Tennessee Titans 2021 third-round pick and cornerback Elijah Molden turned some heads with his play during the preseason, and it has earned him a spot on a pair of all-preseason teams.
Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield compiled an “All-Preseason Team” that featured players of all experience levels, and at the cornerback position he lists Molden, who showed out both pre- and post-snap.
Schofield isn’t just hopping on the bandwagon now — he was on Molden during the pre-draft process, and well before his impressive preseason showing.
Here’s a look at Schofield’s pre-draft write-up on Molden, who he listed as one of his favorite prospects in the 2021 NFL draft. In it, he says that the Washington product helped him rediscover why he loves his job.
I came to Molden late in the process, and he was probably in the final group of the hundreds of prospects I have watched for this draft cycle. Beaten down by the weight of draft season I turned on his film…and rediscovered why what I get to do for a living is an incredibly fun job. Watching Molden fly around the field rekindled the passion for this game and if it clouded my evaluation of him a bit, I do not care in the least. He is a fascinating player to watch and his usage in 2020 where he saw time at safety, particularly in the game against Stanford, has me thinking about the versatility he offers at the next level.
Schofield rightly points out Molden’s special abilities, both in coverage and when blitzing. He thinks the rookie can help turn around what was a putrid secondary overall in 2020.
The very next snap… pic.twitter.com/XxH0eOXeYX
— Mike Herndon (@MikeMiracles) August 22, 2021
The Titans were terrible in the slot last season. If Elijah Molden is on the field in 2021, I think things will be better. Man and match coverage, trusting what you see, and breaking aggressively to the ball from your assignment. Not bad for a third-round rookie. pic.twitter.com/IFeTDUV3Qn
— Doug Farrar
(@NFL_DougFarrar) September 1, 2021
Pro Football Focus’ Michael Renner also recognized Molden, naming him to the outlet’s “All-Preseason Rookie Team.”
Molden looks tailor-made for the do-it-all role around the line of scrimmage. He can move seamlessly between the slot and the box while still making plays. The third-rounder was targeted nine times and only allowed seven catches for 30 yards — only 3.3 yards per attempt. This is Tennessee’s starting slot cornerback.
One thing Schofield and Renner don’t include was a very important observation made by ESPN’s Turron Davenport.
During the preseason finale, Davenport observed Molden doing things pre-snap that we don’t normally see young players do, especially rookies, and it’s something that might make us more excited than anything else he’s done.
Saw a lot of presnap instruction from Elijah Modlen on that last series for the #Titans. He was giving signals to the CB behind him vs. bunch so they know how to switch off. Saw him tell one of the CBs to go in motion w/the WR on another play. Been doing this in practice too.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) August 29, 2021
Molden checks all of the boxes for us and we firmly believe he is ready to take over the slot cornerback role for the Titans in 2021.
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