Every rebuilding team wants to trade down in the NFL Draft and accumulate more picks if they don't have a chance at an elite talent. The Tennessee Titans are no different, which is why there has been heavy speculation about their intent to trade the No. 4 selection in Thursday's NFL Draft.
However, what if that was just step one? Easton Freeze proposed an interesting scenario that might be playing out before our eyes. It seems like the Titans are getting calls from several teams that are looking to trade down from the early/mid-20s in exchange for the Titans' second-round pick (No. 35).
While the Titans probably aren't interested in trading back into the first round right now, Freeze says that could change if Mike Borgonzi can trade down in the first round and acquire additional capital. What would a move like that look like, knowing what we know about the Titans' needs and their interests heading into the draft?
NFL Draft: Forecasting a Tennessee Titans trade blockbuster
There has been so much attention on the Titans landing multiple first-round picks in a trade-down with a team like the Dallas Cowboys or the Kansas City Chiefs. Sure, those teams are allegedly interested in trading up, but all of the messaging makes it seem like it is a buyer's market, which means that it may be unrealistic to expect multiple first-round picks in a trade-up.
What if the Titans agreed to a different deal with the Chiefs, knowing they could take advantage of that buyer's market later when they traded up from 35, back into the first round?
A fair trade in that situation would be the Titans trading their first (#4), third (#66), and fourth (#101) in exchange for the Chiefs' first (#9), second (#40), and third (#74). The Titans need an EDGE, so they could use their first selection on Rueben Bain Jr., then Borgonzi could sit back and keep an eye on the receiver position, which is a group they have spent a lot of time on during this process.
Two guys they have specifically visited with are Omar Cooper Jr. and KC Concepcion, so let's imagine they wait until only one of these players is left on the board to trade up. In the scenarios on the PFSN mock draft simulator, one of the most common places that happened was after the Buffalo Bills drafted a receiver with the 26th pick, meaning the Titans would trade up to #27.
A fair deal, there is a second (35) and a third (74) from the Titans, in exchange for picks, a first (27) and a fourth (116).
After all of that wheeling and dealing, the Titans finish the first round with a starting EDGE and a starting receiver for this offense, and they still have a second-round pick (which they could trade for more picks) and five picks on Day 3 to build out depth for this roster.
Is this exact scenario likely? No, but these are the things that the Titans' front office is contemplating and discussing as they get ready to start the draft. They have to weigh more bites at the apple and take the draft as it comes to them, versus being aggressive and bringing in guys they love at premium positions they need.
This is a pivotal offseason for the Titans, and it will tell us a lot about what Borgonzi's real identity as a GM is when it isn't so simple like it was when they took Cam Ward at No. 1 overall in 2025.
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