NFL draft comparisons, upgrades from Tennessee Titans free agents in 2025

Posted by author February 20, 2025 NFL

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One of the few perks of fielding a team that went 3-14 last season is the Tennessee Titans don’t have all that many big-name free agents they’re at risk of losing in 2025.

Several starters from 2024 will become free agents when the league year begins in March. There’s nothing preventing the Titans from bringing as many of these contributors back as they deem fit, but there’s also nothing stopping them from replacing veterans with picks in the draft in the pursuit of getting younger.

In that spirit, here’s a breakdown of some of the Titans’ most prominent free agents, and one NFL draft prospect who makes sense as a replacement for each.

WR Tyler Boyd: TCU’s Jack Bech

The 2025 NFL Draft features no shortage of slot receiver options, including first- and second-round talents like Missouri’s Luther Burden III, Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka, Oregon’s Tez Johnson and Miami’s Xavier Restrepo. In a world where Egbuka is available when the Titans’ second pick comes around, he’s the dream fit.

But if the Titans are aiming to replace Boyd with a comparable big-bodied slot who specializes in short and intermediate routes, Bech is the candidate. The 6-foot-2 Bech primarily worked out of the slot in 2022 and 2023, and even when he spent more time out wide in 2024, he still amassed three-quarters of his targets between the numbers.

SAF Quandre Diggs: Texas’ Andrew Mukuba

Sometimes player comparisons are easy. The Titans swap one former Texas safety out for another. Diggs is a bit of a rare breed these days, a smaller safety who doesn’t spend a ton of time lining up in the box. Mukuba does have some box experience and spent plenty of time in the slot at Clemson before transferring to Texas. But in 2024, his main responsibility was deep coverage, and no Power Four safety allowed a lower passer rating when targeted than Mukuba last season.

DT Sebastian Joseph-Day: Florida State’s Joshua Farmer

What Joseph-Day did for the Titans in 2024 goes beyond what Farmer showed at Florida State. Farmer (6-3, 314 pounds) has similar size and measurables to Joseph-Day (6-4, 310), but he almost exclusively lined up as a 4-3 defensive tackle. He’ll need to show he can be a little more versatile at the pro level to replicate Joseph-Day’s role, but the size, athleticism and ability are worth taking the bet on.

OG Dillon Radunz: North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel

Like the Diggs-Mukuba comparison, sometimes obvious fits fall into the lap. Radunz and Zabel are both former North Dakota State tackles projected as second-round picks with the size profiles to bump inside to guard. Zabel impressed Titans brass, and the league at large, with his Senior Bowl practice performances. A move inside to guard will be a transition, but Zabel does represent an opportunity to start fixing the right side of the line.

QB Mason Rudolph: Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke

For the record: Going after someone like Rourke would be a move to replace Rudolph as the Titans’ backup quarterback, not as the starter. Rudolph is a steadying presence who knows how to operate in the pocket, get the ball out quickly and take advantage of gimme throws. Rourke has a similar body type, and like Rudolph did in college, has played a lot of football (2019 to 2024). That experience, poise and ability to hit the check-downs make Rourke a classic developmental backup candidate.

WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: San Jose State’s Nick Nash

A Nick-for-Nick switch, and one that makes sense. Nash was the NCAA’s most productive receiver last year, in part because of how dominant he was on deep routes. Westbrook-Ikhine showed off his bona fides as a vertical threat in coach Brian Callahan’s offense last year, and if he’s not back with the Titans for 2025, someone like Nash could step into the role and help the Titans take advantage of downfield space even more.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.