24. Tennessee Titans
I don’t love that the Titans took the risk on Cam Ward with the #1 overall pick in this year’s draft, but I can’t be mad about it. That’s a worthwhile risk to take because you don’t assume you’re going to be in that #1 pick slot again if you’re running an NFL team. The Titans felt conviction about a guy and they hit send on the pick. Ward might not have been QB5 in last year’s draft class, but fit and situation are everything.
This Titans team approached last offseason as though they were going to be an upstart franchise, so maybe some of those investments start paying off with the addition of Ward this year. General manager Mike Borgonzi is in a very interesting evaluation year and could blow things up at the deadline.
23. Detroit Lions
I don’t love the offseason for the Detroit Lions. I think the Lions didn’t do enough to really upgrade that defensive front, particularly off the edge. The pick of Tyleik Williams in the 1st round gives the Lions another physical run-stopper on the interior defensive line, and they are getting a stud for the interior offensive line in Tate Ratledge.
But let’s acknowledge the elephants in the room. Losing Ben Johnson as the team’s offensive coordinator really sucks. Losing Aaron Glenn as the defensive coordinator is brutal. Aidan Hutchinson’s recovery process looks…well, he certainly still doesn’t look like he’d be ready for last season’s Super Bowl.
This could be a very difficult year for the Lions.