Tennessee Titans mock draft: Two trades, stockpile picks and still finding a star
Let's get the Tennessee Titans a whole mess of assets in this week's mock draft.
The 2024 NFL Draft is a little more than a month away. Following the flurry of moves that teams made in the first week of free agency, everyone's needs are a little bit different. But even after snagging big names like Calvin Ridley, Lloyd Cushenberry, Chidobe Awuzie and Tony Pollard last week, the Titans still have a long list of holes that need addressing.
So let's put the Titans in position to fill as many of those gaps as they can in this year's draft, as well as position them to make moves next year. In this mock draft, all trades are on the table and the Titans are intent to listen.
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1. Chicago Bears pick Southern Cal QB Caleb Williams
No risk of trade here. The Bears moved on from Justin Fields. Now they're picking Caleb Williams. End of discussion.
2. Washington Commanders pick UNC QB Drake Maye
The Commanders could pick any of three quarterbacks here, but they're not budging. Maye feels like the likeliest pick.
3. New England Patriots pick LSU QB Jayden Daniels
Another team that's not budging as long as there are quarterbacks to be picked. The Patriots grab the reigning Heisman Trophy winner to reinvigorate their offense.
TRADE! New York Giants move up two spots
The Giants have to fend off teams like the Broncos, Vikings and Raiders picking in the teens from trading up to get their guy. To ensure they get what they want, the Giants give up picks Nos. 6 and 70 and a second-rounder in 2025 in exchange for No. 4 and No. 90.
4. New York Giants pick Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy
Four picks, four quarterbacks. Let's get the passers out of the way so the rest of the draft can start. McCarthy comes in to compete with Daniel Jones. Maybe he sits a year, but eventually he takes over.
5. Los Angeles Chargers pick Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
The former Michigan coach grabs the Ohio State star. Cringes aside, the Chargers replace Keenan Allen and Mike Williams with as close to a can't-miss prospect as this class has.
6. Arizona Cardinals pick LSU WR Malik Nabers
The Cardinals move down two picks and miss out on Harrison, but they still get a No. 1 receiver in Nabers, a field stretcher who instantly becomes Kyler Murray's go-to target.
TRADE! The Jets go all-in for Aaron Rodgers
The Jets know their window to win with Aaron Rodgers behind center is narrow, so they make a deal with the Titans to move up three picks and get a star. The Titans get the 10th pick, No. 72 early in the third round, and a third-round pick in 2025 in exchange for the No. 7 pick and pick No. 182 in the sixth round.
7. New York Jets pick Washington WR Rome Odunze
First it was four straight quarterbacks. Now it's three straight receivers. Odunze may be every bit as good as Harrison or Nabers, and the Jets pair him with Garrett Wilson to build a young, on-the-rise receiving corps.
TRADE! Dallas Cowboys move way, way up
If there's any team that's not afraid to take a huge gamble, it's the Cowboys. Here, they give up picks 24 and 174 this year and their first-round pick next year to the Atlanta Falcons to move all the way up to No. 8 and reload at a hugely important position.
8. Dallas Cowboys pick Notre Dame OT Joe Alt
Trade with ATL to get Alt. Fitting, right? Alt steps in to fill Tyron Smith's massive shoes and does it well as the Cowboys try to build their best roster possible before having to figure out how to pay their young stars.
9. Chicago Bears pick UGA TE Brock Bowers
Williams already has Allen and D.J. Moore to throw to. Now he gets a tight end who profiles as an all-world talent to round out one of the NFL's more exciting offensive skill groups.
TRADE: Tennessee Titans trade back again, accumulate even more
The Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings have similar enough needs that it makes sense for the Broncos to move up from 12 to 10 to ensure they get their preferred player. Here, the Titans get picks 12 and 76 this year, plus another third-rounder next year, in exchange for moving back two spots.
10. Denver Broncos pick Alabama OLB Dallas Turner
Von Miller and Bradley Chubb are long gone. The Broncos need edge rushers, so they go get the best one in the class, triggering a bit of a run.
11. Minnesota Vikings pick UCLA DE Laiatu Latu
Turner's off the board, but Latu is a solid consolation prize. The Vikings pair him with free agent signee Jonathan Greenard to rebuild their rush.
12. Tennessee Titans pick Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell
Six picks ago the Titans didn't have a third-round pick. Now they have two of the first 12, and two more next year. This gives the Titans plenty of assets to move up into the second round if there's good value to be found or to plug holes with Day 2 picks who can be molded into starters. All because they moved back from No. 7 to No. 12.
Oh yeah, and they get the best cornerback in the class to pencil in alongside Awuzie and Roger McCreary as a way of completely rebuilding the secondary. That's a couple of huge wins there.
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13. Las Vegas Raiders pick Alabama CB Terrion Arnold
The Alabama corner comes right after the Titans' pick. The Raiders need defensive back help and Arnold is as good as anyone in the class.
14. New Orleans Saints pick LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr.
The Saints fill a need by picking a hometown guy. Everyone's happy, but especially Derek Carr.
TRADE! The offensive linemen finally start flying
The Cincinnati Bengals move up from No. 18 to No. 15 by giving up a third-round pick. The Indianapolis Colts are fine with moving back three spots in exchange for No. 97.
15. Cincinnati Bengals pick Penn State OT Olu Fashanu
The glut of offensive linemen after Alt is hard to parse through, forcing more and more teams to wait. The Bengals finally pick Fashanu, a top-10 talent, at No. 15 and start unclogging the backlog.
16. Seattle Seahawks pick Florida State DE Jared Verse
New coach Mike Macdonald gets an experienced, productive pass rusher to improve his defense in Year 1. It may not be the most exciting first pick, but it helps Seattle get better.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars pick Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
The Jags think about taking a receiver here but ultimately opt for a cornerback in McKinstry, the talented athlete who was so good in college that opponents preferred to throw in Arnold's direction instead of his.
18. Indianapolis Colts pick Clemson CB Nate Wiggins
The Colts knew that even if they moved back three picks, they'd be able to snag McKinstry, Nate Wiggins or Cooper DeJean. Here, they pick Wiggins to strengthen a secondary that'll have to face C.J. Stroud, Trevor Lawrence and Will Levis six times a year for the foreseeable future.
19. Los Angeles Rams pick Texas DT Byron Murphy
How's this for major pressure? The Rams look to fill Aaron Donald's old spot with a first-round defensive tackle in Murphy. Murphy's plenty good, but those are going to be huge expectations.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers pick Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga
Pittsburgh goes tackle in the first round for the second-straight year, nabbing Fuaga to bookend their line with Broderick Jones and make life easier for Russell Wilson and/or Justin Fields.
21. Miami Dolphins pick Alabama OT J.C. Latham
Tuscaloosa South adds Latham to go along with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and receiver Jaylen Waddle. The left-handed Tagovailoa gets a right tackle to protect his blindside.
22. Philadelphia Eagles pick Texas WR Adonai Mitchell
Call it a luxury pick. Maybe that's what it is. But the Eagles trust that the coaching staff changes they made this offseason are enough to get the roster back on track, so they pick a No. 3 receiver in Mitchell to help stretch the field and make the offense even more potent.
23. Minnesota Vikings pick Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
The Vikings missed out on trading up for McCarthy, so they use the second first-rounder they acquired in March to take a gamble on Penix, the hyper-productive quarterback who has been hurt a few times and at 23 is on the older side as far as draft prospects go but who has proven that teams don't need to doubt his ability.
24. Atlanta Falcons pick Penn State OLB Chop Robinson
It's a long way down from No. 8 to No. 24, but the Falcons still address their most obvious need by adding Robinson, a special talent off the edge to disrupt quarterbacks.
25. Green Bay Packers pick UGA OT Amarius Mims
The Packers get the best player available here, and he happens to fill a need, too. Mims isn't the most experienced player in the class, but he was a stone wall for Georgia last year.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers pick Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson
The Bucs did a good job of keeping their own players home in free agency. Now they get another talent to grow here in Powers-Johnson, the top center in the class, as a replacement for retired center Ryan Jensen.
27. Arizona Cardinals pick Iowa CB Cooper DeJean
First Nabers, now DeJean. The Cardinals load up on some of the most exciting athletes in the class, and two players who are technically sound to go along with their athleticism. A solid get-better-immediately type of duo.
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28. Buffalo Bills pick Florida State WR Keon Coleman
Coleman is the type of big, strong, physical receiver who will be able to go up and get Josh Allen's passes no matter the conditions and help the Bills' offense win some bruising battles.
29. Detroit Lions pick Illinois DT Johnny Newton
Newton gets to stay in Big Ten country with the Lions and help Detroit's defense from the inside, freeing up blocks for Aidan Hutchinson and company on the perimeter.
TRADE! Commanders peeks back into the first round
After picking Maye earlier, the Commanders aren't done. So they package one of their two picks early in the second round to slide back in at No. 30. The Baltimore Ravens get picks 40, 100 and 152 in exchange for No. 30.
30. Washington Commanders pick Washington OL Troy Fautanu
Fautanu probably could've gone 15 picks ago. But he falls to 30, and the Commanders can't resist. Whether he's a tackle or a guard, he's a major piece in protecting Maye.
31. San Francisco 49ers pick Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton
The Oklahoma tackle the Niners already employ is pretty good. No one's expecting Guyton to be Trent Williams, but that's one heckuva mentor to learn from — and possibly take over for someday.
32. Kansas City Chiefs pick Texas WR Xavier Worthy
Sure, maybe it's overkill picking Worthy after you've already signed Hollywood Brown. But the Chiefs want this three-peat bad, and Worthy is a once-in-a-generation speed threat who feels predestined to catch passes from Patrick Mahomes.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Tennessee Titans trade twice, still get star in NFL mock draft
