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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Mark Mihalko

NFL analyst says Titans should draft this ‘magnetic face of the franchise’

The Tennessee Titans just hired Mike Borgonzi as their new general manager. He, along with president of football operations Chad Brinker, will be tasked with building Tennessee into a championship-caliber organization.

The Titans do have some talent on their roster and are in a place where they can ascend quickly if the right moves are made. Unfortunately, there are many to be made, including finding a quarterback, solidifying the offensive line, adding playmakers, and building depth across the board.

They do have roughly $55 million in cap space to work with and controlling the No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 NFL draft gives them some flexibility to get things done.

Arguably, the biggest need sits at the quarterback position and who will lead the Titans into the future. Neither Will Levis nor Mason Rudolph proved to be the answer in 2024. Both signal callers failed to seize their opportunities and finished with almost identical stats.

Now, Ralph Vacchiano and Eric Williams from FOX Sports have weighed in on what they believe the Titans should do to take care of this roster issue — draft Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

The Titans have a projected $44.1 million in cap space for the upcoming season, according to Over the Cap, so they could add a veteran signal caller to the quarterback room as competition for Levis. 

However, with the No. 1 overall selection in this year’s draft, second-year coach Brian Callahan gets a chance to start over at the quarterback position with Sanders, who’s considered the top QB prospect in a weak 2025 class. 

At 6-2 and 210 pounds, Sanders is accurate, plays with poise and should offer a strong leader to build around for the Titans. He led college football with a 74.1% completion rate, he plays with anticipation, and he has enough mobility to navigate pressure at the next level.

Sanders also gives Tennessee a magnetic face of the franchise. The son of Hall of Fame cornerback and Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders has been in the spotlight for years and might be more prepared than most rookies to handle the obligations that come with leading an NFL franchise. The Titans can only hope this selection will go better than the last QB they drafted this high: 2015 No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota.

Sanders does make some sense, and the Titans will have a chance to jump-start their evaluation at the East-West Shrine Bowl with assistant coach Payton McCollum on hand as the quarterbacks coach for the West.

Of the top-tier quarterbacks in this draft, Sanders’ combination of having a quick release and accuracy makes him an attractive fit for head coach Brian Callahan’s system.

At this point, with a new regime in place, it is still unknown what direction the Titans will take as they retool their roster. Drafting Sanders is definitely an option, but time will tell if that is the path they choose.

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