A week from now, Tennessee Titans fans will know which player they drafted with the 11th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft...if they draft anyone there at all.
Every day we get closer to the 2023 NFL Draft and every day it feels more and more likely that the Tennessee Titans are going to trade out of the 11th pick. We will see whether that means a trade up to 6 or trading down to collect more picks, but the private visits, team needs, and value at other places just don't align with the team sitcking and picking.
Instead of trying to figure out when the Tennessee Titans are going to pick, it might be a better idea to identify the players that the Tennessee Titans are most likely to draft. Based on personal connections, private visits, Pro Days, virtual visits, and other markers of interest, there are five players that stand out as the prospects most likely to be on this team next year.
As you might expect, since the Titans have spent so much time with quarterbacks, three of the top quarterbacks are on this list. One they would have to trade up for, one that they could stick and pick, and one that they could trade down and land.
Obviously they can't have all three, but it feels highly likely they will end up with one of them.
1. C.J. Stroud QB, Ohio State
" "'I was standing there with Stroud at the (Ohio State) Pro Day and (Mike) Vrabel came over and said: 'Hey, go take a shower and let's meet in the wide receiver room.' So, there's a relationship there, obviously with Vrabel and his background at Ohio State.'""Todd McShay on Titans' Stroud interest
This is the most speculative fit on this list, but there are reasons for that. A month ago, C.J. Stroud falling to 11 was a pipe dream, and while that is still virtually impossible, his perceived fall down draft boards could provide the Tennessee Titans a legitimate chance to draft up to get him.
The connections he has to the Titans start with Mike Vrabel who has to have intimate knowledge of Stroud considering his deep ties to Ohio State and Ryan Day. His obvious talent and Vrabel's insight led the team to send both the Head Coach and the GM to Ohio State's Pro Day.
Initially, it seemed like both were there to watch Stroud but to do their homework on Paris Johnson, the top offensive tackle in this draft class. However, Todd McShay said that Vrabel was paying a lot of attention to Stroud
"'I was standing there with Stroud at the (Ohio State) Pro Day and (Mike) Vrabel came over and said: 'Hey, go take a shower and let's meet in the wide receiver room.' So, there's a relationship there, obviously with Vrabel and his background at Ohio State.'"
Even more interesting, this was a story that was shared on the team's official website, so time will tell whether that is a smokescreen or fodder for an "I told you so" type of article down the road.
2. Jaelyn Duncan OT, Maryland
The offensive lineman that the Tennessee Titans have shown the most interest in throughout the draft process isn't Paris Johnson, Peter Skoronski, or Broderick Jones, it is Jaelyn Duncan from Maryland.
When you watch Duncan on tape it is easy to be underwhelmed which is why the continued interest from the Tennessee Titans is...strange. However, his athletic testing and fit make the picture a little bit clearer.
If the Titans decide that they want to move up for a quarterback, that would mean parting ways with one of their top 100 picks (obviously in addition to future premium picks). So, Duncan could be a player that checks boxes for them on Day 3 as a way to fill out their draft class. He could step in as a utility player on the offensive line with 40+ games of experience at left tackle and the physical tools to fill in any position other than center.
3. Anthony Richardson QB, Florida
This is one that Titans fans have become familiar with at this point, and most fans can recite his pros and cons off of the top of their head. For those that aren't familiar, Richardson is (on paper) the best athlete to ever come out of college at the quarterback position and he flashed dominant traits in games against SEC competition.
When you stack those pros against Bryce Young's pros, you might be confused as to why the presumptive first-overall pick is the one who is 5'10 and less than 200 lb. The reason is that Richardson only started one season for Florida and he has some inconsistencies that are going to take time and patience to work through for an NFL coaching staff. When you are drafting a quarterback that early, the one thing that a coaching staff doesn't have a lot of and that is job security/time.
Aside from attending his Pro Day, the Tennessee Titans have also had Richardson in for a top-30 visit as well as a follow-up virtual visit. That is a lot of time devoted to a guy that Ran Carthon should already have the inside scoop on based on his connections with his alma mater.
Richardson is an easy prospect to fall in love with, especially if you are the Titans who have historically been less worried about what a quarterback can do with his arms and more interested in what he can do with his legs.
4. Tyjae Spears RB, Tulane
The Tennessee Titans have a running back that they seem to like, and his name is Derrick Henry. He is that guy you see pop up on ESPN and NFL all summer long for his workout clips where he will do something like carry a bus up a mountain or wrestle a shark.
You may also know him as the Heisman-winning running back from Alabama who turned into the most productive running back in the NFL over the last half a decade, a 2,000-yard rusher, and a potential Hall of Famer. Unfortunately for Henry, Titans fans, Alabama fans, and football fans in general, Henry is getting up there in years and whether you want to admit it or not, he has lost a little bit of his top-end speed.
Whether that half of a step, his age, and his contract are enough for the Tennessee Titans to try to move him this year is up for debate (and they would have to actually convince a team to take him knowing those flaws), but his time in Tennessee might be closer to the end than you want.
Fortunately, there is a different but very interesting type of running back coming out of college this year that fits what winning teams like in a prospect and you can see why he would be appealing to Ran Carthon. When he was in San Francisco, Ran was part of a front office that advocated for drafting Elijah Mitchell because he was a great fit for what they did and what they needed.
In Tennessee, Spears has an easy path to a prominent role in the offense since he can step in immediately as a third-down running back and/or a gadget player to move around an offense. That wouldn't step on Henry's toes if they wanted to keep both, but it also would give them a good return on investment during his rookie season.
The Titans have had Spears in for an official visit and you can see Ran Carthon watching tape of Spears in one of the videos that the team posted after he was hired to be the GM. They also attended his Pro Day, so if Tennessee trades down and picks up extra draft capital he could be someone they target in the middle of Day 2.
5. Hendon Hooker QB, Tennessee
I don't know how they would do it, but the Tennessee Titans have been all over Hooker throughout the draft process.
Going back to the Senior Bowl where everyone raved about how he was the most impressive quarterback there, despite not being able to throw due to his ACL injury. While at the Senior Bowl, he was "coached" by new Titans passing game coordinator Charles London and he also spent time with Mike Vrabel and Ran Carthon.
Vrabel was also very prominent at Tennessee's Pro Day and was seen speaking with Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel. Now, to be fair that could all have been due to proximity, except that Vrabel chose to go to Tennessee's Pro Day instead of Kentucky's to watch Will Levis (though Carthon did go to Kentucky's).
Here is where it gets even more interesting. They followed all of that up with at least one private visit (maybe two because there have been reports of a private visit and a local visit). All of that together is an absurd amount of interest in a quarterback that doesn't really make sense at 11th overall considering his age, injury, and potential transition to a more difficult offense.
It makes infinitely more sense if the Tennessee Titans believe that a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers might be interested in a trade-up for someone they love (like Tennessee OT Darnell Wright). Since the Steelers have two second-round picks, let's say they offer the 17th pick and the 49th pick for the 11th pick. Taking a flyer on Hooker could make some sense if they really like him, but know that drafting him at 11 would be overvaluing him considering his ACL injury.
Walking away from the first round with a quarterback that should probably spend a year learning and getting healthy will be hard to swallow, but coming away from Day 2 with a pass catcher like Zay Jones or Jalin Hyatt, a bully like Steve Avila or Cody Mauch, and a tight end like Tucker Kraft, Sam LaPorta, or Luke Schoonmaker would make everyone feel much better.