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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker sat in a meeting room at team headquarters on Wednesday and told reporters that all stones will be turned in regard to the No. 1 overall draft pick. He alluded to the attractiveness of Tennessee’s general manager position because of the franchise’s possession of that selection.
But there was a vigor in Brinker’s voice when talking about building for the long term. About flipping the roster. About drafting and developing to set a new foundation for a roster in dire need of upgrades.
Brinker acknowledged that “you can’t pass up a generational talent,” but quickly shifted to laying out his utopia as a personnel guy.
“If I can map this out perfectly,” he explained, “I’d love to have 30 picks over the next three years and 12 of those come in the top 100. I mean, that would be ideal.”
Neither Brinker nor Mike Borgonzi, the former Chiefs executive who was introduced as Tennessee’s new GM on Wednesday, will say it. But trading the No. 1 overall pick — assuming a reasonable return — appears to be the best move for the Titans at this time. They have too many needs at too many premium positions to forgo the opportunity.
Quarterback is far from the only issue. Tennessee doesn’t have promising rookie-contract talent at right tackle, edge rusher or wide receiver. And due to the L’Jarius Sneed trade last season, the Titans don’t have a third-round selection this year. So they have just two picks in the top 100 (Nos. 1 and 35).
While opinions could vary in the Titans’ building, neither of this year’s top quarterbacks — Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Miami’s Cam Ward — is viewed as a generational talent by most league observers.
So trading the top pick (to accumulate more draft capital) and pursuing a veteran quarterback to compete with incumbent Will Levis should be viewed as a strong option.
“I think I got some feelers [on the No. 1 pick], yeah,” Borgonzi said of messages he received as soon as he got the general manager job, replacing Ran Carthon. “Some congratulatory, but [also some], ‘Keep in touch.’”
The only other time the Titans had the No. 1 pick was in 2016, when they also had a first-time general manager in Jon Robinson. And he traded that pick — along with a fourth-rounder and a sixth-rounder — to the Los Angeles Rams for a first-round pick (No. 15), two second-round selections (Nos. 43 and 54) and a third-round pick (No. 76), plus a first- and third-round pick in 2017. That haul of picks turned into future All-Pros Derrick Henry and Jack Conklin and several other key starters who helped the franchise kick off a run of six straight winning seasons, including two division titles, four playoff appearances and an AFC Championship Game berth.
Of course, having more picks doesn’t guarantee success. But more at-bats is paramount for the Titans, whose best finds in last year’s draft class were a second-round nose tackle (T’Vondre Sweat) and a fifth-round cornerback (Jarvis Brownlee Jr.). The year before that, it was a first-round guard (Peter Skoronski) and a backup running back (Tyjae Spears).
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In Kansas City, Borgonzi played an integral role in a franchise that found gold in the middle rounds, like Sneed (fourth round), Travis Kelce (third round), Tyreek Hill (fifth round) and Justin Houston (third round).
“Draft picks are our biggest form of currency,” Borgonzi said. “So when there are opportunities to trade back to collect more picks, we’re going to do that. That’s always the goal: to get as many picks in the top 100 as you can. … We need to build that core foundation of players to really change the culture.”
Brinker acknowledged that his “draft and develop” vision isn’t unique. Everyone in the NFL talks about it, after all. But he believes there’s separation in the execution of that vision and in the discipline to carry it out.
It comes down to getting more playmakers on a roster that is in desperate need of them, he said.
“We have to attack these premium positions with premium players,” Brinker said. “We have to get the guys who can rush the passer. We need to get the guys who can protect the passer. We need to get the guys who can catch the touchdowns. We have to get the guys who can take the ball away. We have to get playmakers on this roster.
“And I believe that it all starts in the draft,” Brinker added. “That’s where you build the core of your roster.”
Trading the top pick would help.
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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