The 2024 season was a disaster for Tennessee. A 3-14 record was embarrassing, but because of it, the Titans will have the No. 1 pick in this draft. Also, a big thanks to their weaker strength of schedule compared to the Browns and Giants; they secured the top spot. Now, everyone is buzzing about what they are going to do with it. Having the No. 1 pick is like holding a golden ticket, but the pressure to make the right use of it is intense. And the Titans’ new GM, Mike Borgonzi, knows it. Nittany Lions‘ Abdul Carter has made a strong case for himself. But the draft game is never that straightforward. You’ve got injuries, surprises, and tough decisions as part of the ride.

How will the Titans handle their No. 1 pick? Mike Borgonzi is here to fill you in straight from the NFL Combine. He has been focused on creating “synergy” with the staff through meetings. Speaking about having the first overall pick, Borgonzi said, “It’s still early… but it’s a process. So we have this one touchpoint here. There’ll be pro days that we go to, private workouts, 30-day visits. So we’re going to take the entire process.” Well, that’s important.

Borgonzi, in his debut year with the Titans, joined the team back in January. Before that, he spent fifteen long years with Kansas City, having three Super Bowls to his name as their director of football operations. “This is an important pick here, number one pick in the draft. So we’re not taking that lightly. This is part of the process here, kind of like phase one for us,” added Mike.

The Titans‘ No. 1 pick, if truth be told, looked pretty sorted until last week with Penn State’s Abdul Carter in the mix. But then, Adam Schefter broke the bad news to them.

Abdul Carter: A draft day puzzle

Nittany Lions DE Abdul Carter was at the NFL Combine, close to his dreams, until Thursday, when a medical test derailed all the plans. Carter, this year’s Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, announced in January that he would enter this year’s draft. And for the Titans, who have been looking for an edge rusher, the 21-year-old seemed like the perfect option to spend their golden ticket on.

Carter has been the guy in Penn State’s defense, and the numbers prove it. He had 56 tackles, with 10.5 of them coming behind the line of scrimmage. And when it came to getting after the QB, he led the team with 6.5 sacks. 

But then, on Feb 27, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Carter “has a stress reaction in his right foot.“ The injury came to light after the DE underwent medical tests at the NFL Combine on Wednesday. Now, the 21-year-old has to decide on having surgery for the same, which would mean a screw in his foot and an eight-week road to recovery.

Enter Drew Rosenhaus, Abdul Carter’s agent, who dropped a few interesting tidbits about his decision. According to Drew, the Nittany Lions DE is still deciding on whether to go ahead with the surgery or not. If he chooses not to, he will most likely have to play in the pro day and prove his case once again. As for the Titans, GM Mike shared that they did sit down for interviews with some prospects. “It’s the first time we’ve got to sit down with some of these guys that we haven’t seen before. So it was good to get them in the interview process here this week, even though some of them didn’t work out.” They need to finalize their choices soon.

Borgonzi hasn’t said anything yet about potential No. 1 pick Abdul Carter. It looks like they’re still making up their minds about how to use their golden pass.