Brian Callahan was star-struck with Joe Burrow.
When the Tennessee Titans landed the No. 1 pick, they have a plethora of options. Luckily, head coach Brian Callahan recalled when he saw Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
Callahan was Burrow's offensive coordinator in Cincinnati for all but this past season. In his first stint with the Titans, it didn't go as planned for Callahan.
Quarterback Will Levis wasn't impressing him, to say the least. He frequently held him accountable and called out some inexcusable plays.
Either way, the Tennessee head coach has a blueprint on what to look for in an elite quarterback.
He explained via Albert Breer of SI how he knew that his former quarterback would be elite.
“You could just tell this guy is wired to be a killer,” Callahan says, all this time later. “There’s just something about the way he carried himself, how he talked, what he said. Film aside, when you saw it in person, there’s just, and of course, you’ve met him over the years, there’s just something about him that you can’t really put your finger on, but you’re like …”
Titans need a Joe Burrow-esque player with the No. 1 pick
It's clear that a franchise quarterback is what's needed for the Titans. After they struck out with Levis in the 2023 NFL Draft, he's not the go-to guy. However, someone like a Cam Ward or a Shedeur Sanders is.
Meanwhile, there have been reports that the Titans could trade their No. 1 pick. If Callahan has an eye for the quarterback, he might find someone like Quinn Ewers or even Jaxson Dart as a better prospect.
However, Burrow won the Heisman and was the clear pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. That made matters way easier for the current Titans head coach.
There's not a clear No. 1 in this class, so having due diligence is required. Nonetheless, Callahan's eye will need to serve him right for Tennessee to step out of the gutter and into the limelight.
