After the Tennessee Titans were officially eliminated from playoff contention following a 19-16 overtime loss to the Houston Texans, there was at least one silver lining to come from the lackluster weekend.
The Titans sit at 5-9 on the year and remain in the hunt for a top-five pick, although they didn’t make any ground on that front after Sunday’s loss.
According to Tankathon, the Titans would pick ninth overall if the season ended today. Thankfully, it doesn’t, so there’s a realistic possibility they could get as high as fourth overall when it’s all said and done.
The Chicago Bears, who currently sit in the No. 5 spot, have the same record as Tennessee, as do three other teams in front of them, a list that includes the Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants and New York Jets.
The Washington Commanders are in the No. 4 spot but are just one game worse than the Titans, so they can still get that high. The Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals own the top three spots, but they are each multiple games worse than Tennessee.
To get into the top five, Tennessee will probably have to lose out, which is very realistic considering the remaining three games are against teams with playoff aspirations — the Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars.
If the Titans land inside the top five, left tackles Joe Alt (Notre Dame) and Olu Fashanu (Penn State) are very realistic possibilities.
Here is Notre Dame LT Joe Alt (Top) & Penn State LT Olu Fashanu (Bottom) against Ohio State earlier this year.
Which of these players would you prefer taking in hopes of FINALLY solidifying the blindside?IMO, there are 3 dream prospects for the #Titans, and these are 2 of them. pic.twitter.com/mvdTFzzLFM
— Shaun Calderon (@ShaunMichaels98) November 14, 2023
Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is probably out of reach unless the Titans can somehow get into the top three.
If Tennessee doesn’t secure a top-five pick, the team could still secure a blue-chip talent at a position of need within the top 10. At that point, the likeliest targets become LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, Georgia tight end Brock Bowers and Alabama right tackle JC Latham.
A lot can and will happen between now and draft weekend, so we’ll have to patiently wait and see where the Titans are slotted at the conclusion of the season to get a better idea of what is realistic and what’s not.
