NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans conducted a press conference on Tuesday afternoon to preview the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft and discuss the state of the organization.
During that presser, Titans GM Mike Borgonzi, President of Football Operations Chad Brinker, and head coach Brian Callahan all spoke to the strategy they are taking in to this weekend.
While much fuss has been made about the Titans needing to find a premiere edge rusher and quality wide receivers in the draft (for good reason), the Titans warned the media and fanbase about what’s coming: The Titans are going to take the best player available and will not be motivated by need during the draft.
“We certainly have a lot of needs on the team right now. So we’re going to do our best to stay true to the board, draft the best player available, not really reach for needs at this point,” said GM Mike Borgonzi on Tuesday. “You never want to force a need in the draft.”
President of Football Operations Chad Brinker parroted much of what Borgonzi said. “I feel the same way. You want to take the best player available. Everybody says that, not everybody follows that. The times in my career where I’ve seen we’ve made mistakes, either earlier in my career or even some of my mentors, when you kind of reach on a player based off need. Like Mike just said, I mean we got a lot of needs. So, we’re just going to trust the process. We’re going to trust the board, we’re going to let the board talk to us,” said Brinker.
Titans are taking the best player available
Do not be surprised if the Titans get on the clock at 35, decide not to trade down, and pull the trigger on a cornerback (or something like that).
Do not be surprised if Round 2 and Round 3 of the draft come and go without Tennessee picking a wide receiver of any kind.
When I spoke to Brian Callahan at the NFL Combine, I asked him what kind of wide receivers the Titans were going to look at adding this offseason. He responded with “more of them,” indicating that the Titans needed bodies in the room more than anything else. Quality NFL starters. That’s what the Titans were after. They didn’t need a star.
But since that conversation, the only real wide receiver Tennessee has added is Van Jefferson on a one-year free agent contract . That certainly seems less than optimal for a team preparing to make Cam Ward the number one overall pick in the draft. A good receiving core is essential to a quarterback’s development.
As much as the Titans would like to give Ward some high-quality weapons to throw to, they’re aware that they might not have the resources to make that happen in the draft. They are going to play the board, and if the board tells them not to draft the wide receiver, they are going to make the decision that is best for the football team.
“You want to surround the young quarterback with as much talent and have the environment for him to succeed, but at the same time, we’re building a team here too as well. So, we have to do what’s best for the team at that point. Of course, we’d like to go out and give that player everything he needs, but our thinking is right now there’s a lot of holes in this roster and we have to make the best decision for the team in terms of value of that player,” said Borgonzi.
This regime is doing things differently than Ran Carthon did it. They are setting the expectations low. They are taking a more patient approach. It can work, but that means Titans fans are going to have to be patient as well.
This is a multi-year rebuild. There’s no easy fix. Tennessee’s draft picks this weekend may not line up with the mock draft simulators you have been running for the last six weeks. But that doesn’t mean it won’t turn out to be sound process. Don’t say they didn’t warn you.