a Titans team that is set to lose starting tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere to a suspension.

Radunz played in 11 games last year, starting just four despite a lack of clarity on the Tennessee offensive line before tearing his ACL. He has seasonal PFF grades of 49.7 and 40.3 and given how failed Jon Robinson picks have been treated in Tennessee of late, he likely won’t start when he is healthy unless others in front of him are also failing.

The No. 53 overall pick of the draft, rookie Radunz is primarily a guard. He has also played only 53 snaps all year, just 12 of which have come since Week 8. He is getting the call against Nick Bosa and company because Taylor Lewan has a back injury and No. 2 Kendall Lamm is battling COVID. The Titans will also be without LG Rodger Saffold (COVID). It’s hardly an ideal short-week setup. Joining Lewan on the official inactives shelf are CB Chris Jones, LB Joe Jones, OLB Derick Roberson, LB David Long Jr. and DL Larrell Murchison.

Radunz (6’6/301) was a 32-game starter for the FCS’ premier program after his home-state Minnesota Gophers overlooked him as a two-star recruit. After his redshirt season in 2017 was wrecked by a torn ACL in the opener, Radunz returned to become arguably the sub-division’s best offensive lineman, allowing a mere 24 career pressures on 715 pass-blocking snaps for Easton Stick and Trey Lance. At his pro day, Radunz tested as a top-80 all-time RAS athlete at the position, with a 7.26 second 3-cone drill (99th percentile), and vertical and broad jumps that both ranked in the top-75 among all OT prospects since 1987. Radunz explodes off the line, hitting his target with accuracy and pop, showing a real edge coming forward as a run-blocker. In pass-pro, Radunz plays with outstanding balance, lateral agility and core strength. Technical inconsistencies bring about reps where he can play too high, with too thin of a base -- a fixable habit for a guy with this much flexibility. Radunz has fake-it-til-he-makes-it movement skills in the short-term with Pro Bowl-upside, but must keep working at his craft to become a technician. His game is very similar to former Vikings second-rounder Brian O’Neill. Having moved on from last year’s first-round bust OT Isaiah Wilson this offseason, Radunz fills an obvious need from day one for the Titans.

Radunz (6'6/299) made 32 straight starts at left tackle for the Bison, with the most recent coming in the team’s lone game this fall. One of the best offensive linemen at the FCS level, the senior tackle was named a first team All-American in 2019 by both STATS, HERO, the AFCA and the Associated Press. Radunz was also named a first team All-American by the Walter Camp Foundation, and Phil Steele named him his FCS Offensive Lineman of the Year. Radunz may not be discussed as often as the quarterback whose blind side he was entrusted to protect, QB Trey Lance, when it comes to his NFL prospects. But he’s an excellent lineman who has a good chance of being a Day 2 selection in this spring’s draft. Pro Football Network draft analyst Tony Pauline has given Radunz a third-round grade.