Jim Wyatt

jwyatt@tennessean.com

The Titans are doing plenty of homework leading up to the NFL draft on May 8-10, and that includes the quarterback position.

One they seem especially curious about: Fresno State's Derek Carr.

Carr visited Saint Thomas Sports Park earlier this month, and the Titans recently sent two coaches -- offensive coordinator Jason Michael and quarterbacks coach John McNulty, I'm told -- to work out Carr in Fresno, Calif.

The Titans also spent time with Carr at the Senior Bowl and the NFL combine.

So would the Titans consider drafting Carr with the 11th overall pick? Or might they trade down to draft him later in the first round?

Based on their public comments about Jake Locker this offseason, the Titans have given no indication they're looking for a quarterback early in the draft. This much is relatively certain, however: Carr won't be around when the Titans pick in the second round (42nd overall).

This is also clear: the Titans are in an interesting spot at the quarterback position, which means anything is possible.

They have no plans to exercise the option on the fifth year of Locker's contract, which means he's entering the last season of the deal. And behind Locker are quarterbacks with limited game experience (Charlie Whitehurst) and no game experience (Tyler Wilson).

So it's no wonder the Titans are checking out the quarterbacks.

They've also worked out Georgia's Aaron Murray, are scheduled to work out LSU's Zach Mettenberger and had Eastern Illinois' Jimmy Garoppolo in for a visit. They interviewed top prospects Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater at the combine.

Carr, the younger brother of 2002 No. 1 overall pick David Carr, passed for 5,083 yards and 50 touchdowns at Fresno State.

ESPN's Jon Gruden recently said he believes Carr has the best arm of all the quarterbacks in the draft. A number of other teams have also spent a lot of time with him, including the Browns, who have the 4th and 26th overall picks.

The Titans have said they're committed to Locker for 2014, and still believe he's capable of being a franchise quarterback, but that hasn't kept them from test-driving Carr and others.