The draft failings of the Tennessee Titans have left them with a giant, glaring, pulsing, neon-red question mark at the NFL's most vital position.
Without some type of serious, solid answer at quarterback, the Titans will continue to flounder and annually find themselves residing in the league's basement along with all of the other moribund football franchises.
Wasted high-end picks on Vince Young and Jake Locker - whose deal is up and almost certainly won't return to the team next season - and mostly inconclusive play from last year's 6th round pick, Zach Mettenberger, have left them desperately searching for a franchise signal-caller yet again.
What should the team do to improve for next season?
"My guess is that they will keep Zach Mettenberger (also injured) and try to find someone he has to beat out for the job," writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.
The draft is an obvious route for improvement, but as Kuharsky notes, the top two signal callers available aren't perfect fits. Oregon's Marcus Mariota needs to be on the move to be successful - Whisenhunt prefers pocket-passers. Florida State's Jameis Winston is a bundle of off-field baggage that the notoriously hard-nosed coach probably won't want to deal with.
As of right now, the Titans are projected to receive a top-two pick in next spring's draft - very possibly the first selection overall.
Their best scenario may be to sell that pick off to the team most desperate to nab either Mariota or Winston, and turn it into more picks and/or players they can use to plug the variety of other holes on the roster, then select a quarterback later in the draft as well as sign a veteran, hopefully with some upside, in free agency.
Mettenberger would then be brought back to compete and, if the team truly believes in him and his development, see if an offseason in the Titans program can bring him a better understanding of the game and more sustained success.
According to Mike Keith of TitansOnline.com, the team likes what Mettenberger did in his limited action this season, and is already planning on keeping him for next year - with the potential of his becoming a starter.
"The Titans like Mettenberger. They liked what he did in his six starts and they like his upside. By all accounts, Mettenberger also did a good job in the meeting room and in the locker room.
"After some further off-season evaluation wraps up, it's hard to see Zach Mettenberger not getting a positive grade. He could be the Titans' starting quarterback in 2015."
But not without competition - even if it isn't Mariota or Winston.
