Sports Illustrated Predicts Four Trades in First Round of NFL Draft, but Titans Still Take Left Tackle Joe Alt

SI's Conor Orr says of the Tennessee Titans' No. 7 overall draft pick: There are concerns about Notre Dame's Joe Alt, but "he’s going to work with Bill Callahan, quite possibly the best offensive line coach in modern NFL history."

NASHVILLE — In Thursday's first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr is predicting four trades and that half of the 32 picks will be quarterbacks and offensive linemen. The Tennessee Titans are expected to take one of those linemen, Joe Alt, with the No. 7 overall pick.

Orr's projection of Alt to the Titans is consistent with the majority of mock drafts. Orr and many other draft observers believe that the Titans are best served taking the Notre Dame left tackle to provide protection for second-year quarterback Will Levis.

"I think Alt is the best of a tackle class that I’m not sure is as good as we’re projecting it to be. A lot of the players we’re seeing mocked in the top 20 could end up being pushed inside to guard," Orr wrote. "The advantage with taking Alt is that he may be able to start on the right side while he irons out his game. There is concern about his height as it relates to his mechanics, and I think there is a reality to that concern. However, he’s going to work with Bill Callahan, quite possibly the best offensive line coach in modern NFL history, along with Dante Scarnecchia, Jeff Stoutland, Chris Foerster and Howard Mudd, to name a few."

Orr had a little more fun than the recent FanNation draft, where there were no predicted trades. Among other pick swaps, Orr sees the Minnesota Vikings moving up to the third pick in a trade with the New England Patriots to take North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.

Orr did stay consistent with most mock drafts, with the Chicago Bears taking Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams with the No.1 pick, then Washington taking LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.

The three-day NFL Draft begins at 7 p.m. CT Thursday with the first round. Teams have 10 minutes to make a decision. If the Titans hold their position, they would make their pick around 8:15 p.m. CT.

The rest of the draft schedule looks like this:

• Rounds 2-3, 6 p.m. CT Friday.
• Rounds 4-7, 11 a.m. CT Saturday
• How to watch: NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, NFL+

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