Craig Larson Jr.
April 24, 2025
Updated 10:09 a.m. ET
Can you believe it feels like just yesterday when Mike Vrabel and the Titans were competing in the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead? In reality, that defeat to the Chiefs happened five years ago. Since then, they’ve welcomed head coach Brian Callahan and a new general manager. The buzz in Nashville is electric as draft day draws near. Dave McGinnis, a member of the Titans coaching staff, shared with me this week: ‘The excitement and anticipation for all football fans in the weeks leading up to the NFL Draft weekend keeps growing year after year.’ He couldn’t be more right, and this year’s event will be particularly memorable, taking place on the iconic Lambeau Field. Will the Tennessee Titans keep their top pick or trade it? That’s the big question. Trading the first overall pick is more common than you might think; the Titans did just that back in 2016 with the Rams. Quarterbacks have often been the focus of these trades. Fifty years ago, the Falcons made a deal with the Colts to acquire QB Steve Bartkowski, giving up George Kunz and Ken Huff, who were relatively unknown at the time. The two teams struck a deal again in 1990, with the Colts moving up to select QB Jeff George. The QB shuffle continued in 2001 when Atlanta traded with the Chargers to secure Michael Vick. Some Hall of Fame players have been involved in trade day transactions as well. Earl Campbell was picked first by the Oilers, but only after Tampa Bay traded their top pick for tight end Jimmy Giles and additional selections in the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th rounds. With the Oilers’ original pick at #17, they went on to draft QB Doug Williams. Interestingly, both the Bucs and Oilers reached the conference championship rounds in 1979, but neither made it to the Super Bowl. For Tennessee, they are coming off two consecutive last-place finishes in the AFC South, with a combined 25 losses.
Tonight, all eyes will be on the Titans as they’ll be at the center of the football universe, unless they wheel and deal.
