The Tennessee Titans hired Mike Borgonzi to be their new general manager on Friday, finalizing a process that revealed 10 initial candidates. Now that Borgonzi has been appointed, the first order of business for him and president of football operations Chad Brinker is to collaborate on how to maximize the No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Titans possess multiple options with the top pick. They could draft a quarterback, with Miami's Cam Ward garnering comparisons to franchise legend Steve McNair. Colorado's Shedeur Sanders stands out as the other top-ranking QB prospect. Or, Borgonzi and Brinker could trade down, acquire more capital, and draft a better prospect who plays a less-important position, such as Colorado’s Travis Hunter, or Penn State’s Abdul Carter.
A recent development could help the Titans arrive at their decision. Sanders has long been committed to attending this year's East-West Shrine Bowl, one of college football's premier pre-draft all-star games. Earlier this week, it was revealed that Titans assistant wide receivers coach Payton McCollum will be paired with Sanders at the event as the West Team’s quarterback coach.
The 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl QBs from the West coached by Payton McCollum (@CoachPMcCollum) from the @Titans!
— East-West Shrine Bowl (@ShrineBowl) January 17, 2025
💫 @ShedeurSanders, @CUBuffsFootball
💫 @maxtbro, @GopherFootball
💫 @qbcook12, @MizzouFootball#ShrineBowl pic.twitter.com/wAwMX3FDHO
Titans to coach Shedeur Sanders at East-West Shrine
You may note that McCollum is a wide receivers coach, not a quarterbacks assistant, but these all-star events often purposely place coaches in different situations to help diversify their resume. McCollum has served in various roles since getting into coaching. He previously served as a defensive assistant with the Indianapolis Colts, and he did previously coach quarterbacks for the University of Washington, so his role at the East-West Shrine Bowl will be incredibly familiar to him.
NFL scouts expect Sanders to do little-to-nothing at the East-West Shrine Bowl. In fact, it'd be semi-surprising if he strapped on his helmet and attempted a single pass. That shouldn't necessarily matter to McCollum and other Titans staff members in attendance. There'd be precious little to learn about Sanders the player in a controlled all-star event that the Titans haven't already identified via film.
Spending time with Sanders the person should help Tennessee finalize their assessment of him, and that's incredibly important considering the off-field drama often associated with his name through his father and college head coach, Deion Sanders. The Titans will arguably spend more time with Sanders than any other team at the East-West Shrine. Gaining a better understanding of his true personality and how he responds to coaching will be significantly more important than watching Sanders practice.
The Titans must take advantage of this opportunity while figuring out what franchise-altering decision they'll make with the No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. Part of their opinion of Sanders as a prospect and person will be determined by their shared experience.