ESPN’s Mel Kiper has projected a blockbuster trade in his latest NFL mock draft — one that would entirely shake up the first round of the Apr. 27-29 festivities in Kansas City.
Unsurprisingly, Kiper has the Carolina Panthers taking Alabama quarterback Bryce Young first overall. With the No. 2 selection, Kiper has the Houston Texans taking Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.
But here is where it gets interesting in Kiper’s exercise: He has the Tennessee Titans moving up eight spots through a trade with the Arizona Cardinals so that they can get their new starting quarterback in Florida’s Anthony Richardson:
“Tennessee would have to give up a lot in this trade — the closest recent comp is the Miami-San Francisco swap in 2021. The 49ers acquired the No. 3 overall pick in that draft for the No. 12 selection, future first-round picks in the 2022 and 2023 drafts and a third-rounder in 2022. In this mock scenario, Tennessee would send Arizona picks Nos. 11 and 41 in this draft, plus a 2024 first-round selection and likely either a 2025 first- or second-rounder as well. And don’t forget new Titans general manager Ran Carthon joined the organization from San Francisco.
For the Cardinals, who have one of the league’s worst rosters and don’t need a quarterback, this trade would be about gathering draft capital and speeding up their rebuild, adding premium picks in this draft and down the road. This might be their best-case scenario…
Here’s that quarterback for the Titans. The 6-4 Richardson might have the highest ceiling of any prospect in this class. If he puts together all of his tools and isn’t rushed into being the guy in Week 1, he could be a star. It’s a big “if,” though, because he was extremely inconsistent as a passer in college and has a ways to go to clean up his mechanics. Now, the hope for Tennessee is that it can coach him up, unlock some of those traits and let him show his dual-threat ability. And it could sit him behind Tannehill in Year 1.”
The Titans drafted Liberty dual-threat quarterback Malik Willis with the No. 86 selection in last year’s draft. But as Kiper noted, Willis lost the starting job (with Ryan Tannehill out for the year) to veteran journeyman Josh Dobbs.
Tannehill is entering the final season of his contract. He’ll be 35 heading into next season, and his inconsistent production makes an extension unlikely. So ultimately, the Titans shouldn’t be ruled out as a contender to trade up for a quarterback.
Richardson turned heads at the NFL Scouting Combine with a grade-A performance that boosted his draft stock, and he went from a likely mid-to-late first-rounder to a likely top five selection.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
The Florida product threw for 2,549 passing yards and 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions to go along with 654 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. Richardson is widely regarded as a boom-or-bust prospect, but it’s going to be hard for clubs to pass on his promising skill set and elite athleticism.
