Will the Tennessee Titans Trade Up for the No. 3 Pick? 2023 NFL Draft Outlook

The Mike Vrabel-led Tennessee Titans made the NFL playoffs in 2019, 2020, and 2021, yielding one AFC Championship Game appearance and two Wild Card losses. Tennessee has won the fifth-most games among all teams since quarterback Ryan Tannehill took over for Marcus Mariota as the starting signal-caller.

However, Tennessee is coming off of a 7-10 season, in which it lost its final seven games. That said, a roster reconstruction could be in order under new general manager Ran Carthon, and the team is now rumored to be eyeing the No. 3 overall pick held by the Arizona Cardinals in April's 2023 NFL Draft.

Will the Titans trade up to the No. 3 overall pick and who could they be targeting if they do make the move? Let's dive in.

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Will the Titans Trade Up for the No. 3 pick?

According to NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, the Titans are currently exploring options to move up to the No. 3 pick. This would move the Titans ahead of the divisional rival Indianapolis Colts and behind the Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers.

As far as compensation goes, the Titans hold the No. 11, 41, 72, 147, 186, and 228 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. Tennessee also holds its own top-four-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.

While the Colts currently hold the No. 4 pick and could potentially offer more than the Titans, Indianapolis may refuse to give up what the Cardinals want in order to move up one spot.

Who Could Tennessee Target at No. 3?

If Tennessee decides to make such a drastic move, we can assume it'll be to move up for a quarterback. Ryan Tannehill has been one of the most efficient passers in the NFL since 2019, but the team has seemingly reached its ceiling under the former Texas A&M and Miami Dolphins signal-caller. Could Tennessee be looking to select a quarterback with a sky-high ceiling?

The best case of this situation is when the Kansas City Chiefs selected Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 NFL Draft, despite having a solid leader and quarterback in Alex Smith. Smith was one of the better quarterbacks in the league during his time in Kansas City, but the team couldn't get over the hump.

All signs point toward Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson if the Titans move to No. 3. He likely has the lowest floor among quarterbacks in the 2023 draft class, but he has the highest ceiling. Richardson is a raw prospect with only 13 collegiate starts under his belt, but he has all the physical tools to be special. In this case, the Titans might opt to keep Tannehill around for 2024, while Richardson learns from the bench as the QB2.

CJ Stroud and Bryce Young are widely projected to go at picks one and two, so Richardson and Kentucky quarterback Will Levis would still be on the board for Tennessee. If they're truly sold on shooting for maximum upside, Richardson is the man.

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