Titans NFL Draft big board: Day 1 fits mostly hover around the line of scrimmage (2024)

The Tennessee Titans enter Thursday’s first day of the NFL Draft with the No. 7 pick, the potential to draft a much-needed premium prospect, the potential opportunity to trade back and add much-needed picks instead — that third-round void looms large — and help wanted at offensive tackle, defensive tackle, edge, inside linebacker, receiver and safety.

So, light work ahead for general manager Ran Carthon and head coach Brian Callahan.

Using Dane Brugler’s just-released top 300 Big Board of prospects, we’ll come up with 10 fits for the Titans for each day of the draft. First up is the first day, and two things are worth keeping in mind. One, if the Titans don’t end up crossing paths with a trade partner who wants into the seventh spot, the player they pick there should be the best player on their big board, the best football player available in their evaluation. Reach high for need and you do things like draft Corey Davis at No. 5 in 2017.

Two, it’s not a contradiction to use the big board as the primary guide and consider need as well. If you have two prospects at different positions who are very close in your mind and one of them would fill a glaring hole, it’s sensible to apply that as a factor. The Titans have a few of those. They’re going to wind up with one of the 10 players listed below, and if not, at least this list will be gone from the internet by Friday morning:

1. Malik Nabers, WR, LSU. There’s a strong chance Brugler’s No. 3 prospect is not there when the Titans pick at No. 7. But if four quarterbacks go before the Titans are up, and Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. is gone as expected, it becomes possible. If Jim Harbaugh’s public calls for offensive line awareness turn out to be a genuine indication that he’s taking Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt — and he isn’t looking to trade back — the Titans may end up with no choice but to take Nabers. No other tackle ranks in Brugler’s top 10, and quarterback Will Levis could benefit greatly from a rookie receiver Brugler writes has “dynamic potential” in the NFL. Yes, Calvin Ridley joining DeAndre Hopkins this season makes that one of the Titans’ strongest starting positions. But Hopkins has one year left on his deal and Ridley is approaching his 30s. The fascinating scenario would be Nabers and Alt, Brugler’s No. 5 prospect, both being available. If the Titans see it the way Brugler does, the big board would favor Nabers, but would it be by enough to forgo a player who could be a cornerstone left tackle for the next 10 years? After the way that position has wrecked the Titans’ offense in the past two seasons? Some of the answer would also be how the Titans like the tackle outlook around where they pick next, at No. 38.

2. Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame. Dennis Daley was a disaster in 2022. Then that word was redefined by Andre Dillard in 2023. Now the Titans likely will have an opportunity to draft the clear best left tackle available, give Levis the protection he deserves and solidify that position for years to come. Alt isn’t perceived as a generational talent — not like some previous offensive tackles who were in contention for the No. 1 pick — but he has a very high floor and high ceiling, Brugler writing that he is “Jake Matthews in Nate Solder’s body.” This would be an appropriate gift for the Titans’ star staff member, offensive line coach Bill Callahan.

3. Rome Odunze, WR, Washington. It’s back to the outside, to a pass catcher who would seem a bit more likely than Nabers to be available, and to another guy who could make for a difficult decision if it’s him or Alt. Odunze has better size (6-2, 212) than Nabers (6-0, 199) and was spectacular for the Huskies last season, catching passes from Michael Penix Jr. all the way to the national championship game. Brugler compares him stylistically to Drake London, and that doesn’t mean he couldn’t have more production. Here’s an unscientific observation from being around Odunze a bit at the NFL Scouting Combine: He’s going to be a star.

4. Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia. How could Titans fans, most presumably having watched some SEC football, be mad if their team decided to do this? The heck with positional considerations, Bowers looked somewhat like an Avenger mowing down bad guys from other planets when he got the football and a little bit of open field while playing for the Bulldogs. Also, it’s not like the Titans are flush at the position — Chig Okonkwo has a big third season ahead and Josh Whyle is a solid TE2. Also, Bowers should not just be considered a tight end. He’s an offensive weapon who “creates mismatches all over the field,” Brugler writes. Someone is going to have a lot of fun with him. The Titans sure don’t want that team to be the Indianapolis Colts!

5. Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State. We’re going to drop below the top 10 to Brugler’s No. 12 prospect, ignoring Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold (Brugler’s No. 10 prospect) even though he reportedly visited the Titans, and bypassing Washington’s Troy Fautanu (No. 9) because Brugler sees him as more likely to play inside — the Titans can’t follow up Peter Skoronski a year ago with another likely guard. They certainly can go with Fashanu and prosper. Like Alt, he should be able to plug right in and start at left tackle. He has “Pro Bowl upside,” Brugler writes. Do the Titans like him enough to take him at No. 7? Now we’re getting into “How much of a reach would this be?” territory. Which means we’re getting into “Titans trade back and still get someone they love” territory as well.

6. JC Latham, OT, Alabama. Brugler puts Latham one spot behind Fashanu at No. 13, but this is our line of demarcation. Latham and everyone behind him should not be considerations for the No. 7 pick. They should be in play if the Titans do have a trade partner and can move back a few spots. He was a right tackle at Alabama and Brugler considers him a player ready to start at that position in the NFL — and the Titans need one of those as well, by the way. Also, some believe Latham could play left tackle, while Brugler notes that some teams like him better inside.

7. Dallas Turner, edge, Alabama. We’ve reached the Alabama portion of the Titans’ big board, even without including Arnold. Turner, Brugler’s No. 14 prospect, is his top edge. The Titans badly need more help on the outside for Harold Landry. But that means Turner is a cut below, say, Alabama’s Will Anderson from a year ago and top edges in other years. Still, Brugler writes that he has “freaky tools,” and he might be too good to pass up if the Titans drop back to the 15 range and he’s there.

8. Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia. Please let’s not helmet scout or draw any comparisons between Mims and 2020 Titans draft bust Isaiah Wilson. First of all, if you’re helmet scouting, you should notice how many Georgia players are flourishing in the NFL. Second of all, Wilson’s issues have nothing to do with anyone else, at Georgia or otherwise. Mims (Brugler’s No. 19 prospect) is a fascinating possibility a bit later in the first round, a guy whose talent suggests he could have been a top-5 pick a year from now. He’s 6-7, 340 and “a natural in pass protection,” Brugler writes. Put that talent with Bill Callahan and develop through a rookie year that would likely have some bumps, and you might really like the results for years to come.

9. Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma. The Titans really need an offensive tackle, have you heard? Guyton hasn’t been discussed as much as others in a deep class, but he’s 6-7, 322 and ranked No. 24 by Brugler, who writes that he has the tools “to develop into a high-level offensive tackle.” He can play left or right. He’s also “a work in progress in several areas,” Brugler writes, so immediately locking down Levis’ blind side is less likely here, as it is with Mims. But the Titans have to think long haul on this, and moldable high-level talent is a positive outcome in this draft.

10. Chop Robinson, edge, Penn State. Like Mims, this would be a choice of tremendous talent and traits over college production, not that Robinson didn’t have some tremendous moments with the Nittany Lions. Brugler ranks him No. 26 but writes that he “has the potential to be the most dynamic pass rusher in this class.” This is a choice that probably happens deeper in the first round. Say, right around No. 28? The Buffalo Bills badly need a receiver and might just like the looks of things at No. 7. A talent like Robinson along with adding multiple impact picks is an enticing thought for the Titans.

(Top photo of Joe Alt: Rob Kinnan / USA Today)