When the NFL Draft kicked off a few weeks back, the Titans were one of the few teams that had people confused. Most of the top 10 picks were somewhat predictable – at least that’s what we thought at the time – and the Titans were one of the few teams that could have gone in any of a number of directions.

Ultimately, Tennessee stayed where they were and took the best available offensive lineman, Alabama’s JC Latham. It was a necessary albiet underwhelming selection, especially after the Chargers took Joe Alt only two picks prior. The Titans’ offensive line certainly needs the help, so it stands to reason that taking Latham was the right decision. But according to the latest big ESPN draft profile, they were close to giving Will Levis yet another stud wide receiver.

Titans were close to creating a ‘lethal’ offense for Will Levis

The report comes from Jeremy Fowler, who published a big draft reaction piece on Tuesday titled, “Key intel on all 32 teams after the 2024 NFL draft.” In it, Fowler reveals a bit on what the Titans’ thought process was throughout that Thursday night.

“A receiver duo of Calvin Ridley and Malik Nabers was on the table for Tennessee … The Titans had three primary options at No. 7 overall: Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt, Alabama tackle JC Latham and Nabers, the LSU receiver considered by some evaluators as the most explosive player in the draft. If Latham, the eventual pick, was off the board, Nabers likely would have been the pick. A three-man core of Ridley, Nabers and DeAndre Hopkins could have been lethal for Will Levis.”

The good news is that they got Latham, who should be a Day 1 starter and immediately make the Titans line notably better. The bad news is that this feeds right into that annoying meme that shows up on Twitter every draft season and causes everyone to argue needlessly about whether it’s better to take elite wide receivers or elite offensive linemen.

Still, OT2 is pretty good. And OT2 along with DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley is even better. Nabers would have given the Titans an absurdly deep group of receivers, but there were more pressing needs. Sometimes you have to go with the draft class you need, not the draft class you want. And maybe they can quietly wait until the very last minute to sign Nabers as a free agent in a few years, since they seem pretty good at that routine.