The Tennessee Titans will hold the 1st overall pick in this year's draft. If they hold onto the pick, this will be the 3rd time in franchise history that they will pick 1st overall and 1st time since 1978 when they were the Houston Oilers. The Titans had the 1st overall pick in 2016, but traded the pick to the Los Angelas Rams. This will be the highest the Titans have picked since they drafted Marcus Mariota in 2015.
After a disappointing season, many people expect the Titans to draft a QB first overall. Miami's Cam Ward and Colarado's Shedeur Sanders are two names that have come up in mock drafts as potential QB's to go 1st overall. However, even though neither Will Levis nor Mason Rudolph are the future franchise QB for the Titans, I don't think the Titans should draft a QB with the 1st overall pick. They should look to someone on the defensive side of the ball. Someone who has much more upside and quite frankly a better prospect.
Penn State star DE Abdul Carter declared for the 2025 NFL Draft after Penn State's Orange Bowl defeat to Notre Dame. To no surprise Carter declared and will be one of the top picks in April's draft. Many experts expect Carter to be one of the first guys off the board and could very well be the 1st non-QB taken.
Now we need to break this article down jnto two sections. The first, is Carter worth the 1st overall pick? Secondly, if he is worth the 1st overall pick, is he worth being picked over any QB in this class?
Abdul Carter is a generational talent
You just read the header for this section correctly. Carter is a generational talent and I hate to use that phrase. However, I will use it when it is true. The crazy thing about Carter is, 2024 was his first time playing defensive end. In his 1st two seasons in Happy Valley (2022-23) he was a linebacker and even then he could have been a 1st round pick. However, making the move to DE proved to be a great one for Penn State HC James Franklin and DC Tom Allen. In 2024, Carter elevated his game into being Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year as well as an unanimous All-American.
Now let's break down some Abdul Carter film to see why he is truly a generational talent! However, before we take a look at how he did in the Orange Bowl specifically, let's take a look at who he went up against at right tackle for Notre Dame.
The reason I am sharing this is to show that, Carter was not going up against some no name RT. He was going up against one of the best tackles in college football.
Carter's stats from the Orange Bowl were nothing to be excited about. However, he brought so much pressure to Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard that he generated so many mistakes and negative plays for the Notre Dame offense.
Check out Riley Leonard's 1st interception.
Even though Carter does not hit the QB, his pressure helps cause this interception. Just watch Carter slip right past the RT with ease which causes Leonard to become off-balanced, step up, and rush the throw. It is plays like this that Carter can generate so easily and very often.
Carter is so quick, especially for a defensive end. Let's look at another play from the Orange Bowl. Even though he never actually gets to Riley Leonard, but watch how he fully disrupts the play which could have ended with a Notre Dame 1st down and great field position.
The Notre Dame offense was so successful this season due to how mobile Riley Leonard can be. Leonard averaged 5.2 yards per carry in 2024, but with the help of Carter he only had 1.9 yards per carry in the Orange Bowl. Carter's speed right here easily saved a 1st down and great field position for Notre Dame in the final minute. This kind of speed is unheard of for a DE .
Carter is not an ideal size for a DE. He is a tad undersized and on top of that he does need to bulk up a little more in the NFL. However, when you watch him play, he really doesnt seem undersized. Just look at his lone sack from the Orange Bowl. Not only is he being held on this play (he was being held all game for what it is worth), but he picks up the QB and slams him like this is Monday Night Raw.
The more he continues to bulk up and develop, there is not a right tackle in the NFL that is going to be able to match his speed and elusiveness. Even though his size is a slight concern (very slight), it almost works to his advantage. He can slip right under these offensive lineman so easily, then with his top tier speed and tackling, he can get to the QB before the offensive lineman or QB can even react.
Even though he had career high in sacks and tackles in 2024, his ability to fully disrupt the play and cause either a turnover or negative play is what makes him so generational. When you continue to watch his film over the 2024 season, you see that he may not record the sack, but he very often causes the offense to struggle. He is the reason the Penn State defense was so dynamic and effective this season.
Now that you hopefully agree with me that Abdul Carter is arguably the best player in this draft class and is a generational talent, the question should be, should the Titans draft Abdul Carter 1st overall in April?
Since 2010, only 4 times has a non-QB been drafted 1st overall in the NFL Draft. In Carter's favor 3 of them have been defensive ends (Jadeveon Clowney, Myles Garrett, and Travon Walker). 2 of them 3 of them ended up being home run draft selections. When Clowney was in his prime he was one of the best DE in the league. Garrett is the best DE in the NFL right now. Even though Walker is not a star, Aidan Hutchinson who went 2nd overall after Walker is a star.
Taking a DE 1st overall is not uncommon and over the last decade, it has turned out to be a great decision for these teams. If the Titans were to select Carter, they would definitely not be making a mistake and would be getting a franchise player.
The question that Tennessee needs to ask themselves, is Carter worth not having their franchise QB in 2025? Let's take a quick peak at their options in the 2024 draft. The two names that are up for 1st overall pick are Cam Ward of Miami and Shedeur Sanders of Colarado. This year's QB class is not very deep compared to previous seasons. They very easy could draft either one and have their new franchise QB. Even though this is a topic for another article, I don't think either of them are generational talents and compared to other classes, they would not rank very high.
Now if Tennessee does not draft a QB 1st overall, where or when do they find their new franchise QB. They have three options. The 1st is they run it back with Will Levis or Mason Rudolfph. This is probably not a popular choice from Titans fans. The next option they sign a QB this offseason. This is a deep free agent QB class. They could look to sign a guy like Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, Trey Lance, or Mac Jones. Even though none of them are franchise QB's right now, they would be a good QB to get them through 2025.
The final option is the 2026 NFL Draft. Let's be honest for a second. The Titans are going to stink in 2025 and will be right back drafting in the top 5 in the 2026 draft. Next year's draft class is much deeper than the 2025 class. To name a few, Arch Manning (Texas), Drew Allar (Penn State), and Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee) to name a few.
If you were to compare the 2025 class and the 2026 class, most of next year's class would rank higher than Ward and Sanders. With there being plenty of QB's available via free agency this offseason, the pressure to find a new QB has to be reduced.
By drafting Abdul Carter with the 1st overall pick and signing someone as a free agent for 1-2 years would help the franchise so much. They would find a DE who has the potential to be an All-Pro and then would still be able to find their new franchise QB in 2026.
Abdul Carter is going to be a day 1 starter in the NFL and he is going to be able to make an impact week 1 for whoever drafts him. He single handily elevated the Penn State defense and put them into a position to play for a National Championship in 2024.
The Titans need to take advantage of the opportunity they have in drafting Carter. Even though it is hard to find a franchise QB, there will always be great options every draft. With how incomplete and bad their roster already is, they will be in a position next season to draft one. By taking the best player available in 2024, they will have an opportunity to build from the trenches and help set their new franchise QB up for success.
-Adam Mack
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