We are less than a week away from the 2024 NFL Draft, and the Tennessee Titans are in a great position to land a blue-chip prospect that fills a need.
Their 1st round selection seems predictable, but it is a complete mystery from there given the amount of holes they still have to fill.
For as many directions in which the Titans could go, their top-30 visits thus far give us more clarity around that. Several have been with guys who are expected to be their very top targets, and based on last year's top-30 visits and draft results, they are unlikely to bring anyone into the building unless there is at least some level of interest.
The vast majority of this year's visits are easy to understand, but one of them is slightly confusing on the surface. Given how the Titans roster looks, it would be surprising if they selected this player at the point where he is supposed to be drafted.
Tennessee Titans may have a deeper strategy around this top-30 visit
The Titans brought in cornerback Terrion Arnold out of Alabama for a top-30 visit earlier this week, causing many people to initially wonder why. It is nothing against Arnold as a prospect, and it is really nothing against the cornerback position either.
In fact, the Titans have paid a lot of attention to the secondary during the predraft process. They have brought in other guys such as Kris Abrams-Draine from Missouri, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. from Louisville, Caelen Carson from Wake Forest, and Arnold's college teammate Kool-Aid McKinstry.
It is easy to understand why, as the secondary was a huge issue for the Titans last season and they still need depth at cornerback.
But none of those other players are expected to be 1st round picks except McKinstry, who has a chance to go late in the 1st if he even does. Arnold, on the other hand, is all but guaranteed to be a 1st round pick, and that is where it is questionable from the Titans perspective.
They made huge moves to overhaul their cornerback room this offseason, acquiring Chidobe Awuzie in free agency and trading for L'Jarius Sneed, who they subsequently signed. They also have Roger McCreary, who was quietly one of the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL last season. While they may lack depth, they have three bonafide starters and you could argue that CB is the strongest position group on the roster.
Even if the Titans do the unexpected and trade back in the 1st round, it would be hard to justify selecting Arnold. They have too many other big needs for a 1st round cornerback to truly move the needle, causing us to wonder why they would him in Arnold for a top-30 visit.
Honestly, there is a very real chance that the Titans' division rivals are influencing them to do it more than Arnold being a true 1st round target. The Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars have been heavily linked to cornerbacks in the 1st round and for very good reason.
The Titans might be trying to bait one of them into trading up to take a cornerback, and if that happened, it would be costly. Both teams pick several spots behind the Titans and would surely want to jump them in such a situation, so one of them would have to part with significant capital, which is never ideal for anyone.
But there is still a chance that the Titans are really interested in Arnold and are bringing in him to further determine the potential fit on their team. You rarely see a team with too many good cornerbacks in today's pass-heavy NFL (if ever), and especially given that we know Dennard Wilson has worked so well with defensive backs in his career, Ran Carthon might see a real opportunity there.
Who knows what exactly the Titans' plans are with Arnold because he certainly is not someone they are drafting if their strategy is purely around needs. It very well may have no impact on how things unfold next Thursday, but only time will tell.