Tennessee Titans NFL mock draft 1.0: A cornerstone at No. 7 for Mike Vrabel's replacement
Whomever the Tennessee Titans hire to replace Mike Vrabel will inherit a premium pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Titans own the No. 7 pick in the draft, beginning April 25 in Detroit. General manager Ran Carthon and the team's new coaching staff will be in position to add multiple players in significant areas of need, especially with the high potential that three of the first six picks could be quarterbacks.
Here's The Tennessean's first Titans mock draft for what the first round might look like, with the NFL playoffs still in progress.
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1. Chicago Bears: Southern Cal QB Caleb Williams
Maybe the Bears trade out of the first pick. Maybe they send quarterback Justin Fields elsewhere for even more draft capital. It's hard to say which direction they'll lean this early. But if they stick at No. 1, it's hard to envision them picking anyone other than the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, one of the highest-rated quarterback prospects in recent memory.
2. Washington Commanders: North Carolina QB Drake Maye
Maye is hardly a consolation prize for a team that missed out on Williams. He has prototypical size and strength, reads the field as well as any prospect in the draft and has impressive athleticism to go along with his build. Just like he did in college, Maye could be in position to replace Sam Howell in the pros.
3. New England Patriots: LSU QB Jayden Daniels
The Patriots could go any direction here. But the need for reinforcements at quarterback is obvious, and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner has the arm talent and running ability to reinvigorate an offense that's severely lacking in identity.
4. Arizona Cardinals: Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
QB Kyler Murray couldn't ask for a much better gift than the gifted Ohio State receiver, a prodigious talent who is more than just the son of an NFL Hall of Famer. Harrison's blend of size, speed, body control and strength at the top of routes has him profiling as one of the most impressive receiver prospects of the past decade.
5. Los Angeles Chargers: Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
This isn't the best draft to need top-10 talents on defense, but the long, athletic and versatile Alabama product fills a huge need for a Chargers defense that ranked near the bottom of the NFL in most significant pass defense metrics.
6. New York Giants: Washington WR Rome Odunze
No one would fault the Giants for picking any of three receivers, but Odunze's role in one of college football's most impressive offenses last season, not to mention his graceful route running and big stature, makes him the pick for an offense that needs playmakers as much as any.
7. Tennessee Titans: Penn State OT Olu Fashanu
The Titans' dream situation comes to fruition. The top-three teams on the board all go QB and teams 4-6 invested top picks in offensive tackles in recent years. So, the Titans get their pick of the board on the offensive line.
Plenty of consideration goes to Notre Dame's Joe Alt, almost certainly the best run blocker in the draft and a dominant pass blocker with a 6-foot-8 frame to build around. But the Titans lean upside and draft Fashanu, the Penn State tackle who is a little more raw but has dominant skills that coaches covet and the type of play strength and athleticism to fix the Titans' pass protection woes as best any one player can.
8. Atlanta Falcons: Alabama DE/OLB Dallas Turner
The Falcons turn to defense after taking offensive skill players with their top pick in the past three drafts. Turner is a frantic and powerful pass rusher who creates the havoc off the edge the Falcons need.
9. Chicago Bears: LSU WR Malik Nabers
With Williams already in place, the Bears use their next pick on Nabers, a big-play threat to pair with star receiver D.J. Moore and create one of the most explosive offenses Chicago has fielded.
10. New York Jets: Notre Dame OT Joe Alt
It might be too soon for the Jets to give up on Mekhi Becton as a franchise left tackle. But the Jets need blocking help, and whether Alt provides it on the left side or the right, he provides it.
11. Minnesota Vikings: Georgia TE Brock Bowers
The Vikings' looming decision about veteran QB Kirk Cousins' contract dictates a lot about how the team handles this offseason. But whether Cousins is back or someone else is behind center in 2024, the Vikings' passing game and rushing attack benefits from the addition of the uber-athletic, multi-purpose weapon that is Bowers.
12. Denver Broncos: Illinois DT Jer'Zhan Newton
Everything said about Cousins and the Vikings also applies to Russell Wilson and the Broncos. But short of drafting Wilson's replacement, the Broncos need help on defense most. Newton can plug holes in the middle and rush the passer, a coveted double-threat talent for an interior defender.
13. Las Vegas Raiders: Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
Whether it's Penix or Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy, there's probably going to be a team that reaches for the fourth QB off the board. Vegas, which came close to a playoff berth despite next to no consistency at QB, needs a plug-and-play older prospect like Penix if the goal is to win now.
14. New Orleans Saints: UCLA DE/OLB Laiatu Latu
Health issues could knock Latu down some boards, but his production isn't in question. Latu was one of the most dominant pass rushers in college football last year, making his living behind the line of scrimmage on run plays as well.
15. Indianapolis Colts: Florida State WR Keon Coleman
Coleman gives the Colts size on the perimeter and one of the best catchers of 50-50 balls available. The Colts could go with a defensive back, but more help for Anthony Richardson has to be a priority.
16. Seattle Seahawks: Florida State DE Jared Verse
Verse might've been a first-round pick if he declared for the draft for 2023. This time, he goes in the top half of the first round as one of the best and rangiest pass rushers available.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars: Clemson CB Nate Wiggins
The temptation to add another receiver or pass rusher, as the Jaguars often have, is high. But so is taking another player from Clemson, a school Jaguars fans are familiar with. Wiggins will help bolster a pass defense that was inconsistent in the second half of the season.
18. Cincinnati Bengals: Alabama OL J.C. Latham
It seems like the Bengals are in the search for another offensive tackle every year, but this time they might have their guy. Latham slides in at right tackle if the Bengals lose Jonah Williams, another former Alabama lineman, in free agency and helps protect QB Joe Burrow coming off his injury.
19. Los Angeles Rams: Georgia OT Amarius Mims
Using their first first-round pick since 2016, the Rams add a top talent with a lot more upside than experience in the big, Georgia blocker whom they can build around up front.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Oregon State OL Taliese Fuaga
The Steelers grab an offensive lineman with their top pick for the second year in a row, continuing to build out a front line with a mauling run blocker who can help stabilize their offense.
21. Miami Dolphins: Washington OL Troy Fautanu
As the Dolphins try to figure out how to keep their offense as productive late in the season as it is early, adding a versatile lineman who can play inside or out should help at least a little bit.
22. Philadelphia Eagles: Iowa DB Cooper DeJean
DeJean is versatile and athletic, capable of playing cornerback or safety. The Eagles need someone at either spot, so they draft on upside here and bet on DeJean finding a starting role somewhere.
23. Houston Texans: Penn State DE/OLB Chop Robinson
This is a bit of a luxury pick for the Texans, using the pick acquired from Cleveland to add yet another pass rusher to a defense already built around rising star Will Anderson. For a team on the rise, sometimes indulging in luxury is the best way to keep getting better.
24. Dallas Cowboys: Alabama CB Terrion Arnold
Between McKinstry and Arnold, it's a wonder opponents ever had success throwing on Alabama. A former five-star recruit who was an All-American in 2023, Arnold helps out a Dallas secondary that needs starpower.
25. Green Bay Packers: Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton
Green Bay fortifies a solid offensive line with another pro-ready prospect, continuing the process of reloading instead of rebuilding around Jordan Love.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr.
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin aren't going to play forever. It's time for Tampa to find its next generation of playmakers, starting with Thomas the LSU standout.
27. Arizona Cardinals: Washington DE/OLB Bralen Trice
After grabbing a top-tier receiver with their first pick, the Cardinals build the defense up with their next selection, grabbing an experience pass rusher who led the defense for one of college football's best teams in 2023.
28. Kansas City Chiefs: Texas WR Adonai Mitchell
Even if the Chiefs reach the Super Bowl again, the memories of their receiver struggles will cloud the offseason. This time, the Chiefs finally reinforce the room with a speedy receiver with a knack for making big plays in big moments.
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29. Buffalo Bills: Georgia DB Kamari Lassiter
Lassiter might not win the prize for most athletic defensive back in the draft, but he has a skill for getting the job done and the pedigree of producing at a high level in the always-strong Georgia defense.
30. Detroit Lions: Penn State DB Kalen King
The Lions went a long way to reinvent their secondary last offseason through free agency. Now they continue the revamp with a Detroit native for some added youth.
31. San Francisco 49ers: Duke OL Graham Barton
The 49ers haven't needed to draft for need in a little while. In Barton, they get an interior offensive lineman who can play stout in the middle and keep the offense chugging along on schedule.
32. Baltimore Ravens: Michigan DT Kris Jenkins
The Harbaugh-to-Harbaugh pipeline comes through as the Ravens take the Michigan interior defensive lineman who plugged holes and wreaked havoc on backfields throughout the Wolverines' national championship run.
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: Titans mock draft 1.0: Mike Vrabel's replacement gets OT at No. 7
