Experts unconvinced Ohio State QB will fall to Titans at pick No. 11

Multiple people believe the Tennessee Titans will not be able to get polarizing Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud at pick No. 11 of the 2023 NFL Draft.

For a piece published on Wednesday, one unnamed AFC executive told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN that rumors claiming Stroud could fall out of the top 10 on Thursday night are "probably overblown." That executive added that Stroud is viewed as "a really good player." 

Meanwhile, a veteran AFC scout told Fowler it's assumed a club would trade up into "the back half of the top 10" if Stroud dropped to a team not looking for a rookie quarterback, such as the Chicago Bears (pick No. 9), that was willing to do business. 

Both Fowler and ESPN's Jordan Reid linked Stroud with the Titans. 

"Sources I've talked to agree that Tennessee at No. 11 is a good floor to consider for Stroud," Fowler wrote. 

Similar to what's been said by insiders such as ESPN NFL Draft guru Todd McShay, ESPN's Matt Miller and NBC Sports' Peter King, Fowler mentioned the fact that Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel being a former Ohio State player and coach should give Vrabel "intimate knowledge on Stroud's game." 

Unlike the anonymous figures who spoke with Fowler, though, Reid said that a league executive told him it's thought Stroud could slide to the Titans at No. 11 similar to how Ohio State's Justin Fields fell to that exact pick two years ago. The executive insisted that "there's no way" the Titans would pass on Stroud, in part because veteran signal-caller Ryan Tannehill turns 35 years old this summer and is in the final year of his contract.

Interestingly, Fowler repeated information shared by Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated earlier this week and said that "some teams believe the Titans could be looking to accumulate picks via a trade back." 

ESPN's Dan Graziano noted that he also is "hearing the Titans are more interested in moving down than up." 

It sounds like the Titans would let a club such as the Detroit Lions (pick No. 6) serve as a "parachute slot" for Stroud on Thursday. In mock drafts updated this week, Will Brinson has remained the only CBS Sports analyst of six predicting Stroud will get to Tennessee at the 11th pick. Four analysts have Stroud going elsewhere, while Chris Trapasso thinks the Titans could move up to choice No. 8 to get their quarterback.