Titans Get The #4 Pick In The Draft

[OnsideKick]

 

Edited 20 hours ago by OnsideKick

[Pragidealist]

7 minutes ago, OnsideKick said:

 

 

 

The 2023 Trade: Cardinals traded pick #3 to Houston. In return they got:

• Pick #12 (used with their own 2nd rounder to trade UP to #6 for Paris Johnson Jr.)
• Pick #33 (used to trade down again, eventually got BJ Ojulari at #41)
• Houston's 2024 1st rounder (ended up being pick #27 — Darius Robinson, EDGE, Missouri)
• Houston's 2024 3rd rounder

Who they passed on at #3: Will Anderson Jr. went to Houston with that pick. Anderson was "CBS Sports' No. 1 overall-ranked player" in the 2023 class. He's since become one of the best young edge rushers in the NFL for the Texans, who made the playoffs and have been competitive ever since. His 2025 PFF grades: 92.3 overall (2nd among all edge defenders), 91.6 pass rush (4th), and 79.8 run defense (9th). Pro Football Focus Top 10 in the entire NFL at BOTH rushing the passer AND defending the run. That's a three-down player. Worthy top 3 pick. 

 

How the Cardinals' haul turned out:

• Paris Johnson Jr. (pick 6): Decent starter, moved from RT to LT. Allowed 8 sacks as a rookie, got a C+ grade from The Athletic. Solid but not a franchise-changing player.
• BJ Ojulari (pick 41): Tore his ACL in preseason of year two. Has "value as a nickel edge rusher" but the Cardinals' "need for an every-down star-caliber edge rusher remains a top priority." Still developing. Not a difference-maker yet.
• Garrett Williams (pick 72): Actually the best pick — 82.0 PFF grade, their highest-graded defender, versatile slot/safety hybrid. But he was a 3rd rounder, not exactly the centerpiece of a trade-down.
• Darius Robinson (pick 27, the Houston 2024 1st): Edge rusher from Missouri, still developing. Hasn't made a major impact yet.

The bottom line:

The Cardinals traded away the chance to draft Will Anderson Jr. — who has become an elite, franchise-defining edge rusher — and got back a decent tackle, an injured edge rusher who can't play every down, a good slot corner, and a developing edge rusher. They went 4-13 that year and are right back at pick #3 in 2026, three years later.

 

They were praised at the time for being "shrewd" and getting great value on paper. But the reality is they traded away the best player in the draft, got a collection of decent-but-not-special players, and are still rebuilding. Houston got the franchise-altering defensive player and went to the playoffs. Arizona got volume and is still picking in the top 5.

 

That's the risk of trading down from #3 — you accumulate picks but miss the game-changer. And now they're staring at the same decision again in 2026. The fact that they're reportedly considering trading down again tells you everything about how this front office thinks — and why they're perpetually rebuilding rather than landing the cornerstone player who actually changes the trajectory.

 

For the Titans at #4, it's a cautionary tale in the other direction: don't overthink it. If there's a player you believe is the best in the draft — whether that's Love, Reese, or anyone else — take him. The Cardinals got cute, got volume, and got nowhere.

 

 

[headhunter]

Alot of cardinals fans regret that trade down based on the forums I've been to

[AussieTitanFan08]

 

[titanruss]

3 hours ago, Justafan said:

I went back and watched it again. My bad, he definitely included Styles not the way I heard it originally. 

 

It's likely because he didnt mention him specifically until asked about him. At first, when he was talking about the group at the top he said the pass rushers and love and didnt mention styles

[japan]

2 hours ago, Pragidealist said:

That totally makes sense and as I think you noted-  they dont have a lot of capital to give up. BUT -  its also jerry jones.  Last year Jags did something crazy. .could Cowboys this year?  Its possible.   I dont mind Titans trying to draw out possible crazy deals. 

 

But I think they'll probably end up standing pat. I think if Cowboys trade up- Browns are a more reasonable spot. 

Jerry doesn't have much time left...

[Titandan]

Not sure if anyone posted this and it seems like common sense but... Borg will not draft anyone Saleh doesn't want for whatever that's worth.  

 

 

 

[NashvilleNinja]

I mean... if this tells anyone anything about what the Titans should do maybe it's something other than what the former/fired GM of the Titans would do.

[japan]

59 minutes ago, Pragidealist said:

From scouting reports, I've read.  (I'm not pretending to have scouted him)

 

 Reese's run defense grade was 86.5. Bailey's scouting reports call him a "virtual zero" against the run. 

 

Yes, Reese's edge grade was lower than his off-ball grade — he was learning the position in real time as a one-year starter splitting snaps 50/50. His pass rush is raw. Nobody's denying that. But even with that rawness, CBS noted he was displacing Big Ten tackles with pure power at 241 pounds. You can teach pass rush moves. You can't teach that kind of violence at the point of attack.

 

And he's 20 years old. Parsons was 246 at the combine and playing at 250+ within two years. Reese has frame to grow. Multiple scouts have said Bailey may have maxed out his.

 

For me- when i read teh scouting reports, I read Reese as projected to able to be that more complete player with a lt of rawness.  For Bailey he's an edge rusher, pure and simple.    I wouldnt want teh Titans to get teh specialist edge rusher at 4.   I also dont' love Reese at 4 bc so much of his stuff is projection based.   I just think a lot of the hype around these two is bc they are the only thing close to Edge rushers worth a top 10 pick. 

 

 

Prag arguing into a black hole...  

[OnsideKick]

 

Edited 20 hours ago by OnsideKick

[oldschool]

4 minutes ago, japan said:

Prag arguing into a black hole...  

 

its just made up nonsense... On no planet is their consensus Bailey is a 0 in run defense lol. In fact I've seen his grade anywhere from below to above average depending on the publication. This idea he's a zero is a flat out lie

[Legaltitan]

19 minutes ago, NashvilleNinja said:

I mean... if this tells anyone anything about what the Titans should do maybe it's something other than what the former/fired GM of the Titans would do.

Yep time to take Styles off the board.

[Pragidealist]

53 minutes ago, japan said:

Jerry doesn't have much time left...

So skin him while we can?

[Pragidealist]

28 minutes ago, japan said:

Prag arguing into a black hole...  

dude.. its what I do.  I argue what is interesting for me to argue.      

[TheBukafax]

1 minute ago, Pragidealist said:

dude.. its what I do.  I argue what is interesting for me to argue.      

Idk how you’ve found anything interesting to argue over the last month lol