Titans To No.2 In Latest CBS Mock Draft

NASHVILLE - I've said this before and will repeat it; doing mock drafts is hard work, especially if you are doing a full seven-round, 259-pick version.

That's why I've only done one and will do one more in the final week before the draft because when you do too many and try to make changes from one to the next, you sometimes get scenarios that are so crazy, they're all but impossible.

Such is the case of the latest offering from Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports, whose latest effort gives us one of those all-but-impossible scenarios for the Tennessee Titans.

Please know that this is not a shot at Wilson, whom I do not know, but it is an evaluation of this particular effort from him.

So why is this one nearly impossible?

In this mock, the Titans trade up from No.11, but not to No.3 as has been rumored and discussed at length, but up to No.2 in a deal with their division rival Houston Texans, and with that pick, Tennessee selects Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud.

Never say never; there have been rumblings that the Texans could trade out, though none of those have been strong. Would they deal with a division rival while passing on one of the two best quarterbacks in this draft?

Why It's Possible

Some "experts" feel the top two quarterbacks projected to be in the 2024 draft are better than this current group. So by trading down, the Texans could add more assets and wait until next season to grab their quarterback because even with Stroud this season, their prospects for 2023 are not excellent.

Why It's Almost Impossible

Texans general manager Nick Caserio was hired into this position in 2021, so he does not have the grace period his new head coach Demeco Ryans has to correct things.

No, I'm not suggesting he's on the hot seat, but this franchise is still at the bottom of the league two seasons into his reign as GM. Thus Caserio needs to show improvements immediately.

Passing on a potential franchise quarterback would not be good. Trading him away to a division rival where you and your fans would be reminded of that mistake twice a year would be almost unforgivable.

While there are no guarantees on Stroud's success, and waiting one year could be the right call, again, there's no guarantee that whatever quarterback they select in '24 will be the answer, and that would mean it would likely be 2025 before they would have an experienced, young quarterback to try to lead their resurgence.

Summation

As Titans fans, the verdict is split on trading up, with some feeling any move-up is not good when you trade away current or future draft assets. Others are willing to move up to No.3 for the chance at Stroud, so going one more spot to No.2 to ensure getting him would not be a big deal.

While I'm not of the mindset to go up that far, for what it would likely cost, it would be hard to argue the move for one of the two best quarterbacks in this class and one who checks most of the boxes for what you want at that position.

Ultimately, it's all but impossible this will happen, but feel free to dream.

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