Nick SussNashville Tennessean
NFL draft week is here, and four months of rumors and speculation hasn't done anything to change the Tennessee Titans' biggest needs.
The 2024 NFL Draft begins with the first round on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT. The Titans own the No. 7 pick behind Chicago, Washington, New England, Arizona, the Los Angeles Chargers and the New York Giants, seeking upgrades everywhere from offensive line to edge rusher to wide receiver and tight end.
With this, The Tennessean's penultimate mock draft of the year, we're focusing purely on chalk. No projected trades. No special thought exercises to see how the Titans may behave in specific scenarios. Just 32 picks top-to-bottom to recalibrate what every team needs before our final mock draft on Thursday.
7 ROUND MOCK DRAFT: Tennessee Titans mock draft: Envisioning how Titans can trade back, still get Joe Alt
1. Chicago Bears: USC QB Caleb Williams
It's been a foregone conclusion since January, and it continues to be one.
2. Washington Commanders: LSU QB Jayden Daniels
When given the choice between a traditional, big-armed pocket passer and a dual-threat weapon, the Commanders opt for the latter.
3. New England Patriots: UNC QB Drake Maye
The top three quarterbacks are out of the way. Now the draft can really start.
4. Arizona Cardinals: Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
The Cardinals don't need to overthink this, grabbing the player who's felt predestined to go near the top of this draft for two years.
5. Los Angeles Chargers: LSU WR Malik Nabers
After parting ways with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams this offseason, the Chargers take advantage of the receiver talent in this class with a mighty productive non-Harrison consolation prize.
6. New York Giants: Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy
Maybe it's a little too early to give up on Daniel Jones. Maybe it's the perfect time. Either way, the Giants take a huge risk here and bet on quarterback play instead of another year or wait-and-see.
7. Tennessee Titans: Notre Dame OT Joe Alt
Yes, it's Alt. Even with Rome Odunze and Brock Bowers and Dallas Turner still on the board. The Titans could do anything they want here, so they do the smart thing.
It's easy to get bored when four months of mock drafts have been telling you the same thing. But don't confuse repetition with uninspiring. If the Titans come away from the first round with Alt, they're heading into Round 2 and beyond knowing they've addressed their biggest need and may have just added a franchise cornerstone at one of the league's four premium positions.
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8. Atlanta Falcons: Alabama DE/OLB Dallas Turner
The Falcons get younger, more athletic and flat out better off the edge, as they've needed to for years.
9. Chicago Bears: Florida State DE/OLB Jared Verse
Chicago could consider another receiver here, but they shore up the bigger need.
10. New York Jets: Georgia TE Brock Bowers
Picking a tight end is a luxury in many cases. Here, the Jets aren't viewing it so much as a luxury as a missing piece.
11. Minnesota Vikings: Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell
Sure, the Vikings need a quarterback. But stretching for the wrong passer seldom works out. Stick with the more valuable commodity and get better on defense.
12. Denver Broncos: UCLA DE/OLB Laiatu Latu
Exact same logic as the Vikings.
13. Las Vegas Raiders: Washington WR Rome Odunze
Maybe the steal of the draft the way this board fell. The Raiders pair Odunze with Davante Adams and figure out the "who's throwing the ball" problem later.
14. New Orleans Saints: Penn State OT Olu Fashanu
A popular Titans pick earlier in the process, Fashanu falls to the Saints as the second lineman off the board here.
15. Indianapolis Colts: Alabama CB Terrion Arnold
Arnold has a knack for making plays around the ball, and the talent to develop into the Colts' No. 1 corner quickly.
16. Seattle Seahawks: Oregon State OL Taliese Fuaga
Seattle might not be sure where to put Fuaga at first, but he'll find a home and quickly dominate in the run game.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars: LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr.
Trevor Lawrence's latest toy in the receiver room is a deep threat who led college football in touchdowns last year. Not bad.
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18. Cincinnati Bengals: Alabama OL J.C. Latham
Like Fuaga, it's not immediately clear where Latham fits on the line as a rookie. But in Cincinnati, Latham can grow into a valuable tackle.
19. Los Angeles Rams: Washington OL Troy Fautanu
The Rams could go offensive or defensive line here. In Fautanu, they find a versatile option who can plug any number of holes inside or outside.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Texas WR Adonai Mitchell
Building a new offense around Russell Wilson means finding more talent on the outside. Mitchell is a step in that direction.
21. Miami Dolphins: Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson
The run on versatile offensive linemen continues with the Oregon product who addresses a huge need from Day 1.
22. Philadelphia Eagles: Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
Considered a potential top-10 pick throughout the fall, McKinstry lands in Philadelphia with premium traits that can be molded into starter stuff.
23. Minnesota Vikings: Texas DT Byron Murphy
The Vikings pick Byron Murphy, not to be confused with their cornerback of the same name. Not at all confusing.
24. Dallas Cowboys: Georgia OT Amarius Mims
Unlike some of the prospects who went before him, Mims is a true tackle, and one the Cowboys are going to have to refine into being a starter.
25. Green Bay Packers: Penn State DE/OLB Chop Robinson
The Packers love loading up on pass rushers in the first round, so here's another one.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Texas WR Xavier Worthy
The Bucs add to their embarrassment of riches at receiver with some top-end speed.
27. Arizona Cardinals: Illinois DT Johnny Newton
When a team has as many needs as the Cardinals do, sometimes picking the best player available is the quickest way to rebuild.
28. Buffalo Bills: Florida State WR Keon Coleman
What Coleman lacks in top-end athleticism, he more than makes up for in dominant physicality and production, two things Buffalo needs in its reinvented receiver room.
29. Detroit Lions: Missouri DL Darius Robinson
Robinson has the size and versatility to play just about everywhere on the defensive line, freeing up the rest of Detroit's young, aggressive line to play how it likes.
30. Baltimore Ravens: Clemson CB Nate Wiggins
One of the draft's top-rated cover corners falls to Baltimore, and the Ravens figure out where to plug him in their already gifted secondary.
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31. San Francisco 49ers: Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton
The 49ers draft a tackle-of-the-future type without needing him to be Brock Purdy's blind-side protector right away.
32. Kansas City Chiefs: Iowa DB Cooper DeJean
Having Patrick Mahomes on the other side is a much nicer luxury than playing defense at Iowa, but DeJean brings that give-up-any-points-and-it's-a-loss approach from college with him to the Chiefs.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
