Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan and general manager Mike Borgonzi are set to speak at the NFL combine on Tuesday, giving fans a glimpse into their thinking ahead of the event.
Coming off a miserable 3-14 campaign, there will be turnover on the roster, and the team could improve in many different ways. Having the top pick in the draft will help, but they need more than one player to regain contender status.
At this point, no one has a good feel for what the Titans will do with that No. 1 pick, but that doesn’t stop anyone from making their opinions known. Legendary draft expert Mel Kiper has weighed in with his opinion with his pre-combine mock draft.
1. Tennessee Titans – Abdul Carter, OLB, Penn State
The quarterback question looms large here at No. 1. Could Tennessee trade the pick to a QB-needy team looking to land Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders? Sure. In fact, new GM Mike Borgonzi has even suggested the Titans will listen to offers. Could Tennessee also choose to take one of those passers itself here to replace Will Levis? Of course. But there are other ways to attack the quarterback position — Aaron Rodgers? — and I already said it’s too early to start projecting trades.
Besides, the Titans would love having Carter — who isn’t working out this week at the combine — on this defense. He creates so much pressure off the edge with the burst and instincts to get home for sacks. He had 12 of them in 2024, along with a nation-leading 23.5 tackles for loss. For a Tennessee team that was 25th in pressure (29.0%) this past season, sliding him next to Jeffery Simmons and T’Vondre Sweat makes a lot of sense. Anything is possible and Ward will be the focus of a lot of teams in Indianapolis. He is definitely a prospect to keep an eye on.
This was a change for Kiper, who had the Titans taking Cam Ward with his first mock draft in January. Carter could fit the “generational talent” theme that both Mike Borgonzi and team president Chad Brinker have talked about during interviews.
Carter will not be fully participating in the drills at the combine. He is recovering from a shoulder injury suffered in the college football playoffs. He will be available for a physical and interviews, but the Titans will have to wait until his Pro Day in March to evaluate him.