Happy draft day! Here is part 2 of my jumbo pre-draft Q&A from the Titans subreddit. Part 1 can be found here. A lot of good stuff to discuss, let’s tuck in:

Titans Pre-Draft Q&A Pt. II

Does Love compare to Cj2k? If so, I think we have to pick him. What are your thoughts?

They aren’t completely different styles, like Henry and CJ were for example. Love is a happy medium. I do think he has every bit of CJ’s receiving ability and potentially even more. But he doesn’t have CJ’s top gear (nobody does).

If the Titans were to bite on the Seahawks obvious offers to trade down, what would you expect to be the required assets to move up 3 spots a what prospects would you think they’re targeting?

History and trade value charts tell us a small trade-up in that range would cost them the value of a 4th or 5th round pick.

How do you and or other writers feel about the reduction of pick slots from 10 minutes to 8 minutes? I personally as someone one East Coast time love this as it means I don’t have to stay up until almost midnight for the last few picks. – panopticon31

I dig it! Draft weekend is a marathon, and since I have to do work the night of the first round to prepare for the small content window between days, I’m not complaining. You know who hates it? My boss Austin Stanley. Because he loves to plan the timing of our evening based on going back to previous years and looking at tweet timestamps to estimate exactly when each pick in the first round will be made. System=ruined.

How locked in is the team on taking a RG on day 2, vs bringing back Zeitler or signing another veteran? – BurningMad

I wouldn’t call them locked in. But I do know that tier of Rutledge, Pregnon and Bisontis is enticing. All depends on who is still there and how they have them stacked.

Who’s the reach candidate this year? As in, who’s the player thats going to go way earlier than projected a la Clelin Ferrell? -TerpsMakeMeDrink

Impossible to predict. But Treydan Stukes has sat around in the third round for most of this cycle, and he could hear his name called on night 1.

What’s a position that Titans fans are underrating as a draft need and, on the other side of that coin, what’s a position fans are overrating? – TiredDad4x

I like this one. Underrating: linebacker (Sonny Styles notwithstanding). Overrating: Wide Receiver (particular in Rounds 3-7).

What is the furthest down you could see the titans trading down to? I know it probably depends on what’s included in the trade but I just can’t see them going further down then around 15th. – PracticallyCanadian7

I’ve been given reason to believe that they have a pretty hard cutoff for how far down they’d want to move in the first round. Where is that line? Somewhere between 10-15 as best I can tell.

Do you think Bain will have a surprising drop due to his measurements? – NoCyanide

Define surprising… Out of the top-10? I think he might. Out of the teens? Not a chance.

What is MB’s philosophy on building support structure around Cam (timeline, points of emphasis, etc)? How would you rate his execution. Is MB potentially on track, ahead of, or behind on investing in the offense. Know this team was a dumpster fire that had little talent and some ideas, like a C in FA didn’t go the Titans way, which is a consideration in this. – Head-Tennis-3572

Tricky question to answer here… he knows this franchise (and probably, his job) depends on Cam’s success. He’s put everything around him in terms of support staff and technology as he can manage. I like the coaching setup he has right now. Ask me again once we know what this offense looks like on the other side of the weekend…

This is less to do with this specific draft and more to do with the draft reporting process in general: the “smokescreen” has become an essential part of the draft process at this stage. My question is, as a reporter, is there a way to tell what is a smokescreen and what is more truthful? And do you have any sort of guide or rule for reporting on stuff you personally think is all smoke? – SynonymDinosaur

If there was a surefire BS detector you could buy, everybody in the information business would pay through the nose to own one. You have to lean on your gut, cross-reference as much as possible, lean on those you have reason to trust, be skeptical of those you don’t, and ultimately stick to your guns while living with the consequences. I’ve swung big on quite a few things in the past couple years, and I haven’t gotten burned. It’s helped me build the reputation for accuracy that I have today. But if in a few hours the Titans draft Sonny Styles at 4, I’m going to be thrown into the internet’s bully circle. You can’t be afraid of that, you just have to lean on your process and improve wherever you can.

Is the Sonny Styles smoke coming from the front office an attempt to woo a trade partner, and who may that be? – Duobocity

My theory is that it is, at least in part, coming from the coaching staff. But I think it’s a group initiative.

I’ve seen reports that the titans may want to trade back up into the 1st round. Which player or position, do you think would cause them to jump back into the 1st? Given their stated desire to acquire more picks it’d have to be someone pretty special I imagine. – Upper_Acanthaceae501

Good question. You’re right about it needing to be somebody they’re extremely bullish on. And I don’t think it’s a very likely scenario unless they first add capital in a trade-down from 4. But the two groups I think they’ll watch closely in this range are the tier 2 guards (Rutledge, Bisontis, Pregnon) and the Tier 2/3 receivers (Conception, Cooper, Boston).

What are your thoughts on taking Bailey at 4 and potentially trading back in to the first with the Seahawks since they only have 4 picks and take a WR so we get the 5th year option? – Mammoth-Ask1453

I certainly endorse Bailey at 4. And there are some people in that building who would be doing cartwheels down the hall if he falls to them there. As for trading back up, it would take one of Conception, Cooper, or maybe Boston falling into range to incentivize that.

Do you think the consensus among all front offices is that running backs are devalued and Love is a rare occurrence? Or is this draft just weaker and that consensus is still accepted among all there’s just not enough top flight OT’s & WRs with the two top pass rushers? – Sufficient_Spray

I think there are a healthy number of front offices who see RB as a devalued position right now, but Love’s stature in this class is more a reflection of his unique talent and the lack of blue chip premium positions to pick from.

Assuming the titans really are fine with Jordyn Tysons medicals – why shouldn’t he be the pick at 4 over literally any other option? Is Tate really considered to be that much better if the medical side of things isn’t an issue? -the_capnblunt

Depends on who you ask. If Tyson had a sterling medical history, I think I would have valued him a hair more than Tate. But he doesn’t. And I think that was the biggest fib Borgonzi told at his pre-draft presser.

Borgonzi and company won’t be able to fill all the roster holes and needs of this team in one off-season. My question is, based on your intel and opinion, what positions do the Titans “punt” on this year to hopefully address in 2027? For example, I think Borgonzi is going to “punt” on WR this year. I think the front office is fine with Wan’Dale, Ridley, Ayo, and Dike for now. What are your thoughts? – Tetrachroma_

I think you nailed it. I think the most likely outcome is that they punt on a top shelf wide receiver, which they still need. The Titans don’t need just any WR help, they need another starter. I wrote more about that here: https://atozsports.com/nfl/tennessee-titans-news/late-breaking-hope-titans-fans-draft-wide-receiver-one-big-question-mike-borgonzi-2026-nfl-draft/

I feel like outside the giant styles wasn’t talked about high at all until the last couple of weeks. Is he a player? These teams I want to trade back is using to try to get a Kansas City or a Dallas or Washington to move up? – QuickKillings

I think the trade market is the largest reason for Styles’ narrative explosion here at the end, yes. He’s a stud. But linebacker is a tough position in the first round.

Saw your retweet that referenced WR coming into the mix at the 11th hour. Do you think it’s a smokescreen? I do not think that’s the case. Even if Tate is a WR2 it’s still better value than Love or Styles. -pingpong1200

I think it is pure smokescreen, yes. But as an analyst, I like Tate as an option at 4 a whole lot more than pretty much everybody else seems to. I just gave up on it being a real possibility a while ago.

Why is Vega Ioane not generally considered to be in the same class of prospect as Love/Styles/Downs? From everything I’ve heard, he seems to be the exact same type of deal as those guys – elite prospect at a low-value position. Albeit, not as low-value as an RB or ILB, and one that the Titans happen to have a greater need for at this particular moment… – BankofAntarctica

yea, not an unfair question. Not everybody sees him as a TRUE blue chip player, though I certainly do. Guard is also just one of those positions that everybody collectively seems to be cool with waiting until the early teens to begin taking. I get what you’re saying, though.

I believe all of the interior linemen visits have been later round guys. But it looks reasonable that a first round grade falls to 35. Would we pull the trigger there or hold out for our later round targets? – nlefko

I think they’re watching the tier 2 guard prospects who could be there in the 2nd, and the value IOL (particularly center) prospects who could be there in the early 100’s. I think OG at 35 and C at 101 would be a welcome outcome in their eyes.

How confident are Borgonzi and Saleh that Elic is a starting caliber WR? Because if we go with Love at 4 and there’s a run on WR before we pick again (or IOL is the better value in the 2nd and 3rd), we’ll need to rely heavily on Elic to step up. – LangeSohne

As is the case with any new regime, these guys are feeling everybody out. Very few players are presumed starters. You have to earn it this summer. Elic is firmly in that camp.

Tell me it’s gonna be okay Easton I can’t take another bad pick. – T_Cogan

Everything is going to work out just fine. Unless it doesn’t.