Los Angeles Rams

Why the Titans should trade the No. 1 pick, and why no one should take it

Published Jan. 9, 2017 11:45 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Tennessee Titans should trade the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. They have too many holes on their roster, and moving the No. 1 pick could help them diversify their draft portfolio without jeopardizing their ability to get one of the elite talents in one of the many positions they need to reinforce.

Moving down from the top spot makes so much sense for the Titans that they shouldn't ask for much — they should be cool with sliding a few spots down in the first, picking up a high second-round pick this year and maybe, just maybe, adding a pair of third-day selections.

They'd still be able to add an elite left tackle prospect, whether that's Laremy Tunsil or the comparable Ronnie Stanley, and add a few other players to increase their depth.

"We would like to move on from having the No. 1 pick, but we want to capitalize on it and try to make an impact to our roster," general manager Jon Robinson said at the NFL Draft Combine.

Joe Robinson

The top draft spot is best used on a franchise quarterback. The Titans have their franchise quarterback in Marcus Mariota, and there are half-a-dozen teams, at least, looking to find theirs. Is that fortune-changing signal caller Carson Wentz or Jared Goff? For a relatively small fee, a team could guarantee they'll get to find out.

So why isn't anyone going for that No. 1 spot?

Like the the Rams, who are currently slated to start Case Keenum in their first season back in Los Angeles. Why aren't they going for No. 1? What about the Browns, with whom the Titans probably should swap first-round picks for free. The Eagles, who are reportedly interested in putting themselves in position for Wentz, should be putting together a package, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The 49ers, who have Chip Kelly as their coach, should considered a wild card at all times, but they seem set with Colin Kaepernick for now. The Cowboys, who would be well-served to find Tony Romo's heir apparent ASAP, seem content with staying at No. 4 and taking what falls to them.

Why doesn't anyone want to make a trade with the Titans? Well, the Titans are asking for a "king's ransom" — a ridiculous overleveraging in this bizarre draft.

The biggest thing going against the Titans getting a bounty for the No. 1 pick is that there's no consensus on who the best quarterback in the draft is, but there are a few decent ones.

Jared Goff

Why trade up to get the hotter of the two names, Wentz, when Goff might fall outside the top five? And if a team can't land either Goff or Wentz, why not wait and draft Paxton Lynch or Connor Cook later in the first round? After all, Wentz was a relative unknown until the Senior Bowl, Goff was the consensus No. 1, only to get knocked off that spot, and Lynch and Cook don't seem that far behind the top two.

The top pick should be used on an elite quarterback prospect, but when there isn't one in a class, you end up with a left tackle going first overall.