NASHVILLE – This time in two weeks, the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft will be in the books.
And, barring a trade, the Titans will have their most coveted pick in the fold.
Who that player ends up being, of course, is hard to predict at this point.
The Titans, picking at No.7, are at the mercy of the teams picking before them. Inside the building at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park, personnel folks are working on the board, still discussing prospects, 13 days out.
Titans coach Brian Callahan is involved in the process in Tennessee for the first time.
During his press conference on Wednesday, Callahan was asked if there are certain guys he will be advocating for in the draft, whether that's in the first round, or the seventh round.
"I think you advocate and fight for guys when you have a really strong opinion or there's a large difference maybe in the positions and where you feel like, as the offensive coach or defensive coach, you feel strongly that you might need," Callahan said. "But it usually doesn't work that way where you're fighting for much because you prepare, you go through all the different scenarios. You work through every—there might be 50 different scenarios that happen in front of us at pick seven. And so, you have to work through all of those things, all the contingencies. What happens if this player's there? What happens if that player is there? Would we be comfortable with this player over that player? And you just go through all of these exercises at your picks in particularly the first and second round for sure. Because that's a process you have to work through, so you're not surprised on draft day. So, by the time we get to the draft, all of these conversations have been had."
Callahan said coaches and scouts have started the conversations about which players they prefer, and they'll continue.
Ultimately, when the decision is made, Callahan said it will be a "team decision."
"This is the time for all of those things when coaches are advocating for guys they like, scouts are advocating for the players they like," Callahan said. "You have conversations if there's huge discrepancies in the grades. And you figure out where that difference is and you come to consensus on whatever player you're discussing. And so, the process has been fun, it's an enjoyable process. There's a lot of conversation. This is when all the advocating happens. And then by the time we get to the draft, we've cemented our plan for the most part on what direction we'll head based on what events happen in front of us."
The Titans are scheduled to make eight picks in the April 25-27 NFL Draft.
After visiting with players at the Senior Bowl, NFL Combine and at pro days, the team has been welcoming college prospects during 30 visits in recent weeks.
It's one more chance to gather information before decisions are made.
Two weeks from today, the draft will be under way.
The Titans are still doing their homework, and asking questions.
"We watch the tape, and the tape's been graded. We know what the player is on their tape," Callahan said. "But (on these 30 visits) we're trying to get a feel for the person and ask questions. Some guys, we know very well about their character, and it's more of a confirmation. Some guys, we're bringing in to find more out about who they are as a person. You just try to have every bit of information you can get and gather on the person because the tape is the tape, you grade that. But as much background information as you can get, you try to get.
"Some of these guys we've had scouts and coaches at the pro days, we've had the 30 visits, we've had the combine time. We've spent a lot of time on these players to make sure that when that moment comes, if that's the player we pick, we're very comfortable with who they are, both as a player and as a person. So, it's more about just getting to know them as opposed to anything real football or technical. That is a part of the day, don't get me wrong. But for me, it's a huge part of what kind of people we bring it in."
