At the Tennessee Titans’ pre-draft press conference on Tuesday, President of Football Ops Chad Brinker, GM Mike Borgonzi, and HC Brian Callahan spoke on their Day 2 plans. Specifically, what kinds of conversations they’d had internally about the 35th pick, upon which their entire draft strategy lies at this point.

Everything remains on the table right now. And what they ultimately do will be dictated first and foremost by how the board falls with the first 34 picks of the draft. But once they’re on the clock, they’ll have a fundamental question to answer: stick and pick here, or try to trade down to regain a top-100 pick later that they desperately want.

Of course, trading is a two-way street. And the primary appeal to potential suitors is what will make the decision to move harder for Tennessee; better options still available make it easier to trade, but harder to say no to the players yourself.

When asked about a potential short list of players they wouldn’t pass up at 35, the Titans decision makers acknowledged that such a list exists. It’s something the front office has spent time meeting about, hammering out who is simply too valuable to trade for additional picks. So who is on that short list? On the A to Z Sports Morning Show, we went position-by-position to identify who we believe Tennessee has on it.

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Here is how it shook out:

Easton's List

• Emeka Egbuka
• Donovan Ezeiruaku
• Grey Zabel
• Omarion Hampton
• Donovan Jackson

Sam's List

• Emeka Egbuka
• Donovan Ezeiruaku
• Grey Zabel
• Luther Burden
• Walter Nolan
• Nick Emmanwori

Wait, where is Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter? Anybody ranked above these players on the Consensus Big Board is assumed to be on the list too—as well as already long gone by pick 35. So here is why we believe that given the choice, the Titans wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to draft these players at 35 overall:

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Emeka Egbuka | WR | Ohio State

Freeze: This is the only player on this list that everybody universally agrees on: the Titans wouldn’t pass on Emeka Egbuka.

They love the guy. And of course they do; he’s a fantastic prospect. Egbuka is somebody we’ve been talking about as an NFL prospect for 3 years now. But he’s never been the hottest name at receiver on his own team, because Ohio St. is a WR factory. Don't let that deceive you, though. Egbuka is one of the most pro-ready players in this draft class. He stands to be a day one starter for whichever team he joins, with a WR1/2 ceiling.

Egbuka has NFL savvy to his game already. His grasp on the details of the position are advanced for a college prospect, and he's one of the smartest guys on the board according to the coaches and front office personnel who have met with him this spring. "He'll be like having a WR coach on the field" one person told me at the Combine in February. NFL teams seem to be a bit higher on him than the public is, though you're hard pressed to find anybody who actually dislikes Egbuka.

His greatest crime, perhaps, is not having one truly elite thing we can latch onto. But his real superpower is that he isn't really bad at anything. His floor is extremely high. twice a 1000+ yard/ 100+ reception receiver in college, his transition to the pros will be as smooth as anybody's. It would be the shock of the draft to see the Titans pass on him if he somehow falls.

Grey Zabel | IOL | North Dakota State

Phalen: The North Dakota State offensive lineman best projects on the interior in the NFL, but his positional versatility makes him an attractive options for the Titans if he's still on the board at 35. Zabel played four of the five offensive line positions during his college career, and many believe he’s perfectly capable of being an NFL center if called upon.

While the Titans made it a priority to beef up their offensive line this offseason, I don’t think that should prevent them from selecting an offensive lineman if the right player is available. Titans RG Kevin Zietler is on a one-year deal and C Lloyd Cushenberry is coming off of a serious injury. Worst case scenario, Zabel is OL depth for Tennessee in 2025 that can plug in anywhere. He’d also be the starter in waiting for 2026 at right guard.

Mike Borgonzi is all about projecting the development of a player and where players fit in the team’s future roster. “Part of the draft process is projecting like two, three years from now, what they're going to be. So for us, we're trying to take—what's this player going to look like in year two or three?,” Borgonzi said in Tuesday’s pre-draft press conference.

I can't think of a better player to draft, develop, and use down the line than Zabel. He first caught my eye at the Senior Bowl in Mobile. A lot of teams were impressed by him that week as well. Tennessee could be one of them. 

Donovan Ezeiruaku | EDGE | Boston College

Freeze: It's no secret the Titans have EDGE very, very high on their list of positional needs. And in a class this deep all along the defensive line, it's not going to be surprising if there are a couple of options at 35 that would be late 1st Round picks in lesser classes. That's going to be a juicy value for the Titans to weigh moving off of, and we think that the juiciest of the reasonable possibilities would be Donovan Ezeiruaku.

The 6'2 247lb rusher is a quick, smooth operator around the edge at his lighter weight. He has high-level bend and athleticism that allows him to win off the line. His attention to the small things: missed tackle rate, intelligent move deployment and contain ability, and fundamental soundness in the run game make him a popular 1st round pick in mock drafts. If he slips into the 2nd, I think the Titans would have a hard time saying no.

Luther Burden III | WR | Missouri

Phalen: How can you not love Luther Burden III when he’s between the lines? Intriguing athleticism, excellent ball skills, and an elusive runner. Since the start of 2023, no player in FBS football has evaded more tacklers (60) than Burden. Even in a “down” 2024 season, Burden led all of college football with 30 missed tackles forced.

For the Missouri Tigers in 2023, Burden had 86 catches and 1,212 receiving yards. He was named first-team All-SEC and second team AP All-American. While his production fell off a cliff in 2024, I attribute most of that to external factors. Burden is built like a running back. He’s in that DJ Moore, Deebo Samuel stocky type of body, but also reminds me of both players with how he runs fluidly after the catch.

We all know the Titans need a wide receiver. Grabbing a premiere rookie to pair with Cam Ward would feel like a home run for Tennessee. There have been rumblings of some off-field questions with Burden. That’s a factor. But if he’s there at 35 and the Titans have done their due diligence on “the person,” I could see them being all over it. 

Omarion Hampton | RB | North Carolina

Freeze: The Titans have two featured running backs already. They like the running backs they have. They've been openly searching for a third, change-of-pace back to round out their room that they'll probably find on Saturday.

If Omarion Hampton is still on the board at 35, I think they may just scrap all of that and take the guy.

This would be a situation where they can't say no to the offensive weapon. Hampton is talked about so highly for a reason, and would be a very highly rated RB1 in a class that didn't happen to include Ashton Jeanty as well. at 6'1 220lbs, he's one of the most physically gifted ball carriers in the entire class. The combination of size, burst, speed, and power at first contact make him an enticing option for any offensive coach. His versatility is what could sell the Titans, who want to arm Cam Ward in Brian Callahan's system with as many high-level weapons as possible. Obviously receiver is the specific position they need most, but Hampton is no slouch in that department either. He'll be hard to pass up.

Walter Nolen | DT | Ole Miss

Phalen: Walter Nolen is a highly-productive defensive lineman that could be on the Titans radar simply because he’s a beast up front. Tennessee has repeatedly expressed an interest in building through the trenches, and we know they’ve done a lot of work on the incoming defensive tackle class.

If you’re just looking for the best player available and a guy to help generate more pressure on the quarterback, Nolen is a good fit. Unlike T’Vondre Sweat, Nolen wreaks havoc at the line of scrimmage with his athleticism and burst more than his size. Those play styles could compliment each other nicely.

6.5 sacks and 48 tackles for Ole Miss last season is a big reason why evaluators are in on Nolan’s playmaking upside. It’s for that same reason that I expect him to hear his name called during Round 1, but on the off chance he falls to 35, Tennessee might not be able to pass it up.

Donovan Jackson | OT/IOL | Ohio State

Freeze: If we ever find out who was officially on the Titans real copy of this list, there's bound to be a surprise or two. And I'm taking a predictive swing on Donovan Jackson being one of those guys.

Yes, the Titans have invested big in their offensive line dating back multiple offseasons. And they have five above-average starters locked and loaded, at least on paper. But this is still a regime that said in the beginning they intend on building through the trenches to begin this multi-year rebuild, and Mike Borgonzi means it when he talks about it mattering most what a player can offer 2-3 years down the road like he did in Tuesday's presser.

Jackson would be a big investment in protecting Cam Ward. Primarily a guard in college, he moved to tackle when his teammate Josh Simmons went down last season and raised a lot of eyebrows with how well he played down the stretch, in the playoffs, and in the Buckeye's National Championship finale. He has the size and length to play outside, and last year he gave us a tangible proof of concept. He's one of the only guys in this class you could argue has 4 or 5-position versatility along the line, and he would be a massive reserve to dip into in Cam Ward's rookie year should one of the veterans go down.

Nick Emmanwori | S | South Carolina

Phalen: If the Titans were to add South Carolina S Nick Emmanwori to their roster, he would immediately become the best athlete on the team. Emmanwori ran a 4.38 in the 40, posted a 43-inch vertical, and broad jumped 11’6” at the NFL Combine. He is the most athletic safety in this draft class and has a pretty rare blend of size and speed.

In my eyes, Emmanwori is the perfect defensive back for Dennard Wilson’s defense. He’s versatile enough to play over the top in the box, or cover tight ends. He has disruptive speed that limits angles in the rushing game, allows him to track down balls in coverage, and if used appropriately, could even help him rush the passer.

While Tennessee already has a pair of safeties penciled in as starters for 2025 in Amani Hooker and Xavier Woods, both of them are on expiring contracts this season. Emmanwori would come in as a Day 1 starter and long-term figurehead of the Titans defense. For a team that has invested so much into finding long-term solutions on the offensive side of the ball, this would give them a much needed piece on defense for the foreseeable future.

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