As the 2025 NFL Draft approaches, the Tennessee Titans are working through their strategy as the owner of the No. 1 overall selection. As president of football operations Chad Brinker goes through setting his draft board, he's also overseeing the process of appointing the team's next general manager in the wake of Ran Carthon's firing.
The first pick in the draft is a great asset whether the Titans use it or trade it. If Brinker uses it, Tennessee can take a prospect they believe has the best chance to be a great player for a long time in the NFL.
On the other hand, if the Titans look at the draft class and think they have good options a little lower in the class, they can trade the selection to a QB-needy team and get a king's ransom back.
Having said that, seeing the first pick in the draft traded isn't as uncommon as you might think. Since 1967, the first pick has been traded 22% of the time. One of those trades should be familiar to Titans fans, because that trade laid the groundwork for one of the most successful runs in the franchise's history.
One year after Amy Adams Strunk became the majority owner of the Titans, the team had the first pick in the 2016 draft and a new GM. They traded down with the L.A. Rams, and in return, they ended up with a draft class that included Derrick Henry, Kevin Byard, and Jack Conklin. Each of those players became multi-time All-Pros.
Almost like deja vu, the Titans have the first overall pick with a new GM set to join, and it would shock me if Strunk doesn't look at this as another opportunity to reload the roster.
People are quick to focus on Brian Callahan potentially wanting to draft a quarterback with the first overall pick to extend his rope with ownership, but he isn't the one making the final call. The Titans are now on Brinker's timeline after making him de-facto decision maker.
Brinker's job security should prevent the Titans from making a panic decision. Theoretically, he should be trying to build the best team possible instead of making a last-ditch effort to save his job.
The Titans now possess the means and motive to make a trade in the draft, but can they find a partner? Through sheer luck, the Titans are in the perfect position to leverage a trade.
Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward are the top QB prospects in this class, though neither player is considered a can't-miss QB.
However, for months now, there have been reports that the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders like the quarterbacks in this draft class. The Giants own the third pick and the Raiders have the sixth pick.
Neither can afford to wait for a quarterback to fall in their lap, because the second pick in the draft belongs to the fellow QB-needy Cleveland Browns.
Earlier this week it was reported that Deshaun Watson had a setback in his recovery and that he might not be able to play in 2025. That may appease the Browns, because they would receive $44.3 million in financial flexibility if he can't play.
The #Browns have $44.3M of Watson's 2025 salary insured for injury so there is some major financial relief available if he can not play due to the Achilles injury suffered this year.
— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) January 6, 2025
Between Watson's injury and him just not being a good quarterback anymore, the Browns would be more than happy to find a replacement for him in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Browns, Giants, and Raiders may all be highly motivated to move up and secure their preferred QB.
If the Titans don't fall in love with one of these quarterback prospects, they'll find themselves in the perfect situation to get a premium of picks back in a slight move down the board. Ideally, the Titans would trade down to the third pick and watch the two quarterbacks get drafted with the first two selections before choosing the top player on their draft board.
It's going to be a roller coaster over the next four months, but if the Titans do this right, they could end up with a much more talented roster and more draft capital in the future to go after a quarterback in 2026.