Tennessee Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi said just this week that “everything is still on the table” in regard to plans for the team's No. 1 pick in next month's draft.
His head coach might have given a bit more insight into the team's thought process, however, when Brian Callahan sat down with NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero at the Annual League Meeting and discussed his thoughts on players still in the mix to be the first overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.
"I think it's a short list at No. 1 for sure, it's all the guys that I think are worthy of it, the ones that everyone talks about out there, and between Travis (Hunter) and Shedeur (Sanders) and Cam (Ward) and Abdul Carter, I think those are, that's the top of the draft for me, those are the most elite players in the draft," Callahan told Pelissero. "There's going to be a lot of good ones certainly that come after them, but I think those at this moment are the best players in the draft and at the top of it."
Callahan's top four might not necessarily come as a surprise, considering the Titans' areas of need and the multiple mock drafts projecting those players will hear their names called early on Day 1. But his willingness to acknowledge that ranking publicly is less standard, with teams often keeping decisions close to the vest to the last moment, even when they know there's no club ahead of them to scoop up their top choice.
Could this then be a smokescreen for the Titans, who could field offers for trade packages for the top pick or surprise folks with a choice outside of those four contenders? It's possible, but even if it is one of this quartet of prospects there's still a good amount of intrigue as to which direction the team might go with what could become a franchise-altering pick.
Does Tennessee work on a defense that ranked 30th in the league in points allowed last year by adding Carter? Or draft a new signal-caller of the future in Sanders or Ward? Could they try to improve on both sides of the ball by selecting Hunter? All good questions, and all things Callahan, Borgonzi and their team have likely been discussing since the moment it was confirmed they'd select first this draft.
As for when Tennessee will settle on its final choice, Callahan was open that things are not quite solidified, though he acknowledged that with the grind of pro days, top-30 visits and private workouts almost complete, the full array of data will soon be available for a decision to be made.
"We're getting closer for sure, all of the processes are moving right along," Callahan said. "...I would say we have a pretty good feel for what direction we're headed by early April here, and you put the final touches on it and tie the bow over it by the time you get to the draft."
With time ticking away until the Titans are officially on the clock on April 24, the pressure and speculation will only continue to ramp up until a choice is finally revealed.
