NASHVILLE — What if the Tennessee Titans don't select Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt with the No. 7 overall pick Thursday night in the NFL Draft? What if general manager Ran Carthon and first-year coach Brian Callahan prefer a wide receiver? Or a trade down in the first round to acquire more assets for their rebuilding project?
What if the Los Angeles Chargers or New York Giants, both desperate for a pass blocker, beat the Titans to Alt, the consensus best offensive lineman in the draft?
2024 NFL Draft week is here. According to NFL Mock Draft Database, 58.4 percent of drafts have the Titans taking Alt. Which makes a lot of sense. One of the worst offensive lines in football last year needs a building block to join all-rookie guard Peter Skoronski and free-agent center Lloyd Cushenberry.
However, the draft is unpredictable and the Titans aren't the only team with holes to fill.
Barring trades, the predicted first three picks are quarterbacks Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye, then the top three wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze, leaving Alt to the Titans. And wouldn't that be logical? Then again ...
Could the Titans take Brock Bowers, who set Southeastern Conference records for tight ends formost receptions (175), receiving yards (2,538), and receiving touchdowns (26) while winning two national titles for the University of Georgia?Bowers is also the first two-time winner of the John Mackeyawardthat goes tothe nation'sbest tight end.
Let's say the Giants or Chargers take Alt. That would likely leave Odunze or Nabers to join DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley in Tennessee's wide receivers room. As Callahan said in an interview with 102.5 The Game: "I tend to lean to the guys that can score touchdowns."
ESPN analyst Matt Miller named LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers as a possibility if Alt is taken earlier.
"I think the only scenario that, as a Titans fan you have to worry about is if the L.A. Chargers just stick at 5 and say: 'We're going to build through the trenches, and we'll take Joe Alt,'" Miller said Friday during a conference call. "Rashawn Slater is about to hit a contract year, so they could certainly be drafting ahead for the future. If you're a Titans fan, you think about, 'How could your board get wiped out?' That is certainly one way, if the Chargers stay at five and take Alt."
"The other scenario, if that happens, you're probably hoping Malik Nabers from LSU is there," Miller said. "They've added Calvin Ridley, so the wide receiver room is looking a lot better than it did just a year ago. I think, and we even heard Brian Callahan talk about this, you still are lacking that slot production. Looking at the Cincinnati offense, where he came from, it was known for three-wide. That third receiver has not really emerged yet for the Titans.
"So I think if Joe Alt is gone, and I'm sure you'd love to have a left tackle there, but if there is not a trade-back scenario there that you like, then I think you maybe stay and take Malik Nabers and then you look at the tackle group later in the draft to try and fill out that need."
In 2023, Nabers was Pro Football Focus' top-ranked college receiver. He was a consensus All-American and became LSU's career leader for catches and receiving yards — ahead of NFL stars Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase.
Odunze helped lead the Washington Huskies to the college football championship game. PFF ranks him as the No. 8 prospect for all positions.
One of the strengths of the draft is at offensive tackle. The Titans could decide to gain some draft capital by trading down. Teams such as the Minnesota Vikings, picking at No. 11, are expected to move up to get Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
If the Titans were to trade down, another six tackles are projected as first-round material — such as Penn State's Olu Fashanu, a consensus first-team All-American last season and the Big Ten offensive lineman of the year. According to PFF, he allowed zero sacks and only 10 pressures on 382 passing snaps last season.
Or if the Titans opted for a receiver later in the first round, they could look at Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell or LSU wideout Brian Thomas.
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