The Tennessee Titans donned Houston Oilers throwback uniforms for their season finale against the Texans last Sunday. Following a sixth consecutive loss to conclude the season, the Titans find themselves in possession of the first overall draft pick for the first time since the days of the Oilers. Tennessee is part of a trio of teams that finished the season with a 3-14 record, alongside the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants. The Titans secured the top pick in the tiebreaker by virtue of having the weakest strength of schedule out of the three teams, standing at .521.
This upcoming draft marks the first time the franchise will have the first overall selection since they drafted running back Earl Campbell back in 1978 during the Oilers era. The only other instance in which they held the top pick was in 1973 when they selected defensive end John Matuszak. Cleveland will make the second overall selection, with New York following closely behind in the third spot. All three teams are potentially in the market for a new franchise quarterback.
Completing the top five in the draft order are the New England Patriots and the Jacksonville Jaguars, both of whom finished the season with 4-13 records. The Patriots had the opportunity to secure the top pick by losing to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday since their strength of schedule was weaker than that of Tennessee. However, they managed to upset the playoff-bound Bills with a 23-16 victory.
Following the conclusion of Sunday’s games, the draft order was solidified, with the Detroit Lions defeating the Minnesota Vikings 31-9. The draft order for picks 1-18 is as follows:
1. Tennessee Titans
2. Cleveland Browns
3. New York Giants
4. New England Patriots
5. Jacksonville Jaguars
6. Las Vegas Raiders
7. New York Jets
8. Carolina Panthers
9. New Orleans Saints
10. Chicago Bears
11. San Francisco 49ers
12. Dallas Cowboys
13. Miami Dolphins
14. Indianapolis Colts
15. Atlanta Falcons
16. Arizona Cardinals
17. Cincinnati Bengals
18. Seattle Seahawks
The draft order has been set, and teams will now begin their evaluations and preparations for the upcoming selections as they look to bolster their rosters for the future.
