INDIANAPOLIS – Ran Carthon is at his first NFL Combine as general manager of the Tennessee Titans.
He's currently armed with the 11th overall pick of the NFL Draft, and six draft picks in all.
So, eight weeks before April's NFL Draft, does Carthon like his current position in the first round? Or, is he interested in moving back to acquire more picks?
"We are always open for business," Carthon said with a smile, before looking around the Indianapolis Convention Center at some of the NFL's other executives. "All the guys, you've got my number, call me.
"But no, it's always about just being open, to try and continue to add value. We'll listen and field every call, and see what comes from it."
Carthon said the Titans are evaluating every position in the draft, from top to bottom.
The top of the draft is important, as Carthon knows. And, as Titans fans know, it's a spot where the team has had some misses of late.
But as Carthon pointed out, the back half of the draft is important as well. He mentioned quarterback Brock Purdy, the last pick of last year's draft, as an example of a late-round pick who made a major contribution in San Francisco a year ago.
"I think we're still evaluating (this draft)," Carthon said. "You know who the top prospects are. You know who those "Top 100" players are – we see that all the time. We see that on the bottom ticker, so those guys you kind of know. But I am looking forward to trying to get to know those later (round) guys. … In San Francisco we were able to hit and fill out our roster. You look on the back end to build and add depth, but we were able to find starters. So that's the portion I am really looking forward to getting to know."
