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Linebacker Rashaan Evans couldn't be happier after the Tennessee Titans drafted him with the No. 22 pick http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/allen-hurns-jersey , a selection predicted by his friend Derrick Henry.

The former Alabama teammates had discussed how much they wanted to play together in the NFL. Henry, a Heisman Trophy winner at Alabama in 2015, called Evans once the pick was in.

"Everything worked out as we talked about," Evans said.

New Titans head coach Mike Vrabel got an inside linebacker for his first draft selection, even trading up three spots with Baltimore to nab Evans.

Vrabel, a former linebacker himself who played 14 NFL seasons, has been spending plenty of time with the Titans' linebackers already. Evans now is in position to replace Avery Williamson, who left in free agency for the New York Jets after starting 59 of 63 games with Tennessee.

The Titans see Evans giving them flexibility with his instincts, speed and power. Vrabel noted Evans started as a defensive end at Alabama before developing into an inside linebacker.

"You see a lot of those instincts in the run game and obviously ... the versatility to play at the line of scrimmage and do some things to allow us to be multiple," Vrabel said.

The Titans went into the draft Thursday night slotted at No. 25, which would have been their latest first-round pick since 2009 when they selected wide receiver Kenny Britt at No. 30. They moved up even higher, swapping first-round slots with the Ravens along with their fourth-round pick at No. 125 for Baltimore's selection at No. 215.

Tennessee is coming off consecutive 9-7 seasons and its first playoff appearance in 14 years. That wasn't enough to keep Mike Mularkey on the jo b, and the Titans replaced him with Vrabel .

General manager Jon Robinson added linebacker Will Compton in free agency. But the Titans needed more help alongside veteran Wesley Woodyard. Robinson said they were impressed by Evans' leadership and how other Alabama players reacted around the linebacker during a meeting after his pro day.

"He kind of had an old soul feel about him Kevin White Jersey ," Robinson said. "A guy that really loves football loves sitting there watching the film and talking through the responsibilities that he had, the front had and that the DBs had."

The 6-foot-3, 234-pound Evans was first-team All-Southeastern Conference as a senior, and he finished his career with 152 tackles and 15 sacks. But Evans did not run the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine or at Alabama's pro day, listening to a doctor's advice to protect himself from a nagging groin injury.

The linebacker says he's completely healthy now. Evans, who grew up testing himself alongside his brother by racing horses on their family farm in Auburn, Alabama, insists he's plenty fast.

"It's funny that people question my speed," Evans said on a conference call. "I'm like, if I can catch a horse, there's no reason for you to question the speed."

Evans joins a defense that ranked 25th against the pass last season giving up 239.3 yards per game and 17th giving up 22.3 points a game under coordinator Dick LeBeau. Vrabel brought in Dean Pees to run his defense as coordinator after the veteran coach had retired from the same position with Baltimore.

This is a rare first-round pick on defense for the Titans.

Robinson took cornerback Adoree Jackson at No. 18 overall last year after making wide receiver Corey Davis the team's first pick at No. 5 overall. Evans is the first defensive player taken with Tennessee's first overall pick since linebacker Derrick Morgan was selected at No. 16 in 2010 and the first inside linebacker since Keith Bulluck in 2000.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars have assembled the most expensive defense in NFL history. They believe it’s among the most talented, too.

The group will cost more than $110 million (nearly $90 million to starters) in 2018 and includes eight guys with at least one Pro Bowl appearance. It’s loaded front to back Kyle Fuller Jersey , a mix of youth and experience, budding stars and wily veterans, huge egos and team players.

Together, they make the Jaguars a trendy pick to reach the Super Bowl for the first time.

Getting Jacksonville to this point was no easy endeavor, considering the team lost 63 of 80 games before breaking through and making the playoffs in 2017. General manager Dave Caldwell (with some recent help from Tom Coughlin ) built most of the stacked defense over the last three years, benefiting from the best draft class in franchise history, one of the top free-agent hauls in NFL lore and a midseason trade that made a difference.

Here’s a look at how Jacksonville pieced together its high-priced and highly touted D, which returns 12 of its top 14 players from 2017:

DRAFT GEMS

Linebacker Telvin Smith turned out to be a steal in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft. The former Florida State standout has 447 tackles — more than any other player over the last four seasons — seven interceptions and 6 1/2 sacks while missing just four games. He signed a four-year, $45 million extension in October that included $20 million guaranteed.

Bigger contracts are likely in store for Jacksonville’s 2016 class, which included All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey (first round), linebacker Myles Jack (second) and Pro Bowl defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (third). The trio is a rare find in the same draft and a major part of the team’s core.

Ramsey is a lock-down defender, quite possibly the best at his position. Jack makes plays all over the field as part of one of the fastest linebacker corps in the league. Ngakoue has 20 sacks and 10 forced fumbles in two seasons.

“Not everyone hits on their draft picks,” defensive coordinator Todd Wash said. “We are lucky that happened Womens Phil Taylor Jersey , but it is also a credit to the three individuals that come in every day and they work and strive to be the best that they can be.”

FREE-AGENT FINDS

After pinching pennies and rolling over salary-cap space for several years, the Jaguars spent big in 2016 and ’17. They signed five defensive starters to contracts totaling $275 million, including $122.5 million guaranteed. Here’s the unique part: The team has no regrets about a dime spent because they hit on all five.

They gave defensive tackle Malik Jackson a six-year, $85.5 million contract in 2016 and signed safety Tashaun Gipson to a five-year, $36 million deal. Jackson made his first Pro Bowl last season, and coach Doug Marrone was adamant that Gipson should have been there, too.

As good as that duo performed, Jacksonville’s 2017 class was even better. All-Pro defensive end Calais Campbell, Pro Bowl cornerback A.J. Bouye and hard-hitting safety Barry Church exceeded expectations, no easy task in free agency.

Campbell had a career year, finishing with 14 1/2 sacks in his 10th NFL season, after signing a four-year, $60 million contract. Bouye Dustin Hopkins Jersey , who inked a five-year, $67.5 million deal, tied for third in the league with six interceptions and didn’t allow a touchdown in the regular season. Church notched a career-high eight pass breakups to go along with four interceptions and 1 1/2 sacks.

None of the five has missed a game or even a start since joining Jacksonville, either.

“We just have too many athletes on defense,” Bouye said. “We have to capitalize on this opportunity while it is here.”

BARTER SYSTEM

Needing to shore up a shaky run defense in late October, Jacksonville traded a conditional, sixth-round draft pick (it ended up becoming a fifth-rounder) to Buffalo for two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Marcell Dareus. The Jags ranked 30th in the league against the run without Dareus and eighth with him down the stretch. Dareus and his $10.175 million salary will be in the starting lineup in 2018.

“We think it all starts up front,” Wash said. “It’s a situation where we are very fortunate.”

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