Titans emerge as favorites to land major NFL Draft name in round two
After drafting offensive tackle Peter Skoronski in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans are seemingly in the market for an offensive playmaker with their second round pick on Friday night (41st overall). Adding a wide receiver to compliment Treylon Burks would make the most sense for Tennessee at 41, but […]
After drafting offensive tackle Peter Skoronski in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans are seemingly in the market for an offensive playmaker with their second round pick on Friday night (41st overall).
Adding a wide receiver to compliment Treylon Burks would make the most sense for Tennessee at 41, but a case could also be made for a tight end if Darnell Washington or Michael Mayer continue to slide. If the Titans are serious about being competitive in 2023, adding weapons to this offense needs to be a priority from here on.
But is it possible that Tennessee opts to go for the quarterback they passed on in round one instead of a pass catcher?
The Titans (+200 on FanDuel) are currently the betting favorite to draft Kentucky quarterback Will Levis on Friday night after Levis shockingly fell out of the first round.
The Los Angeles Rams, who pick five spots before Tennessee at 36 overall, have the next best odds of any team.
According to an early morning report from Tom Pelissero on Friday, teams are already on the phones and looking to move up to pick 32 in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Some of those teams may have had interest in trading back into the later part of the first round on Thursday night.
Trading back into the first round to land a quarterback is not uncommon. Teams often prefer to be aggressive and get the fifth-year option on their guy. We saw this with Jordan Love in 2020, Lamar Jackson in 2018, and Teddy Bridgewater in 2014.
But with nobody moving back into the first round and Levis still sliding, how much sense does it make for a team to move up in the second round?
Even if the Titans were to get Levis at 41, this one would be quite polarizing for the fanbase and NFL world. Frankly, I'd expect nothing less. Levis has always been a polarizing prospect and quarterback isn't exact the most pressing need on Tennessee's to-do list.
By not trading up for a QB in the first round and instead selecting a Day 1 starter in Skoronski, Tennessee seemingly committed to the idea of filling as many immediate holes as possible in 2023.
With Ryan Tannehill still under contract for one more season, Levis (or any other project quarterback) is likely to remain a backup and learn from Tannehill this season.
Had it been a move up to get C.J. Stroud in the first round, Titans fans would not have said a word about needing address the team's other holes. By all accounts, Stroud is the blue chip quarterback prospect that can change the trajectory of a franchise. But with that never becoming an available course of action for Tennessee, the smart play is to add a wide receiver and build a young offense for the future.
But for those of you who complained that going offensive line in the first round was too boring…You won't be able to say the same thing if the Titans draft Levis.
