The Tennessee Titans could be on the verge of making a major splash at the 2023 NFL Draft. The Arizona Cardinals are trying to send the No. 3 overall pick along with star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Titans in exchange for the No. 11 overall pick and other assets, according to Pro Football Talk.
Of course, a deal of this magnitude for the Titans would almost certainly be for a quarterback. Ryan Tannehill's future with the team is up in the air as he is entering the final year of his contract and has also been the subject of trade rumors. Meanwhile, 2022 third-round pick Malik Willis, the only other quarterback on the roster, has reportedly fallen out of favor within the organization, so he isn't seen as any sort of heir apparent to Tannehill going forward.
With that in mind, Tennessee needs a quarterback to build around for the future and a trade like this would ensure that at least two of the top four prospects would be on the board at No. 3. Bryce Young is the betting favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick and Houston taking a defensive player at No. 2 does seem to be firmly on the table, which would leave Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Florida's Anthony Richardson, and Kentucky's Will Levis on the board at No. 3 for Tennessee if they do make the leap up.
As for the Cardinals side of things, they have needs all across the roster, so moving on from the No. 3 overall pick to move down eight spots to No. 11 makes sense if they secure a boatload of assets for their retooling under first-year GM Monti Ossenfort and first-year head coach Jonathan Gannon. Even if that deal doesn't go through, it wouldn't be a surprise to learn of Arizona trying to move down from this pick in some capacity.
With Hopkins, that piece of this would-be blockbuster is a bit unclear. There are conflicting reports as it relates to Tennessee pursuing the wideout as the NFL Network has reported that the Titans have not had conversations surrounding him. That said, Hopkins is a popular name to monitor throughout the draft as his name has been on the trading block throughout the offseason. The 30-year-old has two more years remaining on his contract worth $34.3 million. By trading him, Arizona would save roughly $8.15 million against the salary cap.
