Titans HC Brian Callahan tells Tom Pelissero of NFL Media that they’re “getting closer” to making a decision about what they’ll do with the No. 1 overall.
“We’re getting closer for sure, all of the processes are moving right along,” Callahan said at the Annual League Meeting. “…I would say we have a pretty good feel for what direction we’re headed by early April here, and you put the final touches on it and tie the bow over it by the time you get to the draft.”
Callahan explained that they’re still working off of a “short list” that includes most of the notable prospects in this year’s draft class.
“I think it’s a short list at No. 1 for sure, it’s all the guys that I think are worthy of it, the ones that everyone talks about out there, and between Travis (Hunter) and Shedeur (Sanders) and Cam (Ward) and Abdul Carter, I think those are, that’s the top of the draft for me, those are the most elite players in the draft,” Callahan said. “There’s going to be a lot of good ones certainly that come after them, but I think those at this moment are the best players in the draft and at the top of it.”
Titans GM Mike Borgonzi said last week that everything is “still on the table” in terms of how they proceed.
“I would say everything is still on the table,” Borgonzi said, via Jim Wyatt of the team’s site. “From the beginning I said I wanted to go through the whole process, and I felt like our priority was to build the offensive line first, and we added (tackle) Dan Moore and (guard) Kevin Zeitler. Now we’re going through the process here with the college quarterbacks. But I’d say everything is still on the table right now.”
Ward is widely considered the favorite to be drafted with the top pick. Yesterday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tennessee is hosting Ward for an additional private workout and they have become increasingly impressed with Ward.”
Schefter mentioned it would take an even stronger package than before to convince them to trade down from the No. 1 overall pick. Ward also had dinner with the Titans before his Pro Day at Miami earlier this week.
Ward, 22, enrolled at Incarnate Word in 2020 after only receiving offers there and Texas Southern. After two seasons, Ward entered the transfer portal and committed to Washington State.
Ward spent two years at Washington State and was a four-star transfer in the portal last offseason before committing to Miami for his final year. He led the Hurricanes to a 10-3 record and a bowl appearance as a Heisman finalist in his only season.
In his collegiate career, Ward appeared in 57 games over five years and recorded 18,189 passing yards, 158 passing touchdowns and 37 interceptions. He also rushed for 473 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Sanders, 22, was a two-year starter at Jackson State before transferring to Colorado before the 2023 season.
NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah has compared him to Seahawks QB Geno Smith.
In two years at Colorado, Sanders completed 71.8 percent of his pass attempts for 7,364 yards, 64 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 24 career games, adding eight more scores on the ground.
