2 weeks Ago By Easton Freeze, A to Z Sports
The Tennessee Titans are going to make Cam Ward the future of their franchise in less than 2 weeks, and he’s going to need some receivers to throw to. That will be the most pressing question the Titans have once he’s on the roster: how will they be able to address the wide receiver position in the rest of the draft? Their current roster is comprised of Calvin Ridley, and then a bunch of question marks behind him. Van Jefferson was a free agent signing who you’d prefer not to need as a starter.
Bryce Oliver was a UDFA rookie last season, and he has a lot of promise to potentially mature into the role left behind by Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. But beyond that, the room is barren. That’s why Tennessee will be spending at least 1, probably 2 picks on receivers in this draft.
They’re focused on finding a mid-to-late-round option with promising upside, but they haven’t ruled out using a Day 2 pick on the position if the right player is there. It would need to be the right situation though, and they’re very seriously looking at other positions (primarily the defensive trenches) as well as any trade-down options that may arise. Meanwhile, both the narrative in the media as well as the collective hopes of fans have really leaned into the idea of a WR at 35 ever since it became widely understood Ward would be the pick.
It’s a natural and strong temptation, to give a highly drafted QB as many exciting new weapons as possible. And when you dig into recent history, it’s more than just a temptation; it’s a trend. In 2024, the Bears selected Caleb Williams 1st overall.
They spend the 9th overall pick on Rome Odunze to complete their WR room. In 2023, the Panthers took Bryce Young 1st overall and Jonathan Mingo in the Second Round. In 2022, the first QB off the board was Kenny Pickett 20th overall.
They took George Pickens in the 2nd. In 2021, the Jaguars drafted Trevor Lawrence 1st overall and they’d just handed Christian Kirk a WR market-resetting contract in free agency. And in 2020, the Bengals drafted Joe Burrow 1st overall and took Tee Higgins with the first pick of the 2nd round.
The Titans haven’t made a significant WR move this offseason. In fact, practically all they’ve done is lose receivers since signing Calvin Ridley last spring. So much so, that he’s about all they have left that’s proven in that room.
So does that mean they’ll continue the trend and draft one highly? We’ll find out soon enough. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission..
