The Tennessee Titans are entering a crucial offseason, facing one of the biggest questions of who the pick will be at No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft in April.
Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker won't technically be making the pick -- he indicated that the final say will come from new general manager Mike Borgonzi. But Brinker did make one draft-related guarantee when it comes to the top selection.
"We won't pass on a generational talent with the first pick in the NFL draft," Brinker told reporters on Wednesday. "We won't do that."
Now comes the question: Will there be a "generational talent" available at No. 1? That remains to be seen.
The 2025 Draft class remains in flux, with the deadline for underclassmen who participaed in Monday's college national championship to declare their eligibility extended through Jan. 24. Although teams will receive an initial list of draft-eligible players after that, the final "opt out" date is Feb. 7. As it stands now, some scouts and talent evaluators view the 2025 draft as being a lot with fewer blue-chip prospects at or near the top than in a typical cycle.
Borgonzi said it's too soon to know what direction the Titans will head with the first pick.
"We're very early in those discussions," he said.
Borgonzi arrived from the Kansas City Chiefs, where he spent the past 14 years. He oversaw a massive overhaul of the roster in 2013, timed up with the arrival of Andy Reid as head coach. The Chiefs were 2-14 in 2012, prior to Reid's arrival, earning the top pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Those Chiefs were badly in need of a quarterback, just as the Titans might be following a 3-14 season during which the QB play was sub-par.
But Reid's first major personnel move that year was trading for Alex Smith, which was consummated prior to Super Bowl XLVII and made official on the first day of the 2013 league year. They then selected offensive tackle Eric Fisher at No. 1 overall.
If the Titans don't believe there is a quarterback worthy of the No. 1 pick -- a "generational" QB, in their words -- then they could take a similar approach by securing a veteran option first and deciding who the best player in the draft is.
Then again, Borgonzi indicated that the draft remains the most tried and true method of rebuilding, stating his plan for the Titans as wanting to "supplement in free agency, but we want to build through the draft."
Trading back -- whether with the first pick, or anywhere in the draft thereafter -- is something Borgonzi appears very open to considering, saying that "draft picks are our biggest form of currency." Interestingly, Borgonzi helped feed the Titans' future draft-pick pool as a member of the Chiefs' front office, via the DeAndre Hopkins trade, sending a 2025 fifth-rounder to Tennessee. On the flip side, the Titans still owe the Chiefs a 2025 third-round pick for last March's L'Jarius Sneed deal.
"That's always the goal: to get as many picks in the top 100 as you can," Borgonzi said.
He's approaching the situation without preconceived plans.
"I'm coming into this with an open mind," he said on Wednesday. "We're going to evaluate every situation to make the best decision with that pick."
Borgonzi also dished on the reality of the Titans' roster as it currently stands now. Translation: They need help.
"There's some talent on this roster, but we're a three-win football team right now, so that's not good enough," he said. "We're going to have to look everywhere to improve it, whether that's upgrading starters, upgrading depth. I'll get to sit down more here with the coaches and get a better understanding of all the players.
"There's some talent on this roster. We're going to have to upgrade some positions, though."
Borgonzi also warned that the process isn't instant coffee: "That takes a little bit of time."
Once we see whether or not the Titans pursue a veteran QB option prior to the draft, then we can turn our attention to whether or not there are "generational talents" in the class -- and what position(s) they play.
