With the 2024 NFL regular season in the books, the Tennessee Titans have finished the year with three underwhelming wins. With their pitiful season in the rearview mirror, Titans fans can applaud one thing and it's that the team was bad enough to land the number one overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Titans have plenty of options as to what they could do with the top pick. They could stay put and take one of the top two quarterback prospects or they could trade down if another team offers them a trade package they can't refuse.
Considering the Titans' need for a quarterback though, it's more likely that they remain pat, take one of the quarterbacks, and begin yet another era at the sport's most important position.
When was the last time the owned the number one pick?
The last time the Titans were on the clock when the regular season concluded was 2016 when the 2015 Titans went a meager 3-13 under Ken Whisenhunt and Mike Mularkey. Because the Titans had the second overall pick the previous year and took Marcus Mariota with that pick, they didn't need a quarterback in 2016.
That led the Titans to trade the number one pick to the Rams, who were entering their first year of being the Los Angeles Rams (well, at least the current iteration of the LA Rams) and needed a quarterback to make the team more appealing in its new digs.
The Titans landed the Rams' first-round pick, two second-round picks, and a third-round pick in the 2016 draft as a result of the trade and also snagged a first and third-round pick in 2017. The Titans got Derrick Henry with one of the second-round picks so that right there could put the Titans on top in the trade, especially since the Rams didn't win their Super Bowl until after Jared Goff (who they took with the first pick) was traded to Detroit.
When was the last time the Titans picked first in a draft?
Since the Titans didn't actually use their first overall pick in 2016, that wouldn't come up when researching their history of owning the top pick in the draft.
To find the last time the Titans franchise actually utilized the number one pick in the draft, you'd have to go all the way back to 1978 when the Houston Oilers selected Earl Campbell with the first pick. Campbell, of course, went on to become a Hall of Fame running back and rushed for over 8,500 yards in seven seasons with the Oilers franchise.
The Titans franchise also held the number one overall pick in 1973 when they drafted John Matuszak. While Matuszak only spent one year with the organization, he did go on to ball out in Oakland and help the Raiders win two Super Bowls.
That's two pretty solid picks for the Titans franchise when owning the top selection in the draft. While they owned the number one draft choice in 1965 as well and used it on Larry Elkins, that was the AFL Draft, so it's not in the same ilk.
The good news here is that the Titans history shows they're capable of drafting good players with the first pick. The bad news is that it hasn't happened since the late 70s when the team was decades away from relocating to Nashville.
Let's hope the good luck continues this year and the Titans land a franchise player when they hand their card in to the commissioner on draft night.