Tannehill: Titans drafted receiver 'later than I thought' they would

Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill is surprised his team didn't add a wide receiver earlier in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Titans selected six players in April's draft, all of whom play on the offensive side of the ball. Those picks include offensive lineman Peter Skoronski (11th overall) and running back Tyjae Spears (81st).

But it wasn't until the seventh round that Tennesse selected a receiver in Colton Dowell (228th).

"They don't ask me my thoughts on draft picks," Tannehill said of the Titans' choice to wait on a wideout, courtesy of NFL reporter Paul Kuharsky. "Y'know, (head coach) Mike (Vrabel) and (general manager) Ran (Carthon) get to make those decisions.

"Obviously, you know, I knew it was an area that could be addressed. But they did just a little bit, probably, later than I thought (they were) going to. But we added some other key positions, some talent that will help us across the board."

Dowell joins a receiver room that features last year's first-round pick Treylon Burks, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and Kyle Philips, among others.

Tannehill is eager for one of his young targets to develop into a primary option.

"You look who we got in the (wide receiver) room and that's who it is, so going to have to go out, compete each and every day, and we'll see who ends up getting the majority of the time," the 34-year-old said. "But definitely, guys are going to have to step up, just like they are in every position across the board."

The Titans also notably used a second-round selection on quarterback Will Levis, prompting Tannehill to draw comparisons to the team's decision to select Malik Willis in the third round of the 2022 draft.

"We've been down this road before, so it's definitely a little bit of deja vu," Tannehill said. "But like I said, Mike and Ran make those decisions. My job is to go out and try to win football games."