It’s been 10 years since Tennessee called Marcus Mariota’s name with the second overall pick in the 2015 draft.
In the nine drafts since, four more quarterbacks were selected in hopes of finding the man to push the Titans to the top.
None of those picks panned out, and new GM Mike Borgonzi finds himself in an interesting position.
Will he take another shot at finding the quarterback of the future, or will he opt for a safer pick in a draft overflowing with talent?
Let's examine mock draft results from around the industry to see what might happen.
2025 NFL Draft Predictions: Tennessee Titans
| Author Name | Affiliation | Pick (#) |
|---|---|---|
| Brendan Donahue | Sharp Football Analysis | Cam Ward (1) |
| Ryan McCrystal | Sharp Football Analysis | Abdul Carter (1) |
| Cynthia Frelund | NFL | Travis Hunter (1) |
| Lance Zierlein | NFL | Abdul Carter (1) |
| Chad Reuter | NFL | Cam Ward (1) |
| Eric Edholm | NFL | Abdul Carter (1) |
| Bucky Brooks | NFL | Abdul Carter (1) |
| Daniel Jeremiah | NFL | Cam Ward (1) |
| Dan Parr | NFL | Cam Ward (1) |
| B/R NFL Scouting Dept. | Bleacher Report | Abdul Carter (3 via NYG) |
| Josh Edwards | CBS Sports | Cam Ward (1) |
| Richie Bradshaw | Sports Illustrated | Abdul Carter (1) |
| Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz | USA Today | Cam Ward (1) |
| ---- | Pro Football Focus | Cam Ward (1) |
| Steven Cheah | Barstool Sports | Abdul Carter (2 via CLE) |
| Vinny Iyer | The Sporting News | Cam Ward (1) |
| Connor Hughes | SNY | Travis Hunter (3 via NYG) |
| The Athletic NFL Staff and more | New York Times/The Athletic | Cam Ward (1) |
| Danny Kelly | The Ringer | Abdul Carter (1) |
| Jason McIntyre | Fox Sports | Cam Ward (1) |
| Mike Fanelli | FantasyPros | Cam Ward (1) |
| Field Yates | ESPN | Travis Hunter (1) |
| Kyle Dvorchak | NBC Sports | Travis Hunter (3 via NYG) |
| Mike Renner | CBS Sports | Cam Ward (1) |
| Ryan Wilson | CBS Sports | Cam Ward (1) |
| Chris Trapasso | CBS Sports | Cam Ward (1) |
Results of 26 Mock Drafts:
- Cam Ward: 14
Abdul Carter: 8
Travis Hunter: 4
Current Prediction for the Titans at No. 1 Overall: Cam Ward
Analysis
Of the nine mock drafts that retained their original picks, eight of them remain in favor of Cam Ward.
Overall, 15 picks still favor the Miami Hurricanes superstar to go first overall.
The major narrative shift regarding this #1 pick has revolved around Abdul Carter.
Many analysts who originally dissented have changed their picks to show the Penn State EDGE going first overall.
Bucky Brooks of NFL.com states that this would be the ideal pick for Tennessee, “if the Titans solve their quarterback issue in free agency.”
Ritchie Bradshaw of Sports Illustrated says he’s “not here to reinvent the wheel,” opting for the best talent on the board with the #1 pick, calling Carter “the best compared to the top players at the other positions.”
Potential Trade Backs
Four analysts have updated their mocks to include trade backs.
Connor Hughes of SNY and Kyle Dvorchak of NBC Sports both project drops back to #3 overall to take Travis Hunter, while the team at Bleacher Report shows Tennessee using the Giants' pick to take an available Carter.
The outlier comes from Barstool Sports’ Steven Cheah, who projects a drop to second overall to secure Carter, although this is entirely contingent on the Browns' desire to take Ward, which many analysts believe is overshadowed by their current needs on defense.
Outliers
The only selections in these 26 mocks that stray from either Ward or Carter are the three drafts that place Hunter in that top spot.
Two of which are unupdated post-Super Bowl mocks from Cynthia Frelund of NFL.com and Field Yates of ESPN, both citing Hunter’s one-in-a-million skillset as the primary reason not to pass on the Heisman trophy-winner.
The only updated mock taking Hunter belongs to Connor Hughes of SNY, with Hughes projecting a trade in which the Giants would jump up from the third pick to snag Ward.
That would leave the Browns open to select Carter.
With both of their higher value options off the board, the value generated from a trade for the first overall pick would make for a very lucrative deal, especially with a consolation prize like Hunter in the mix.