Why the Titans should draft WR Malik Nabers if given the opportunity
Before the Tennessee Titans signed free agent wide receiver Calvin Ridley, I firmly believed that wide receiver was the right way to go with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Now that Ridley has been added to the roster alongside DeAndre Hopkins…nothing has changed. I’m still looking at a receiver for the […]
Before the Tennessee Titans signed free agent wide receiver Calvin Ridley, I firmly believed that wide receiver was the right way to go with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Now that Ridley has been added to the roster alongside DeAndre Hopkins…nothing has changed. I’m still looking at a receiver for the Titans with pick 7, especially if LSU’s Malik Nabers is available.
Taking a left tackle is tempting. But the Titans need to be thinking long term and need to capitalize on the depth of the draft class.
Why Malik Nabers?
I won’t beat around the bush. I think Malik Nabers is going to be a perennial Pro Bowl player in the NFL. He’s a blue chip prospect for me that is going to cause problems for opposing defenses.
He can run routes from any position. His route tree is dynamic. He ran an unofficial 4.35 in the 40-yard dash at his Pro Day in Baton Rouge with a 42-inch vertical.
Nabers is the type of wide receiver that other NFL fanbases will look at in five years and say “Why can’t my team get a player like that?” Titans fans can relate to that feeling.
Is he the WR1 of this draft class? Maybe not. But that’s okay. I think the top three receivers in this draft will all hit. I think the difference between a player like Nabers and a player like Troy Franklin in the second round is substantial. The Titans are going to need another wide out moving forward and this is their chance to get a dominant one.
If the Titans were to draft Nabers, it's true…they’d have an embarrassment of riches in 2024. Will Levis would be throwing to Nabers, Calvin Ridley, and DeAndre Hopkins with a dynamic backfield behind him. That’s a good way to learn what your young quarterback is.
But let’s fast forward to the 2025 offseason for a moment. That’s when Hopkins’ deal with the Titans will be up and he will be back in free agency. That leaves Tennessee in the same spot they were in 2024 – with one talented wide receiver that needs a dance partner. Will the Titans realistically be in a position to draft a wide receiver as talented as Nabers next year? Seems unlikely.
And no…I don’t think spending big on another receiver in free agency is the best use of resources. You can do it once (Ridley), but dishing out two $100 million contracts to receivers might get you in cap trouble. Another reason why the draft is the way to go and now is the time to strike.
I'd much rather see the Titans draft Nabers with the 7th overall pick and find an offensive tackle in the second round than spend the next decade wishing Tennessee would have acquired a game-changing offensive weapon when they had the opportunity (yes, even if Joe Alt is also available).
I rarely feel this level of conviction when it comes to draft prospects, but I'm willing to put all my easter eggs in Nabers' basket.
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