With the Tennessee Titans in a downward spiral following their fourth loss of the 2023 campaign in Week 6, it’s only natural to start turning an eye to the 2024 NFL draft just in case this season ends up going nowhere.
As things stand now, the Titans are slated to pick at No. 8 overall, but the team is missing picks in the third, fifth and sixth rounds, which is another reason why many fans are hoping they’ll be sellers at the trade deadline.
In a recent 2024 mock from Curt Popejoy of Draft Wire, he has the Titans using their first three picks on Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, Florida State wide receiver Johnny Wilson and Boston College guard Christian Mahogany, respectively.
Here’s what Popejoy wrote about each prospect, starting with McKinstry:
McKinstry is a highly-athletic cornerback with very few flaws, tons of confidence and a high level of experience.
Wilson:
Wilson is a massive target at 6-foot-7 but also an absolute freakish athlete for the position.
Mahogany:
Wide, squatty powerful mover with impressive agility but even more natural strength.
With former second-round pick Kristian Fulton likely headed for the exit in Nashville after 2023, the Titans will be back to square one in terms of a needing a No. 1 corner, which makes the selection of McKinstry very realistic.
The same could be said at wide receiver.
It remains to be seen if DeAndre Hopkins will stick around beyond the trade deadline, but even if the aging receiver does, he’ll likely be gone after 2024, at the latest.
Adding to that, Treylon Burks and Kyle Philips have not panned out thus far, and barring a total 180 the rest of the season, the Titans can’t depend on either as cornerstones for their passing attack moving forward.
The guard pick isn’t as cut and dry.
Taking a player in that spot will depend upon where the Titans envision Peter Skoronski, whether that be at left guard or left tackle. If it’s left tackle, taking a guard becomes much more realistic.
We also don’t know if right guard Daniel Brunskill is in the future plans. He has definitely played well this year and is under contract for 2024, but he’s also 29.
Even if Skoronski stays at left guard and Brunskill remains, I don’t think the latter’s presence will deter Tennessee from taking a guard if they believe the young player can be a starter for the next decade.
Overall, this mock fills multiple needs the Titans are likely to have after this season, but a lot can change between now and the 2024 NFL draft.
