Titans think outside the box in latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft

With the Tennessee Titans officially eliminated from playoff contention, attention is being shifted towards the offseason.

It's 2025 NFL Mock Draft season. The Titans are currently slated to own the No. 6 overall selection in April's festivities. Landing a dynamic blue-chip talent is critical for general manager Ran Carthon, who is attempting to build up the roster.

Analyst Thor Nystrom has been covering the NFL Draft for a long time now and in his first mock draft, he made a unique pick that brings up a new idea for the Titans. Nystrom has the Titans selecting a University of Texas tackle Kelvin Banks Jr.

"Quarterback has dropped on the Titans’ need list with Will Levis showing improvement in recent weeks," Nystrom wrote. "If the Titans ultimately decided to pull the plug on Levis, they could also opt to spend some of their projected-8th-most-cap-space on somebody like Sam Darnold. Instead, the Titans, forever looking to solve their OL issues, draft their third-consecutive OL in the first round. Banks is a natural LT. The beauty of this pick is it would allow Tennessee to shift JC Latham back to his natural RT spot, which would instantly improve Latham’s game."

Latham has been mostly outstanding at left tackle for the Titans this season, but over the last few weeks, he has hit the rookie wall hard. Mental lapses and technique issues have led to him allowing more pressures and sacks than usual.

Does that mean Latham is a bust or even bad? No, Latham has done a solid job this year and he looks like he is going to be a starting tackle for a long time. However, he hasn't been so exceptional that the Titans' brass should refuse to think about him potentially sliding to right tackle if the move makes them better at both positions.

Nystrom is correct in saying that Latham is a natural right tackle because that is where he started all 27 games for Alabama as a true sophomore and junior. While he has been solid at left tackle, he'd always be capable of sliding back to right tackle if the Titans decided that was the best course of action.

Tennessee's offensive line is getting close. Sophomore guard Peter Skoronski is currently playing terrific football. Center Lloyd Cushenberry will be back from injury next season. Drafting Banks would theoretically give the Titans four high-quality starters up front. That would mean for the first time in a long time, a quarterback could drop back in the pocket and have more than two seconds before seeing a defender right in his face.

There aren't many clear-cut right tackles in the 2025 NFL Draft and even fewer are set to hit free agency. Whether it is Banks in the first round or another tackle in round two, the Titans should keep an open mind to the idea of moving Latham to right tackle if they find someone who they believe can play left tackle at a high level in the NFL.