For the final time ahead of the 2023 NFL draft, we’re taking a tour of mocks for the Tennessee Titans that includes both single-round and multi-round mock drafts.
We begin with our own Shaun Calderon, who has the Titans taking wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba with their first-round pick at No. 11 overall. Shaun’s mock was a full seven rounds, so we linked to it in the round-up below.
As for myself, I went with offensive tackle Peter Skoronski in our NFL Wire mock draft, giving the Titans a short-term solution at guard, and a long-term solution at left tackle if the Andre Dillard experiment doesn’t work out for whatever reason.
In this particular round-up, we’ll lead off with the multi-round drafts that experts have put out. I implore you to check out Chad Reuter’s in particular, as it’s one of the worst mock drafts you will ever see for the Titans.
Without further ado, the round-up (note: after you finish the round-up, make sure to keep scrolling for Shaun Calderon’s top 10 prospects at each position).
Shaun Calderon, Titans Wire (seven rounds)
Round 1: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
Round 2: IOL Joe Tippmann, Wisconsin
Round 3: WR A.T. Perry, Wake Forest
Round 5: LB Ivan Pace Jr., Cincinnati
Round 6: Atonio Mafi, UCLA
Round 7: K Jake Moody, Michigan
Curt Popejoy, Draft Wire (seven rounds)
Round 1: OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
Round 2: WR Zay Flowers, Boston College
Round 3: DL Byron Young, Alabama
Round 5: CB Carrington Valentine, Kentucky
Round 6: OL Nick Broeker, Ole Miss
Round 7: TE Kemari Averett, Bethune-Cookman
Chad Reuter, NFL.com (seven rounds)
Round 1: OG O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida
Torrence provides brute force up front in the run game, which should intrigue the run-first Titans — and yet, his nimble feet belie his 330-pound frame.
Round 2: DL Keion White, Georgia Tech
Round 3: EDGE Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame
Round 5: TE Payne Durham, Purdue
Round 6: CB Myles Brooks, Louisiana Tech
Round 7: RB Kenny McIntosh, Georgia
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News (three rounds)
Round 1: WR Quentin Johnston, TCU
The Titans, if passing on a quarterback such as Will Levis this early, need to think upgrading their passing game again with a second consecutive first-round wide receiver after Treylon Burks. Johnston would be the ideal vertical threat complement to Burks’ intermediate and after-catch work with his size and field-stretching speed.
Round 2: QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
The Titans have Hooker on their radar should they pass on a first-round QB and don’t make a blockbuster deal for Lamar Jackson. His big arm, intangibles and downfield accuracy can help push their offense forward to more passing pop vs. Ryan Tannehill or Malik Willis.
Round 3: RB Devon Achane, Texas A&M
The Titans need to get a dynamic change of pace who can also fill in well for Derrick Henry given the veteran’s wear and tear. He can be a huge third-down asset with some pass-blocking improvement.
Peter King, NBC Sports: QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State (via trade up to No. 3)
How cool would it be if the two rookie GMs in the first round combined to shake it up? This trade and pick makes sense, but honestly, I have no idea if it’ll happen. It would serve Arizona’s purpose of getting significant draft capital—trading down eight spots for either a one next year or maybe three picks in the top 75 over this draft and 2024. And the Titans, who I hear have lost faith in Malik Willis, might be in a unique position here. Coach Mike Vrabel is tight with Ohio State coach Ryan Day. Vrabel will get the real about Stroud from Day, and I think that real will be mostly positive. And Vrabel will be a good coach for Stroud. That plus the fact that Ryan Tannehill would be able to give Stroud time to adjust to the pro game. One thing re: the sudden knocks about Stroud, which absolutely should not be ignored but absolutely should be put into perspective – This from one exec of a team, a winning team, that respects the S2 athlete-processing test that, per McGinn, had Stroud grade very low: “All of a sudden the S2 test is the Bible. Why? It’s a smart test. But how did the guy play? How was his tape?” I would like this deal for Tennessee, and for Arizona.
Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
Johnson can start off on the right side and ultimately be a replacement for Taylor Lewan, who is already gone.
Pro Football Focus: QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State (via trade up to No. 3)
The Titans send Pick Nos. 11 and 41 and a 2024 second-rounder to the Cardinals in exchange for Pick Nos. 3 and 168. Arizona is reportedly keen to move this pick, and with the board falling as it did, we decided this was the perfect time to make a bold move. Stroud has the entire tool chest of NFL throws in his arsenal, and now it’s up to us to find him some more weapons.
Bucky Brooks, NFL.com: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
Fixing the offensive line has to be a top priority for Mike Vrabel after watching the unit struggle a season ago.
Nate Davis, USA TODAY: QB Anthony Richardson, Florida
Ryan Tannehill is entering the final year of his contract, and Malik Willis did little to inspire confidence from the fans or coaches in 2022. Enter the self-styled “Cam Jackson,” who blew up the combine as a bit of a Newton-Lamar Jackson hybrid. At 6-4, 244 pounds, Richardson blazed a 4.43-second 40-yard dash and hit combine quarterback records with a vertical jump of 40½ inches and a broad jump of 10 feet, 9 inches. So though he’s lacking in experience (13 starts for the Gators), Richardson’s physical tools – to include a bazooka of an arm that was also on full display – are tantalizing. And similar to Jackson, Richardson could benefit from breaking in behind Tannehill while maybe seeing the field in specially designed packages … given the reasonable assumption the 21-year-old won’t be ready to start immediately.
Garrett Podell, CBS Sports: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
Here’s a plug-and-play starter along one of the more porous offensive lines from the 2022 season. Ryan Tannehill, Malik Willis and Joshua Dobbs got rocked while taking snaps for Tennessee, so the Titans address this need with an eye toward the 2024 NFL Draft for their quarterback position.
Conor Orr, Sports Illustrated: QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State (via trade up to No. 10)
In our first projected trade, the Titans move up one spot to get their quarterback, fearing that the Eagles would auction off the pick to the highest bidder, given that the Texans and Commanders are still in the mix at the position and need passers. This is one of those cute little Howie Roseman moves that somehow nets him a star later in the draft with the additional capital the Titans have to pay to move up one spot. While Anthony Richardson may be the more exciting player, I think Mike Vrabel prefers a quarterback who has more consistency and a bit more refinement. The Titans drafted Malik Willis a year ago, too.
Doug Farrar, Touchdown Wire: OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
Jeff Risdon, Draft Wire: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
There was almost zero consideration given to any position but OL here. I toyed with John Michael Schmitz, but tackle is more important than center. Johnson’s higher floor earned him the nod for Tennessee over Broderick Jones.
Bryant McFadden, CBS Sports: QB Anthony Richardson, Florida (via trade up to No. 8)
It’s trade time! Atlanta trades the eighth pick to Tennessee. In return, the Falcons get No. 11 and a 2024 second-round pick. The Titans get their future QB, and he has the luxury of learning while watching the Ryan Tannehill farewell tour.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
They lost right guard Nate Davis in free agency and they had terrible line issues last year. Skoronski could also play either tackle spots, but I think he will be an All-Pro guard.
Eric Edholm, NFL.com: QB Anthony Richardson, Florida
Would the Texans just let their division rivals stand pat at No. 11 and get the last of the top-four quarterbacks? Maybe. My guess is the Titans like Richardson better than the Texans do, and this allows Tennessee to keep Ryan Tannehill around for one more year while the raw rookie develops. The Malik Willis experience could give Titans brass pause, but this is a different caliber talent here.
Cory Bonini, The Huddle: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
David Dorey, The Huddle: EDGE Nolan Smith, Georgia
H.C. Green, The Huddle: QB Anthony Richardson, Florida
Harley Schultz, The Huddle: WR Quentin Johnston, TCU (via trade down to No. 23)
Kevin Hickey, The Huddle: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports: OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
The Titans added Andre Dillard and Daniel Brunskill in free agency to bolster the O-line but there’s still room for improvement. Skoronski is solid and consistent, which are two of the best things you can say about an offensive lineman. The biggest issue he’ll face during the pre-draft process will be arm length and whether his NFL future is at tackle or guard. But like he told us at the combine, there are plenty of NFL offensive tackles who have long arms and struggle too. That’s not the final determinant of success. In Tennessee he can play inside on Day 1.
Dalton Miller, Pro Football Network: QB Will Levis, Kentucky
Things couldn’t have worked out much better for the Tennessee Titans. While a year behind Ryan Tannehill could do Will Levis some good, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said, “Teams I talk to do believe that Tannehill could be, or is, available via trade.”
While almost no comp is perfect, Will Levis has been compared to Tannehill throughout the draft process. Levis’ best fit is in a play-action-heavy passing attack that likes to attack the middle of the field behind linebackers and underneath safeties. Tennessee loves to impose their will against defenses in that way while leaning on the run game more than most around the league.
Tankathon: QB Will Levis, Kentucky
Walter Cherepinsky, Walter Football: QB Anthony Richardson, Florida
There are rumors of Derrick Henry being traded soon, which can’t be a surprise. The Titans have a new general manager and are clearly rebuilding. New regimes mean new quarterbacks, of course, so the Titans are in play to trade up a bit to draft Anthony Richardson.
Richardson is raw, but has a huge arm and great athleticism. He had a great 2022 debut, but struggled versus Kentucky the following week. He was inconsistent after that, but he looked great at the combine.
Chris Simms, NBC Sports: CB Christian Gonzalez, Oregon
Matt Miller, ESPN: QB Will Levis, Kentucky
The Titans have done homework on the top five quarterbacks in preparation for life after Ryan Tannehill and are in an ideal situation to draft and develop a passer. Levis would be a fantastic play for Tennessee given his arm strength, mobility and toughness in the pocket.
Why the slide for Levis? There are concerns among NFL scouts about his age (24) and that his style of play will lead to injuries in the NFL — much like Carson Wentz, given both players’ penchants for staying in the pocket and absorbing hits from pass-rushers. Levis is seen as NFL-ready — former offensive coordinator Liam Coen has been vocal in his belief in Levis as a franchise quarterback — but he’ll have to speed up his process in the NFL and cut down on the 23 interceptions he threw over the past two years.
Seth Trachtman, Yardbarker: OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
Tennessee has remade their offensive line already this offseason, and could opt to move free agent addition Andre Dillard to the right side in favor of a top pick. Skoronski has the potential to shore up the left side of the line for years to come.
Shaun Calderon's Top 10 QBs
Shaun Calderon's Top 10 RBs
Shaun Calderon's top 10 WRs
Shaun Calderon's top 10 TEs
Shaun Calderon's top 10 OTs
Shaun Calderon's top 10 IOL
Shaun Calderon's top 10 DL
Shaun Calderon's top 10 edge rushers
Shaun Calderon's top 10 LBs
Shaun Calderon's top 10 CBs
