The Tennessee Titans kicked off their pre-draft visits with a bang.
On Thursday, the team hosted the consensus top player in the 2025 NFL Draft in Penn State EDGE, Abdul Carter. They followed that up by bringing in Miami quarterback Cam Ward on Friday, according to multiple reports.
The Titans still have the opportunity to host 28 more prospects, including Colorado stars Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, but it was crucial for general manager Mike Borgonzi to get Ward and Carter in the building as soon as possible, because the team couldn't move forward until they did.
At the NFL Combine, Brian Callahan and Borgonzi spoke about their process so far and explained how they were spending 12+ hours each day at the facility with other coaches and scouts to get the best idea of what these top prospects will be if the Titans decide to draft them.
The final step in that process is getting them in the building and spending the day getting an appropriate feel for them as a person and player. Prior to hosting Ward on an intimate pre-draft visit, the Titans had spent roughly 20 minutes interviewing him at the combine.
Following Ward's pre-draft visit, the Titans will have the majority of information needed to decide what they will do with the first selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
If they loved Ward before this visit, and he knocks it out of the park when they are together, then the Titans are going to pick him to be this franchise's next attempt to land a star quarterback.
On the other hand, if things don't go as well or if they didn't love him before he took his visit, then they will reflect on what happened with Carter on Thursday. If Carter blew them away and they love his work ethic and football character, that might be enough to convince the Titans to make him the first player drafted this year.
The third option is, if they aren't in love with Ward and are willing to accept the risk that there is no guarantee that Carter will be available if they move down a few spots, then the Titans could open up trade talks with teams like the New York Giants, New York Jets, and Las Vegas Raiders.
If the Titans are interested in trading the pick, things could move quickly now that Ward and Carter have both visited with team officials in Nashville.
The Titans strategically completed visits with Ward and Carter prior to Monday's NFL free agency negotiating window opening. If Ward convinces them he's worth the No. 1 overall pick, the Titans may not have any interest in signing a free-agent quarterback like Sam Darnold or Aaron Rodgers. If Ward fails to impress, Borgonzi and Callahan may pursue an available signal caller. The same relates to Carter and the pending free-agent pass rushers.
These visits and decisions will dictate the direction of Tennessee's offseason. None of that talk could truly start until the team had all the information on Ward and Carter, but now things are really going to start ramping up in Nashville.