Barring a trade, the Tennessee Titans will make their final pick of the 2024 NFL draft in the seventh round at No. 252 overall, which was acquired in the trade with the Kansas City Chiefs for cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.
The franchise has only owned the pick once, when the Houston Oilers took linebacker Mike Russell out of Toledo. And, as you’d pretty much expect with such a late selection, the Oilers didn’t get anything out of it. Russell never appeared in a game for Houston, or any other team, for that matter.
When looking back at the draft spot over the last 20 years, getting little to nothing out of it is normal. However, there has been one diamond in the rough in that span.
The New Orleans Saints struck late-round gold when they drafted wide receiver Marques Colston, who was taken out of Hofstra in 2006.
Colston immediately made an impact, finishing second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting after breaking 1,000 yards. He would go on to break 1,000 yards six times in his first seven seasons, and he tallied 900 yards or more in eight of 10 campaigns.
Colston currently holds the Saints’ franchise record for receiving yards (9,759), with nearly 2,000 more than the next closest player.
Seeing the kind of success Colston had in his NFL career gives hope that the Titans can find someone who can make an impact, but his case is a certainly an outlier.
