PALM BEACH, Fla. — “Closer.”
That’s the up-to-the-minute update from coach Brian Callahan on where the Tennessee Titans stand on deciding who they want to draft with the first pick.
The Titans, assuming they don’t trade down from the lofty spot, have identified their four finalists as Ward, edge player Abdul Carter, defensive back/receiver Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Yes, two of those choices are quarterbacks — and that requires a determination as to if they are really, truly franchise quarterbacks, in which case there may not even be a fair trade price.
Advertisement
“You weigh whatever it is that’s being presented. If it’s something that you feel like is beyond the value that you would’ve ever thought you would get, that’s one thing,” Callahan said Monday at the NFL’s annual league meetings. “But then you also have to look at what does a potential franchise quarterback look like. And if you think they are that good and they’re that type of player, those guys, to me, are priceless.
“There is no price that you can put on those types of players if you think they’re that caliber of quarterback.”
While there were a lot of reports that some teams were turned off by Sanders’ interviews at the NFL Scouting Combine last month, Callahan said he has enjoyed his visits with the Colorado quarterback.
(The Titans will head to Sanders’ — and Hunter’s — pro day on April 4 and then have the quarterback in for a private workout on April 9.)
“Our interactions with him have been really positive,” Callahan said. “We had him in for a 30-visit on top of it, and then we’re heading out to his pro day. But, I’ve really enjoyed him. I’ve liked his demeanor, I like the way he comes across. He’s confident, without being over the top, which is a good thing.
“All of our interactions have been positive. I’m excited to see what he can bring.”
For a former quarterbacks coach like Callahan, the in-person workouts might be the most crucial box to check on his pre-draft list.
“I think the in-person is critically important, particularly when you’re talking about quarterbacks,” Callahan said. “When you’re talking about how the ball comes off their hand and how do they interact — that’s my favorite part, is just watching how they interact with the players, how does he talk to these guys? How does he lead the group through the workout? I mean it’s a small thing, but you can always learn something from it.”
Advertisement
And then the private workout is the cherry on the evaluation sundae for Callahan.
“The private workout is fun because you get to actually coach,” he said. “So you can see how they respond to your coaching, you can see if they can make a coaching point correction, if you have one for them. And then you just get to interact with them a little more. It’s the best way to try to get a feel for what that’s gonna look like on a day-to-day basis.”
The Titans held their private workout with Ward — the presumed favorite to go No. 1 — last Friday and Callahan came away impressed. He has watched every one of Ward’s college reps and thinks that coaching him would be exciting, based on the improvement he made after transferring from Washington State to Miami.
“You saw the flashes at Washington State, but then you saw the consistency,” Callahan said. “And again, maybe it’s a talent disparity at Miami but I don’t think there was a crazy swing of talent. You saw the accuracy become more consistent, and I think that just comes from playing. I think that’s why these guys that have stayed in school longer and are playing four and five years, it’s helping them because I think they’re getting chances to get more reps and more opportunities. Their games smooth out and they become more pro-ready.”
The Titans still have 2023 second-round pick Will Levis and veteran quarterbacks Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle. President of football operations Chad Brinker said the Titans are not shopping Levis and that he will get a chance to compete for the starting job after throwing 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 12 starts last season. Levis will work with private QB coach Jordan Palmer in Los Angeles this summer.
“I had a very straightforward conversation with him when the season was over,” Callahan said, “when we were getting ready to leave and I just said, ‘Look, you worry about you. Don’t don’t worry about anything else. Control the things that you’re capable of controlling and put the work in for yourself. It doesn’t matter what we do or how we do it and expect there to be competition.’ I’m excited to see what it looks like when he gets back.”
(Photo of Shedeur Sanders: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
2025 NFL Draft: Could Browns taking Shedeur Sanders after Dillon Gabriel pan out? Here’s the upside on Cleveland’s surprise strategy
Less than 24 hours after publicly endorsing the talents of Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry faced the media with a similar task Saturday afternoon.Describing another quarterback’s fit and value at the draft spot?AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDrafting high-profile Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders 50 picks after selecting Gabriel warranted explanation.“We talk oftentimes about quarterback being the most important position in the sport,” Berry said. “It wasn’t necessarily the plan going into the weekend to select two quarterbacks, but as we talk about, we do believe in best player available, we do believe position value, and we didn’t necessarily expect him to be available in the fifth round.“It got to a point where he was probably mispriced relative to the draft.”The Browns are taking two swings at rookie quarterbacks in Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Oregon's Dillon Gabriel. (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports)Selecting Sanders […]
Teoscar Hernández hits HR in third consecutive game to extend Dodgers’ lead against Marlins
Major League Baseball Video Details Teoscar Hernández hit a home run in third consecutive game that extended the Los Angeles Dodgers' lead to 5-0 against the Miami Marlins. 6 MINS AGO・Major League Baseball・0:30
The Panthers, the bad boys of the NHL, are ‘very comfortable with who they are’
SUNRISE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers are not only the resident bad boys of the National Hockey League, but they’re also the defending Stanley Cup champions.They illustrated both facts on Monday.Florida threw a couple of flagrantly illegal hits, killed a five-minute major penalty while trailing in the third period, overcame the sobering ruling of a game-tying call being overruled by an offside challenge, tied the game anyway and used a dramatic spurt to push the Lightning to the brink in a 4-2 victory.AdvertisementEverything about this night was a microcosm of why the Panthers have owned the Eastern Conference for the past three seasons and why they appear to have surpassed their bitter rivals for potentially long-term state bragging rights. One more win will do it.This one didn’t feel like it was going to be a Panthers’ win, but then their […]
Cavaliers crush Heat in most lopsided series in NBA playoff history: Historic sweep by the numbers
Getty Images Sometimes, series that end in four games can be closer and more competitive than the word "sweep" suggests. The Cleveland Cavaliers' sweep of the Miami Heat, which concluded with a 138-83 rout on Monday, was not one of those series.Cleveland entered Monday's Game 4 having outscored Miami by 24.9 points per 100 possessions in the first three games of the series. The team had stomped the Heat in Game 3 on Saturday, leading by as many as 40 points in a 124-87 rout. And it proceeded to crush them even more viciously on Monday.The final margin of victory was 55 points, but you should know that the Cavaliers had a 70-25 lead late in the second quarter. You should know that the Cavs led by as many as 60 points in the fourth. They finished the series having […]
WATCH: Tristan Thompson consoles Kevin Love before Cavaliers-Heat Game 4 following his father’s death
Getty Images Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson may have been on opposite sides of Monday night's game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat, but both showed a relationship that transcends the game of basketball. Prior to the tipoff of an eventual 138-83 Cleveland win to finish off a sweep, Thompson was seen consoling Love, who announced his father, Stan, died Sunday at 76 years old.Thompson and Love were teammates in Cleveland for six seasons from 2014-20, a span that included the Cavaliers winning the 2016 NBA championship. They developed a deep friendship during that time together, and it showed Monday."That's my brother, man," Love said back in 2020. "I would always go to war with him. I would run through a wall for him. He's the best. Just the type of guy he is, he's a lifelong friend of mine."Here's a […]
NBA playoffs: Draymond Green narrowly avoids ejection after heated first half with Rockets in Game 4
Draymond Green got into a bit of trouble early on Monday night at the Chase Center.Though he managed to avoid an ejection in the first half of the Golden State Warriors’ Game 4 matchup with the Houston Rockets, he did so just barely after getting into back-to-back altercations.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThings popped off in the first half after Green, Stephen Curry and Dillon Brooks got into an incident that felt like it was a few games in the making.After Green set a hard screen on Amen Thompson, Brooks hip-checked Curry and sent him down to the floor. Curry, taunting a bit, threw up two fingers at Brooks after he was called for a foul. Brooks then tried to grab the ball out of Curry’s hands, which sparked the incident and sent plenty of people rushing in to try and break it all up.In […]
Related
2025 NFL Draft: Could Browns taking Shedeur Sanders after Dillon Gabriel pan out? Here’s the upside on Cleveland’s surprise strategy
Less than 24 hours after publicly endorsing the talents of Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry faced the media with a similar task Saturday afternoon.Describing another quarterback’s fit and value at the draft spot?AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDrafting high-profile Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders 50 picks after selecting Gabriel warranted explanation.“We talk oftentimes about quarterback being the most important position in the sport,” Berry said. “It wasn’t necessarily the plan going into the weekend to select two quarterbacks, but as we talk about, we do believe in best player available, we do believe position value, and we didn’t necessarily expect him to be available in the fifth round.“It got to a point where he was probably mispriced relative to the draft.”The Browns are taking two swings at rookie quarterbacks in Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Oregon's Dillon Gabriel. (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports)Selecting Sanders […]
Teoscar Hernández hits HR in third consecutive game to extend Dodgers’ lead against Marlins
Major League Baseball Video Details Teoscar Hernández hit a home run in third consecutive game that extended the Los Angeles Dodgers' lead to 5-0 against the Miami Marlins. 6 MINS AGO・Major League Baseball・0:30
The Panthers, the bad boys of the NHL, are ‘very comfortable with who they are’
SUNRISE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers are not only the resident bad boys of the National Hockey League, but they’re also the defending Stanley Cup champions.They illustrated both facts on Monday.Florida threw a couple of flagrantly illegal hits, killed a five-minute major penalty while trailing in the third period, overcame the sobering ruling of a game-tying call being overruled by an offside challenge, tied the game anyway and used a dramatic spurt to push the Lightning to the brink in a 4-2 victory.AdvertisementEverything about this night was a microcosm of why the Panthers have owned the Eastern Conference for the past three seasons and why they appear to have surpassed their bitter rivals for potentially long-term state bragging rights. One more win will do it.This one didn’t feel like it was going to be a Panthers’ win, but then their […]
Cavaliers crush Heat in most lopsided series in NBA playoff history: Historic sweep by the numbers
Getty Images Sometimes, series that end in four games can be closer and more competitive than the word "sweep" suggests. The Cleveland Cavaliers' sweep of the Miami Heat, which concluded with a 138-83 rout on Monday, was not one of those series.Cleveland entered Monday's Game 4 having outscored Miami by 24.9 points per 100 possessions in the first three games of the series. The team had stomped the Heat in Game 3 on Saturday, leading by as many as 40 points in a 124-87 rout. And it proceeded to crush them even more viciously on Monday.The final margin of victory was 55 points, but you should know that the Cavaliers had a 70-25 lead late in the second quarter. You should know that the Cavs led by as many as 60 points in the fourth. They finished the series having […]
WATCH: Tristan Thompson consoles Kevin Love before Cavaliers-Heat Game 4 following his father’s death
Getty Images Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson may have been on opposite sides of Monday night's game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat, but both showed a relationship that transcends the game of basketball. Prior to the tipoff of an eventual 138-83 Cleveland win to finish off a sweep, Thompson was seen consoling Love, who announced his father, Stan, died Sunday at 76 years old.Thompson and Love were teammates in Cleveland for six seasons from 2014-20, a span that included the Cavaliers winning the 2016 NBA championship. They developed a deep friendship during that time together, and it showed Monday."That's my brother, man," Love said back in 2020. "I would always go to war with him. I would run through a wall for him. He's the best. Just the type of guy he is, he's a lifelong friend of mine."Here's a […]
NBA playoffs: Draymond Green narrowly avoids ejection after heated first half with Rockets in Game 4
Draymond Green got into a bit of trouble early on Monday night at the Chase Center.Though he managed to avoid an ejection in the first half of the Golden State Warriors’ Game 4 matchup with the Houston Rockets, he did so just barely after getting into back-to-back altercations.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThings popped off in the first half after Green, Stephen Curry and Dillon Brooks got into an incident that felt like it was a few games in the making.After Green set a hard screen on Amen Thompson, Brooks hip-checked Curry and sent him down to the floor. Curry, taunting a bit, threw up two fingers at Brooks after he was called for a foul. Brooks then tried to grab the ball out of Curry’s hands, which sparked the incident and sent plenty of people rushing in to try and break it all up.In […]
Be the first to leave a comment