With the NFL draft less than a week away, many media pundits are making their conference call rounds with the different franchises and speculating on draft strategy.Â
For the Tennessee Titans, much of that speculation has centered on their second-round pick, No. 35, with Cam Ward being the consensus selection at No. 1 overall. On Friday, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah joined a conference call with Jim Wyatt to discuss the outlook for the Titans.
“It sure feels like a slam dunk,” Jeremiah said. “I’d be pretty shocked if they didn’t go Cam Ward with the first overall pick.”
Ward does feel like a lock at this point, with all signs pointing to him being the first player off the board. If that does happen, it will make what the Titans do in the second round even more interesting. As Jeremiah pointed out, usually, teams that invest in a quarterback early pair him with a receiver in the early going.Â
“What’s the intrigue when they get to 35?” Jeremiah said. “I think there’s a lot of different directions they could look to get there. Usually, when you invest in a young quarterback, there is a commitment to try and really support him and help him on that side of the ball. You could look at the wide receiver position there at pick No.35.
With the Titans lacking a pick in the third round, Pick 35 is where it would happen if that is the direction they decide to take. On the conference call, Jeremiah pointed out a couple of targets to watch in that range: Jayden Higgins and Luther Burden.Â
Tennessee needs to add to its wide receiver room during the draft, and using a premium pick on a weapon for Ward may be the best way to go. The Titans have shown interest in Burden, who visited the team for a Top 30 visit.Â
