The 2016 NFL Draft order is almost completely set, with only the conference championships and Super Bowl 50 left to be played. The Tennessee Titans have the number one overall pick in this year’s draft and Titans General Manager Jon Robinson has stated that they will listen to “any and all offers” for that pick. While that seems to be sound reasoning, trading that pick may prove to be more difficult than the Titans would like.
TITANS TRADING NUMBER ONE OVERALL PICK COULD PROVE DIFFICULT
The Titans had the number two overall pick in last year’s draft and they selected quarterback Marcus Mariota. And while Tennessee was horrible this season (hence the 3-13 record and firing of their head coach Ken Whisenhunt), Mariota proved his worth as an NFL quarterback. So new head coach Mike Mularkey knows his team doesn’t need to draft another signal caller, particularly with the number one overall pick, in 2016. And since the NFL is a quarterback driven league, Robinson and the Titans believe that another one of the 31 teams in the league would love to move up to the number one pick in order to select a quarterback.
Below is the draft order prior to the conference championships (and let’s face it, none of the four teams left need to move up to draft a signal caller, unless this is Peyton Manning’s last season and the Denver Broncos aren’t sold on Brock Osweiler going forward).
- Tennessee Titans
- Cleveland Browns
- San Diego Chargers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Baltimore Ravens
- San Francisco 49ers
- Miami Dolphins
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- New York Giants
- Chicago Bears
- New Orleans Saints
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Oakland Raiders
- Los Angeles Rams
- Detroit Lions
- Atlanta Falcons
- Indianapolis Colts
- Buffalo Bills
- New York Jets
- Washington Redskins
- Houston Texans
- Minnesota Vikings
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Green Bay Packers
- Kansas City Chiefs
Most draft experts and other members of the media have Jared Goff, out of Cal, as the first quarterback to be taken this year. The Cleveland Browns may very well snatch up Goff with the number two overall pick, since it appears they want to move on from Johnny Manziel, and they don’t appear to want to move forward with Josh McCown under center. Plus, new head coach Hue Jackson has a reputation for being able to develop quarterbacks.
Goff has the potential to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL, so If it appears like the Browns will take him at number two, will another team make a trade with the Titans for the number one pick so they can move up and draft Goff? Will the Browns make a trade with the Titans in order to ensure they get to select Goff?
Cleveland has certainly drafted poorly for a number of years, particularly when taking a quarterback in the first round. But, unless there are serious, and credible rumors, that a team is willing to make a trade with the Titans, I believe the Browns will stand pat at number two, knowing they can get their guy (most likely Goff) without giving up anything.
The merit of certain quarterbacks being able to lead their teams to the Super Bowl, or even just the playoffs, can certainly be debated. But the fact is that not many NFL teams will be willing to part with what it will take to make a trade with Tennessee. The one team that makes sense is the Houston Texans. Bill O’Brien’s team managed to win a terrible AFC South with a 9-7 record this season. But the starting quarterbacks they trotted out there this season were liabilities. If Houston wants to take the next step, and take the division crown again, over the Indianapolis Colts with a, more than likely, healthy Andrew Luck under center.
Other than Goff there are other potentially quality quarterbacks in this year’s draft, including Paxton Lynch (Memphis) and Connor Cook (Michigan State). It’s difficult to see another team being willing to give up what the Titans will require for the number one pick. There are rumors of the Dallas Cowboys wanting to trade with Tennessee, but they have Tony Romo at quarterback. I know Cowboys owner and General Manager Jerry Jones has made crazy moves before, but these reports are probably nothing more than Jones wanting to keep his team in the news, just like when there were rumors Dallas might draft Manziel in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. All of that chatter amounted to nothing and the Browns took Johnny Football with the 22nd overall pick that year. In my mind, the Titans being able to trade the number one pick hinges way too much on a team getting way too desperate for a quarterback and having the assets to make said trade.
It certainly isn’t impossible to envision the Titans trading the number one overall pick, especially if they are motivated to do so, but Tennessee making the first selection in this year’s draft seems far more likely.
