NASHVILLE, Tenn. – If the Titans were to trade out of No. 1, thus passing on Cam Ward to address other roster problems, they’d be stalling on addressing quarterback for a year.
The issue with that is they don’t know where they would wind up in the first round in 2026 and what they would have to do to get the guy, or one of the guys, they covet in what’s expected to be a better draft class, one expected to include Penn State’s Drew Allar, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellars, Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava, Clemson’s Cade Klubnick and others, maybe including Arch Manning of Texas.
If the Titans’ trade out of No. 1 in this scenario included a first rounder next year, and they and/or their trading partner don’t have horrific seasons in 2025, they’d likely have to use those picks and more to get in range of their target and might have to settle for a second or third choice.
I find it hard to imagine the Titans drawing the top pick in consecutive drafts. But as Braden Gall pointed out in our most recent edition of ‘A Football Show,’ back-to-back No. 1 picks haven’t been a rarity in recent history, they’ve been sort of common.
Four of the last eight No. 1 selections have been part of consecutive top picks by the same franchise.
- 2021 Jaguars, 3-14 record, 2022 No. 1 selection EDGE Travon Walker
- 2020 Jaguars, 1-15 record, 2021 No. 1 selection QB Trevor Lawrence
- 2017 Browns, 0-16 record, 2018 No. 1 selection EDGE Myles Garrett
- 2016 Browns, 1-15 record, 2017 No. 1 selection QB Baker Mayfield
Four other times since the 1970 NFL merger has a team held the No. 1 pick in the draft in consecutive years
- Browns granted first pick as expansion franchise, 1999 No. 1 selection QB Tim Couch
- 1999 Browns, 2-14 record, 2000 No. 1 selection DE Courtney Brown
- 1993 Bengals, 3-13 record. 1994 No. 1 pick DT Dan Wilkinson
- 1994 Bengals, 3-13 record, 1995 No. 1 pick RB Ki-Jana Carter
- 1985 Buccaneers, 2-14 record, 1986 No. 1 pick RB Bo Jackson
- 1986 Buccaneers, 2-14 record, 1987 No. 1 pick QB Vinny Testaverde
- Buccaneers won expansion coin flip, 1976 No. 1 No. 1 pick DE Lee Roy Selmon
- 1976 Buccaneers, 0-14 record, 1977 No. 1 pick RB Ricky Bell
FanDuel currently has premature Super Bowl odds, and the Titans are +19000 to win, second to the Giants at +20000. So before the draft, they expect Tennessee to be in line to draft second in 2026. BetMGM has the Titans and Browns at +20000 to win the Super Bowl/ finish worst/ draft first, with the Giants at +25000.
