Have the Titans ever had the No. 1 overall pick? Tennessee draft history

The Tennessee Titans are on the clock with the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Have the Titans ever picked first before in NFL draft history?

Kind of. The Titans franchise began in 1960 as the Houston Oilers before moving to Tennessee in 1997 and changing its name to the Titans two years after that. The Oilers have held the No. 1 overall pick twice before, but both instances were in the 1970s when the team was still in Houston.

This year’s draft will be the first time in history that the Titans will hold the No. 1 overall pick.

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Have the Titans ever had the No. 1 overall pick?

Not exactly. This year’s draft is the first in which the Titans hold the top pick. Before the team moved to Tennessee, they were the Houston Oilers, and the Oilers owned the No. 1 overall picks in 1973 and 1978.

In 1973, the Oilers selected University of Tampa defensive end John Matuszak with the first overall pick. He played just one year for the Oilers before joining the Houston Texans of the World Football League.

Five years later, the Oilers made Texas running back Earl Campbell the first overall selection of the 1978 NFL Draft. He won an NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year award in his second season and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991.

Who was the highest pick in Titans history?

Outside of those two top picks as the Oilers, the Titans have also held the No. 2 overall pick.

In 2015, Tennessee selected Oregon quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota with the second pick in the draft. He is currently signed to the Washington Commanders as backup quarterback to Jayden Daniels.