Likelihood of Tennessee Titans drafting a quarterback 1st overall is greatly impacted by the organization's new decision makers

The Tennessee Titans currently hold the most powerful asset in all of professional sports: The 1st overall pick in the NFL Draft.

The number one pick gives Tennessee the opportunity to change the course of the franchise. Whether the Titans end up trading down for a haul of addition draft assets or selecting a game-changing player at a position of need...the possibilities are endless.

So many of the teams we see compete for a Super Bowl year-after-year all have one thing in common - they got the right quarterback. Some of them, like Joe Burrow or Jared Goff were selected with the 1st overall pick. Others (Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Patrick Mahomes) were more underrated and dropped a little bit before coming off the draft board. 

But regardless, teams like the Chiefs, Bills, and Lions were able to break the cycle of misery because they got the right QB. 

So as the Titans' new front office weighs the options in front of them, it's important to remember the background of all of Tennessee's new decision makers. Brian Callahan, Chad Brinker, and now Mike Borgonzi have all witnessed the difference a franchise quarterback can make. It makes me feel even stronger about Tennessee taking a quarterback with the 1st overall pick and not trading down.

1st overall quarterbacks

Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are the top quarterback prospects in the 2025 draft class. Each comes with a unique skillset worthy of being selected 1st overall. I prefer Sanders over Ward for what the Titans offense is missing, but rather than dive into the differences between the two quarterbacks, I want to focus more on the big picture idea of taking a quarterback first overall.

Let's forget about Bryce Young and Caleb Williams for the sake of this exercise. The jury is still out on both of those quarterbacks and their respective teams moving forward. But if we look at the next 10 quarterbacks drafted 1st overall, starting with Trevor Lawrence (2021) and ending with Matthew Stafford (2009), 8 of the 10 QBs led their team to the playoffs within the first three seasons of being drafted.

50 percent of those quarterbacks won a playoff game within three years of being drafted. 40 percent of those quarterbacks have started in a Super Bowl at some point.

There's a reason that 12 of the last 16 drafts have seen a quarterback come off the board first. Not only is it the most important position in sports, but it has been largely succesful for the teams that get to reset with a new face of the franchise. 

The Patrick Mahomes type players are deemed "generational talents" for a reason. They hardly ever come around. But if you're looking to compete with the top teams in the league and get your organization back in the playoffs, the quickest way to do it is by drafting a talented young QB. Picking 1st overall gives you the power to make that happen.

Titans decision makers

Brian Callahan was the offensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019 when they had the 30th ranked offense in the league and finished 2-14 with Andy Dalton and Ryan Finley starting games at quarterback. 

Cincinnati brought in Joe Burrow with the 1st overall pick that offseason, and by 2021, Callahan was coaching in the Super Bowl and getting interviews to become a head coach. 

The Kansas City Chiefs finished 2-14 in 2012 during Mike Borgonzi's final year as a Pro Scout. Borgonzi then received a promotion to become the assistant director of pro scouting just as the Chiefs decided to trade for veteran QB Alex Smith and select offensive tackle Eric Fisher 1st overall in an awful quaterback draft class.

While the Chiefs went back to the playoffs in 4 of the next 5 seasons with Smith under center, the team always had a clear ceiling due to the quarterback play. It was not until Patrick Mahomes was drafted in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft that the dynasty began. Borgonzi was front and center to see the impact a young quarterback can have on a playoff team.

The same thing can be said of Chad Brinker. From 2009-2022, Brinker saw Aaron Rodgers elevate the Green Bay Packers to a playoff contender despite constant turnover to the roster and mediocre weapons (especially towards the end).

Everybody knows how important it is to have the right quarterback. But I think this group in particular (Callahan, Borgonzi, and Brinker) has an understanding that the draft is the best way to get your guy. They've all seen it and done it. 

So as we look ahead to what the Titans may do in the 2025 NFL Draft, I can't shake this feeling that Tennessee won't want to come out of the draft without a long-term solution at QB.