4 scenarios where Tennessee Titans crush NFL draft — including 1 Will Levis should pray for

Nick Suss, Nashville Tennessean

There are a lot of ways for the Tennessee Titans to get this year's NFL draft right.

The 2024 NFL Draft begins in just one week, on April 25 at 7 p.m. CT in Detroit. The Titans own the No. 7 pick in the first round, pick No. 38 in the second round, one pick each in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds and two picks in the seventh round. With needs at tackle, receiver, tight end, edge rusher, defensive tackle, inside linebacker and safety, there are a lot of ways general manager Ran Carthon and his staff can play this draft.

With the draft nearing closer, let's look at four of those options — giving the Titans four distinct paths to rebuilding their roster.

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The conventional path: Titans draft needs early, stock up on skill guys late

  • 1-7: OT Joe Alt

  • 2-38: DL Darius Robinson

  • 4-106: LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

  • 5-146: WR Ainias Smith

  • 6-182: DL McKinnley Jackson

  • 7-242: TE Tanner McLachlan

  • 7-252: RB Frank Gore Jr.

This is an example of the chalkiest kind of draft Titans fans can expect. Pick starters at tackle, defensive line and linebacker early, add a slot receiver in the middle rounds and finish Day 3 by taking some swings on role players at skills positions. This strategy lifts the Titans' floor dramatically, although it might not raise the ceiling very far.

The 'Let Will Levis Cook' path: Titans load up on skill talent over needs

  • 1-7: WR Malik Nabers

  • 2-38: TE Ja'Tavion Sanders

  • 4-106: OT Roger Rosengarten

  • 5-146: RB Isaac Guerendo

  • 6-182: DE/OLB Jalyx Hunt

  • 7-242: LB Bookie Watson

  • 7-252: S Demani Richardson

The Titans take a page out of the Cincinnati Bengals playbook here, loading up with a field stretcher, a menace over the middle and a multi-purpose backfield standout in the first five rounds and adding for need where there's value later. It's risky leaving Will Levis exposed without a top-tier tackle, but more weapons means the ball getting out faster and defenses not being able to rush as many players anyway.

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The trade back path: Titans get extra draft picks, still hit on big needs

  • 1-11: OT Olu Fashanu

  • 1-23: DE/OLB Laiatu Latu

  • 2-38: WR Xavier Worthy

  • 4-106: TE Theo Johnson

  • 5-146: LB Jaylan Ford

  • 6-182: DL Gabe Hall

  • 7-242: RB Kendall Milton

  • 7-252: CB Daequan Hardy

This might be the most pie-in-the-sky scenario. The Vikings send the Titans their two first-round picks (and maybe a third-rounder next year) to move up to seven. The Titans hit on two potential superstars in the first round and get to accelerate all their needs forward one round after that, adding five or six actual starters in one draft. The drawback? The Titans miss out on a tip-top talent atop the draft in favor of slightly bigger risks later.

The best player available path: Titans prioritize NFL draft talent over need

  • 1-7: TE Brock Bowers

  • 2-38: OL Graham Barton

  • 4-106: RB Braelon Allen

  • 5-146: CB Kalen King

  • 6-182: LB Marist Liufau

  • 7-242: DE/OLB Xavier Thomas

  • 7-252: QB Sam Hartman

Do the Titans fix their needs this way? Not completely. But they end up adding players who probably should go a lot higher who end up falling because of lack of positional value, injury history, a less-than-stellar final college season or being a "tweener." The Lions rode a similar strategy to the shadow of a Super Bowl berth last year, but the inherent risk here is loading up with talent without actually getting better as a team.

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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: Tennessee Titans' 4 best-case scenarios to crush 2024 NFL Draft

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