As we close in on the 2024 NFL Draft, it's time we look at the Tennessee Titans roster to assess everything that the organization should be hunting for in this year's prospects.
The draft is all about managing risk, reward, and playing the board strategically to fill out roster holes and set up the organization for sustained success.
Here's a look at what I deem to be the Titans' five biggest needs in the 2024 NFL Draft and when I expect them to be filled.
1. Offensive tackle
When they should take one: Rounds 1-2
Offensive tackle is unquestionably Tennessee's most pressing need heading into the draft. It's the most significant hole in the Titans' roster that was not addressed during free agency.
Currently, the Titans have 2023 sixth-round pick Jaelyn Duncan, Nicholas Petit-Frere, and Dillon Radunz competing for two starting jobs. That's not going to cut it. Especially when you consider the fact that Titans tackles allowed more sacks (34) than any other team.
I don't see how the Titans could come away from the first two rounds of the draft without taking at least one tackle. Notre Dame OT Joe Alt is the odds-on favorite to be Tennessee's selection with pick No. 7, but even if Ran Carthon and Co. mix things up in Round 1, it would seemingly need to be a tackle with pick No. 38.
2. Wide receiver
When they should take one: Rounds 1-4
Even after the addition of Calvin Ridley in free agency, I could still see the Titans taking a wide receiver as high as seventh overall. If the board falls just right and LSU WR Malik Nabers is sitting there when the Titans are on the clock, I'm not sure they could pass on him.
That being said, wide receiver feels like more of a luxury than a need at the top of the draft. The Titans could use another receiver, specifically one that excels in the slot. But that's something they may be better off drafting later on if the right fit isn't out there.
I'd be all for Nabers or Odunze landing with the Titans in the first. I'd welcome a second-round addition of Ladd McConkey or Troy Franklin. I'd also be just fine if Tennessee didn't draft a wide receiver until the fourth round or so.
3. Edge rusher
When they should take one: Middle rounds
I'm not on board with the Titans taking a defensive player in the first round, but I certainly wouldn't complain about adding an edge rusher with the 38th overall pick.
The Titans need depth on the defensive line, and adding another edge rusher with some positional versatility would be a huge boost for Harold Landry III and Jeffery Simmons. But like wide receiver, I think there's some flexibility on when this needs to happen.
I could see Tennessee going here in Round 2. I could also see them waiting until Round 5. It probably all depends on how the board false in front of them, and I'm not sure I have a huge preference. While I would love Darius Robinson with No. 38, the value of taking someone like Austin Booker or Myles Cole in later rounds is also enticing.
4. Inside linebacker
When they should take one: Rounds 4-7
Inside linebacker is up there with offensive tackle as one of the most glaring and obvious needs there is.
If you pull up the Titans' current depth chart, you'd see Jack Gibbens, Otis Reese IV, and Luke Gifford competing for the second starting spot next to Kenneth Murray Jr. The Titans, very simply, need to get better and deeper at inside linebacker...But that doesn't mean they should burn one of their top draft picks on one.
Productive inside linebackers come from the later rounds of the draft all the time. Henry To'oTo'o was selected in the fifth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans and is now slated to start next to Azeez Al-SHaair in 2024. The year prior, the Detroit Lions nabbed Malcolm Rodriguez in the sixth round. He had 87 tackles as a rookie.
The Titans can get by with Murray, Gibbens, Reese, and a rookie drafted in the later rounds. That's especially true in Dennard Wilson's defense.
5. Safety
When they should take one: 5th round or later
While safety is still a need for the Titans, I don't think it's something they should prioritize in the draft. You could even make the case that they shouldn't draft a safety at all.
Tennessee still has plenty of cap space available and there are still an alarming number of veteran safeties still looking for homes on the free agent market. Given where the team is today and what they want to be in 2024, I think the Titans would be better off spending a little money on a veteran to pair with Amani Hooker and support Elijah Molden than they would be rolling the dice on a safety in Round 5.
Under no circumstances should a safety be one of the Titans' first few draft picks. There are much bigger positional needs to fill that don't have the same crop of free agents still available.
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