NASHVILLE – Two months before the NFL Draft, a lot of unknowns swirl around the Tennessee Titans.
Armed with the No.1 pick, however, one thing is certain, per draft guru Dane Brugler of The Athletic.
"It's a power position," Brugler said. "(The Titans) hold the No.1 pick, so they control the draft.
"This is a really interesting year to have that No.1 pick. And the Titans are in a really interesting spot to decide what they are going to do."
In his first mock draft, Brugler had the Titans taking Miami quarterback Cam Ward, who has been a popular pick for Tennessee in mocks. In a recent mock draft roundup by TennesseeTitans.com, only four players were mocked to the Titans – Ward, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Penn State edge Abdul Carter, and Colorado defensive back Travis Hunter. Currently, Brugler has Hunter and Carter ranked No.1 and No.2 on his list of top 100 prospects, while ranking Ward 15th overall, and Sanders 25th.
This offseason, the Titans are exploring their options at the quarterback position, although new GM Mike Borgonzi and coach Brian Callahan have both said publicly they're going to give quarterback Will Levis every opportunity to win the job in 2025 as well.
Per Brugler, here's what is facing the Titans:
"This draft class is a little bit different than most classes, in terms of the quarterbacks who are available, just the high-end talent," Brugler said. "But it's still a power position and a chance to really draft an important piece of your future. With a new GM in place, they have to come to a decision on: Is there a clear upgrade at quarterback at No.1 overall? Is their best course of action to listen to offers and trade back? Even though this quarterback class isn't on the level of what we saw last year or some past years, there's still going to be quarterback-needy teams who are going to be interested in that pick. So, you make it know that, 'Hey, we're going to listen to offers' and if something blows you away then I think you're going to have options to move back.
"And maybe not move back too far so you still have a chance to get an Abdul Carter from Penn State, a Travis Hunter from Colorado."
And while most draft experts don't have Ward or Sanders regarded as one of the top players in this year's draft, history has proven the same experts wrong.
Brugler said the Titans must do their homework, while keeping an open mind about trading back.
"I didn't think Bo Nix was going to do what he did this year," Brugler said of the former Auburn and Oregon QB, who guided the Broncos into the playoffs in his rookie season. "So, if you're the Titans and if you come away from this process convinced that there's a quarterback in this draft that's going to make your team better, help you compete for divisions, you take him. It's that simple.
"And that's why you have a front office and scouting staff and coaching staff to do all the work, all the evaluations. If you come away impressed by one of these guys, then I think it makes sense to roll that dice. But that's a big "if." All these quarterbacks are talented, but you can poke holes in them. So, you have to decide what is best for your team and franchise. Next year (the Titans) might have the eighth overall pick, and you might miss out on a quarterback. But at the same time you have to believe in the player, and you have to believe he's a clear upgrade. And with a new general manager in the mix, we just don't know how he feels about Will Levis, and how he feels about these quarterbacks. So, there's a level of unknown.
"To me, trading back seems like an appealing way go, unless you fall in love with one of these quarterbacks."
