While the Tennessee Titans have patched holes on the roster in free agency, the primary focus of the 2023 NFL Draft should be to build up the offense.
Big boards and draft rankings are great, but ending up with the best “value” in the draft doesn’t mean that you end up with the best draft class. Remember what new Tennessee Titans GM Ran Carthon has said over and over this offseason:
"“We’re not here to collect talent. We’re here to build a team. So, being able to pull from all my different experiences – I tell my kids all the time – every situation is a learning situation. You either learn what to do or what not to do.”"
If Carthon (and Mike Vrabel), truly believe that they are in the team-building business and not the talent collection business, then drafting “BPA” shouldn’t be a consideration.
For the most part, the defense is already locked in. Maybe there is an off-ball linebacker who could take over the spot next to Azeez Al-Shaair, but I think Monty Rice is going to be fine there. Rashad Weaver had 5.5 sacks last season and he is going to be the EDGE4, which means that your pass rush is deep enough.
Cornerback might make sense, but this is a deep class and you can find a player to compete to be the top backup on Day 3.
No matter how you look at it, the value of the draft pick over the player they are replacing is always going to be higher on offense than defense.
Whether you want those picks to include a quarterback or not, it doesn’t really matter. Rookie quarterbacks tend to work better when they have talented people to protect them and catch the ball. So whether that quarterback is coming in 2023 or 2024, he is going to need support
Top-100 pick Tennessee Titans 2023 NFL Mock Draft
I’m not going to break the simulators like you are going to see on Twitter. Sure, I could trade back a dozen times and end up with three future 1st round picks, but we all know that isn’t realistic. Instead, here is what I would do based on PFN’s mock draft simulator without making any trades.
1st round, pick 11: Peter Skoronski OT, Northwestern
I think Skoronski is the second-best offensive line prospect in this draft class and he also fits what the Tennessee Titans need. They are in a position to take this gamble because it will go one of two ways. The best case scenario is that the arm length issues aren’t a problem just like they weren’t a problem for Rashawn Slater, and he starts at left tackle where he has spent his entire career and Andre Dillard will play left guard where he has spent a lot of time over the last four years.
The other option is that he slides inside to left guard where he should be comfortable playing because he has spent his career on the left side of the offensive line, and Andre Dillard played left tackle which is his natural position.
No receiver is really worth this pick and it is looking more and more like you might have to make a trade-up for Anthony Richardson or Paris Johnson if those are guys that the Titans truly fall in love with.
2nd round, pick 41: Michael Mayer TE, Notre Dame
I don’t think Mayer is going to go as high as people think in the draft because he is just a good athlete in a class full of incredible athletes at the position.
In this draft, Dalton Kincaid and Darnell Washington both were drafted in the top 40 picks, but that works out perfectly for the Tennessee Titans. Mayer is the perfect complement to Chig Okonkwo and having both guys on the field makes the Titans stronger running the ball and passing the ball.
3rd round, pick 72: Jonathan Mingo WR, Ole Miss
Mingo is the type of receiver that teams are going to take a swing on because of what he can be, not because of what he is. With a 9.97 RAS, he has all the potential in the world and he looks like a guy that can make the most of his opportunities with 15.7 yards per reception over his career and with 11% of his touches turning into touchdowns.
He also passes the San Francisco 49ers’ potential threshold of athleticism (which Ran Carthon might have brought with him) based on their draft trends.
After putting those resources into the Tennessee Titans offense, the depth chart would look something like this:
(An asterisk denotes a player added this offseason)
QB: Ryan Tannehill
RB: Derrick Henry
WR: Treylon Burks
WR: Jonathan Mingo*
SWR: Kyle Philips
TE1: Chig Okonkwo
TE2: Michael Mayer*
LT: Andre Dillard*
LG: Peter Skoronski*
C: Aaron Brewer
RG: Daniel Brunskill*
RT: Nicholas Petit-Frere
It isn’t perfect, but it is much better than what they have now. More importantly, if the Tennessee Titans want to go after a rookie quarterback in 2024, they could have a group of pass catchers and offensive linemen in place that can actually help that player develop.