After months of speculation, the Tennessee Titans appear to have made a decision on what they will do with the top pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The consensus around the league is that the Titans will select a player at No. 1 overall, rather than trade the pick, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday.
Tennessee began draft season open for business. Rapoport reported on Feb. 9 that the Titans were open to the idea of trading the first-overall selection and general manager Mike Borgonzi maintained that stance as recent as four weeks ago, saying, "everything is still on the table."
Rapoport added that the Titans garnered real trade interest for the No. 1 overall pick, but as one club said, "they never opened the door."
Who Tennessee selects with the top pick figures to remain as the only question entering Thursday night, however, Cam Ward has been the consensus selection in NFL.com mock drafts. The Titans showed great interest in the Miami quarterback throughout the process, from showing the heaviest presence at Ward's pro day to getting a closer look at a private workout with the 22-year-old prospect later that week.
Tennessee isn't unfamiliar with selecting a potential franchise QB with a top-five pick. Come Thursday night, it would nearly be 10 years to the day since the franchise chose Marcus Mariota with the No. 2 pick, 19 years since Vince Young (No. 3) was taken and 30 years after an all-time franchise great in Steve McNair (No. 3) was picked just ahead of the franchise's move to Nashville.
Selecting No. 1 overall, however, is something that hasn't been done in Tennessee Titans lore. In 2016, the club opted out of that spot by trading the No. 1 pick to the Los Angeles Rams ahead of the draft. Thursday night would mark the first time the franchise will use the No. 1 overall selection since 1978, when the Houston Oilers chose Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell.
