NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Marcus Mariota says he probably wouldnt throw the ball again in the same situation, not after seeing how close his pass came to being intercepted.Luckily, Tennessee rookie Tajae Sharpes focus never wavered.Instead, Sharpe caught the pass that Oakland cornerback Sean Smith just missed and finished off a 60-yard run in what Titans coach Mike Mularkey called a very impressive play.He doesnt know if the guys cutting in front of him, or hes about to take his head off, Mularkey said.So to sit there and concentrate on the football coming to you when you probably dont have good vision on it is very impressive on his part.That kind of attention to detail is what has turned a fifth-round draft pick out of Massachusetts into a receiver likely to start his first NFL game Sept. 11 when the Titans host the Minnesota Vikings in their season opener.Not bad for a wide receiver whose small hands helped drop him further than Sharpe thought he should be drafted.Leading the Football Bowl Subdivision with 111 catches last season couldnt help the 6-foot-2, 194-pound Sharpe improve his draft status past 104th overall despite playing at the same school that produced Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz.I kind of expected to drop a little bit coming from a smaller school, Sharpe said of a program that moved up to FBS and didnt become bowl eligible until 2013.Im not going to agree with it myself. I feel like I deserve to be up there with the rest of the top receivers. But anybody has their own opinions and decisions to be made.Sharpe convinced the Titans new general manager Jon Robinson with his production and precise route-running.Sharpe started 43 of 47 games in college and is UMass all-time leading receiver with 277 catches and 3,486 yards. As a senior, he had 1,319 yards receiving.Once in Tennessee, Sharpe has worked his way up the depth chart quickly. He has been with the first-team offense since the end of the offseason program, a spot he hasnt budged from since.The native of Piscataway, New Jersey, now is poised to start along with veteran Rishard Matthews.Im just happy I wound up here being a Titan, Sharpe said. I wouldnt rather be anywhere else. I ended up in a place I was supposed to be. Im just thankful for this opportunity and just go out and make the most of it.The Titans went looking to give Mariota, the No. 2 pick overall in 2015, more help at wide receiver this offseason after tight end Delanie Walker led the team in both receptions (94) and yards receiving (1,088).That helped Walker get to the Pro Bowl, but no wide receiver had more than 36 catches. Rookie Dorial Green-Beckham led the group with 549 yards receiving.Robinson addressed the receiver group by signing Matthews from Miami in March, drafting Sharpe and then signing veteran Andre Johnson at the start of training camp. Those additions allowed Tennessee to trade Green-Beckham two weeks ago for a backup offensive lineman.Through three preseason games, Sharpe has nine catches for 163 yards, averaging 18.1 yards per reception, to lead Tennessee (2-1) with the exhibition finale Thursday night at Miami (2-1).From the moment hes got here, hes been incredible, Mariota said. I mean hes stepped on the field, he knows what he has to do. He knows his routes, and he consistently finds separation.It makes it easier on us quarterbacks because hes a pretty wide target in terms of just his ability to catch a football and his ability to get open. Expectations with us are high for him, and we look forward to the season.Game notes WR Kendall Wright was sent home Tuesday with a high fever, so Mularkey said no update on the receivers left hamstring was available. Wright will stay in Nashville for treatment rather than go to Miami for the final preseason game. ... The Titans waived RB David Cobb, a fifth-round pick out of Minnesota in 2015, and WR Jarrod West to reach the 75-man roster limit.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalker San Francisco 49ers Gear . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. 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Stitched 49ers Jerseys . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3.Tournament host Rory McIlroy is relishing the prospect of a weekend battle with Danny Willett after moving into contention at the Irish Open. McIlroy sits one stroke off the pace after mixing five birdies with three bogeys on his way to a second-round 70, ending a run of three consecutive missed cuts in the event.The world No 3 picked up a shot from close range at the 13th and bounced back from a duffed chip at the 17th to card back-to-back gains around the turn, although slipped back by posting bogeys either side of a birdie at the fourth. A 20-foot putt at the ninth lifted the Northern Irishman to seven under for the week and keeps him well-placed to challenge for a first win of 2016, although McIlroy admits he had chances to post a lower round. Rory McIlroy has never finished higher than seventh at the Irish Open I just made a few too many mistakes, McIlroy told Sky Sports. I missed a few more greens today, which was because I missed a few more fairways, so I need to tidy that up.I hit a few more positive putts on the front nine, our back nine, but wasnt great with the putter for the first few holes.It was a little bit erratic in places, but by making six birdies I feel like I gave myself plenty of chances out there and took care of most of the par-5s.I knew I was coming in playing pretty well so I never thought the cut was going to be an issue. Im excited to be in there for the weekend with a chance to win. Willett holds a share of the clubhouse lead with Marc Warren Masters champion Danny Willett followed an opening-round 65 with a one-under 71 to stay top of the leaderboard, although saw Marc Warren move alongside him with a round-of-the-day 66.ddddddddddddIt wasnt bad, a little bit scrappy, Willett said. It was windy at times and there were a couple of sneakier flags out there as well so you cant come off being joint leader and be too unhappy. Masters champion Willett is in a share of the lead after the opening two rounds Watch the Irish Open throughout the weekend live on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf Also See: McIlroy in the mix at K Club Irish Open leaderboard First round highlights Golf live on Sky Sports ' ' '
