Observations: Titans Draft Brings Uncertainty - And Excitement

The biggest takeaways from the Tennessee Titans 2024 NFL Draft class.

Tennessee Titans General Manager Ran Carthon fields questions at a press conference at Ascension / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA

NASHVILLE — How well did Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon do with the 2024 NFL Draft? The answer to this question is shrouded in uncertainty, a mystery that will unfold over the next year, if not longer. This uncertainty, however, is what makes the future of the team so intriguing. 

There's a lot to digest from the draft, which saw the Titans take seven players, starting with offensive tackle JC Latham in the first round. If you need a reminder, here's a list of the Titans 2024 draft class. 

• Round 1, No. 7 overall: JC Latham, OT, Alabama
• Round 2, No. 38 overall: T'Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas
• Round 4, No. 106 overall: Cedric Gray, LB, North Carolina
• Round 5, No. 146 overall: Jarvis Brownlee Jr., CB, Louisville
• Round 6, No. 182 overall: Jha'Quan Jackson, WR, Tulane 
• Round 7, No. 242 overall: James Williams, S/LB, Miami
• Round 7, No. 252 overall: Jaylen Harrell, OLB, Michigan.

Let's get into some highlights and observations from the Titans 2024 NFL Draft.

-- One of the more fun moments of the three-day draft process was when the Titans picked Tulane wide receiver Jha'Quan Jackson in the sixth round. His zeal about joining his former college teammate and close friend Tyjae Spears was a fun moment. However, fans shouldn't sleep on this pick because Jackson has the markings of a dynamic slot receiver. Perhaps one of the best ways he can contribute is as a kick returner.

"I think he's a guy that he's a dual returner," Carthon said. "I think he can kick return, I think he can punt return, and he has an element that he can bring to the offense, so he was a complete guy for us, and it just made sense, especially with this new kickoff rule that we're all trying to figure out. It's essentially the first play of offense the way it's going to be run, so you need a guy that has a run-to-daylight skill set that can make something out of nothing in short space."

With new rules coming this season that will dramatically change how kickoffs look in hopes of encouraging more returns, a speedy guy like Jackson could become more valuable.

-- Jackson was the only player who didn't compete for a Power 5 school the Titans drafted which is reflected in the NFL Draft where 87 percent of the players picked came from Power 5 schools. One thing that helped put Jackson on the Titans radar was the Senior Bowl in Mobile.

Six of the seven Titan draftees participated in the Senior Bowl. Titans assistant general manager Anthony Robinson discussed the importance of the event.

 "No, I think when you go down to Mobile, that's when you're showcasing what you can do," Robinson said. "You take these guys who have been at their university for the last four or five years, and now you put them in the environment of the Senior Bowl, and you get them new coaches, around different players, different schemes, that's what you want to see. A lot of these guys rise to the occasion. They show, and they compete."

-- The two glaring questions from the draft are will Latham adapt to playing left tackle and can Sweat maintain a healthy playing weight. If both of these things happen the Titans are on their way to becoming a winning team. If not, there could be some tough times especially since the AFC South is rapidly improving.

-- The Titans exit the draft with $25,566,201 in effective cap space, according to overthecap.com, which is fourth in the NFL. The Titans started the offseason with over $70 million in space and signed several players, including wide receiver Calvin Ridley and cornerback L'Jarius Sneed.

There's still needs at safety and depth on the offensive line. Carthon said the Titans aren't done trying to improve.

"Yeah, we're going to continue to look at the safety spot," Carthon said. "That's one that we're going to address. Like we talked about before, it's a lot of good veteran safeties that are out there on the street, and we knew that there would be. So, you didn't have to overreach for a guy, if you will, in the draft knowing what was available on the street.

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