NASHVILLE – It's two weeks from the NFL Draft, and ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. is reading the tea leaves.
During a conference call on Wednesday, I asked Kiper if he feels like he knows what the Titans are going to do with the first overall pick.
This is what Kiper said:
"Well, it depends on what (Brian) Callahan wants, and I was listening to Callahan the other day and he was talking about how quarterbacks are wired, and how they react to situations," Kiper said. "And he brought up (Joe) Burrow and he brought up Jayden Daniels. And he said: When everybody in the stadium knows you're throwing the ball, can that guy come through? He even said in that interview: I want a guy who can be elite. I want a guy who can be great. He even said, "just good wasn't enough." In the NFL it's about grand-slam home run, even a triple. But not a double or single. It's not a double or single league any more at quarterback. They want the triple, home run, grand slam.
"So, if they feel Cam Ward can do that, and he has that ability the way he is wired, that's what is important to them, and they've had enough opportunity over the last few months to figure all that out. So, Cam Ward would be the guy."
Kiper, in his hour-long, pre-draft conference call, also spoke up for Titans quarterback Will Levis for the second time this offseason while also presenting options for the Titans with their second-round pick (35th overall).
"I'm not giving up on Will Levis," Kiper said of Tennessee's second-round pick from 2023. "Will Levis was dealt a bad deck of cards. That offensive line was awful … their receivers had some keys drops, and they had a couple of punts blocked in those early games (last year). … He got hurt with the sprained shoulder, and nobody talked about that. … I don't know how you survive, and deal with that in the first year of that system. … He did the best he could under really, really tough circumstances. So, if they want to kick him to the curb, I get it. I think he could maybe figure it out somewhere else. But for now, it could be Ward."
Kiper presented some options for the Titans with the 35th overall pick.
In his most recent two-round mock, Kiper gave the Titans Ward at No.1 and UCLA edge rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo in the second round.
He flew through some other options for the team while addressing the team's other needs.
"In the second round, get a pass rusher," Kiper said when speaking of the Titans. "Whether it's Oladejo from UCLA, whether it's a guy like (Donovan) Ezeiruaku from Boston College, who had a great year. I think there's going to be an opportunity for (Texas A&M)'s Shemar Stewart to slide down, I don't think he will, but do you gamble on the talent over the lack of production?
"So, I think there's going to be some opportunities from guys – Nick Scourton from A&M, didn't have the year expected but some think he could go early second as well. So the edge rusher, when you look at their needs on paper right now, obviously they have the quarterback at 1, edge and certainly add a wide receiver at some point early on."
