Opinions Shift after NFL Combine, but Mock Drafts Still Expect Titans to Take a Tackle
NASHVILLE — Conversations after the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine are all about risers and fallers — Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy is up, Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman is down. However, the newest mock NFL drafts still favor the Tennessee Titans taking an offensive tackle.
The Titans team website posted a story with 25 mock drafts from national and local reporters; 13 of them have the Titans taking Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt with the No. 7 overall pick in the April 25-27 NFL Draft.
Alt stated his case for why he should be the top tackle in the upcoming draft.
“It’s that competitive gene in me,” Alt told reporters. “When I step on that field, it’s a different person. It’s a laser focus. I’m going to do whatever it takes to win that play and refuse to lose or let the other guy get to the ball. That’s what I’ve tried to sell.”
Pro Football Focus (PFF) graded Alt at 90.7 and 91.4 the past two seasons. In 2023, Alt allowed one sack, two quarterback hits, and two hurries on 368 passing snaps.
Penn State tackle Olu Fashanu was the next choice, with seven mock drafts predicting that Titans general manager Ran Carthon drafts the Big 10 offensive lineman of the year.
"At the end of the day, I am super-confident in my ability to play right now," Fashanu said. "I have been ready for this moment for a while, especially with the last couple of weeks training. I am extremely confident, and I am ready for this moment."
Taliese Fuaga and J.C. Latham were the other tackles connected to the Titans.
LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, PFF's highest-graded receiver in the nation last year, was a popular name on several lists. Nabers holds LSU records for most catches and receiving yards — an impressive feat considering the program's long list of great receivers such as Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, and Odell Beckham Jr.
"When that ball is in the air, it is mine," Nabers said at the NFL Scouting Combine. "When I get the ball in my hands, I am able to do tremendous things with it. Create space on different DBs and able to make explosive plays downfield. Take an 8-yard route and turn it into a touchdown. I would say I am a dawg."
Perhaps the most interesting name is Rome Odunze, an All-American with the Washington Huskies.
An NFC West scout told AllTitans.com that Odunze is the safest pick in the draft. Odunze had 95 catches for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns for a team that made it to the national championship game.
"I just think my versatility on the field," Odunze said. "I've shown all the skills that can translate to the NFL at a high level ... and I think who I am as a person, who I am in the locker room, and who I will be in the community are all A-plus."
Expect this conjecture to go on until the actual draft, April 25-27, but the next big moment in the rebuilding of the Titans is March 13, when NFL teams can begin signing free agents. Read about that here.
Related Titans stories
- XAVIER WORTHY BREAKS COMBINE RECORD: There's a new record-holder in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. On Saturday, Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy broke the record set by Washington's John Ross III in 2017, posting a 4.21-second time. CLICK HERE
- ALT AN OPTION FOR TITANS: Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt is 6-feet-8, 315 pounds, and the highest-rated offensive lineman in the 2024 NFL Draft. Come September, he also could be protecting the blind side of Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis. CLICK HERE
- HOUSTON LINEMAN STATES HIS CASE: If the Tennessee Titans want the "best pass protector" in the 2024 NFL Draft class, Houston's Patrick Paul is making his case. The 6-foot-7, 315-pound tackle is projected as a second- or third-round pick, potentially giving the Titans more flexibility with their first-round selection. CLICK HERE
- FASHANU-LEVIS REUNION? Olu Fashanu, one of the highest-ranked linemen in the 2024 NFL Draft, could be the Tennessee Titans' No. 1 pick. Fashanu said he and Titans quarterback Will Levis talked Friday about the possibility about playing together for the first time since Penn State. CLICK HERE
