Titans won’t say it, but Zach Mettenberger is their guy

Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are out there in the draft.

Philip Rivers and Jay Cutler are being discussed as possible trade bait for the No. 2 overall pick.

Who, then, will be the Tennessee Titans’ starting quarterback when the regular season opens in September?

Zach Mettenberger, of course.

Look, I’m not telling you this is what should happen. I’m just telling you what will happen.

This is how the Titans roll. They’ve got a plan and they’re sticking to it.

Again.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt identified Mettenberger as an undervalued asset last spring. General manager Ruston Webster pulled the trigger and drafted him in the sixth round.

In short, Whisenhunt and Webster think they pulled the steal of the 2014 draft. Titans brass see Mettenberger as a poor team’s Tom Brady. He’s the quarterback.

Personally, I think it’s a mistake. Nothing against Mettenberger. He’s an interesting prospect who now seems to grasp the commitment required to remain gainfully employed in the NFL.

Even so, I just don’t get the unbridled optimism or the sense that he is ready to be handed the keys to an NFL team. He’s got a big arm, yes, but he has done nothing to show he can stay healthy and grow into a franchise quarterback.

Still, Titans leadership believes in him. And these guys are never wrong, at least in their own minds. You don’t play your way into the No. 2 pick in the draft by admitting your mistakes.

The other quarterback options are just that: options. And the Titans aren’t inclined to exercise those options.

For all their posturing, which includes hanging out at Mariota’s pro day and bringing Winston to the facility this week, I’m just not buying that the Titans will draft a quarterback at No. 2.

Maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Considering what happened the past two times they spent a high first-round pick on a quarterback — Vince Young in 2007 and Jake Locker in 2011 — they can’t afford another fumble.

Likewise, I can’t see them brokering a deal for the second pick that brings a proven, veteran quarterback to town. Of the two who might be available, I’d jump at the opportunity to work a deal for Rivers. Cutler? No way. The guy is toxic in the huddle.

Who knows? Maybe the Titans will surprise us all. The powers-that-be might recognize how desperate the situation is and call a Hail Mary.

We can hope, can’t we?

This is a big draft for those making the picks. Screw it up and there might be a new coach and a new general manager in charge of the 2016 draft.

This will be the fourth draft on Webster’s watch as general manager. The previous three have been underwhelming. And I’m being kind.

The 2012 draft is particularly concerning. First-rounder Chance Warmack has been a starter since Day 1, but he hasn’t developed into the kind of dominant offensive guard you expect when you spend the No. 10 overall pick on an interior offensive lineman.

The Titans also traded up to get Justin Hunter in the second round that year, but he has been far from a go-to wide receiver.

Meanwhile, nobody has yet been able to explain what the Titans saw in running back Bishop Sankey, their second-round pick last year.

The best thing Webster has going for him is that he’s made some nice pickups in the later rounds in the last couple of drafts — defensive back Daimion Stafford in the seventh round in 2013 and linebacker Avery Williamson and Mettenberger in the fifth and sixth rounds, respectively, last year.

Getting contributors late in the draft is important. But the way the NFL is played these days, you have to get bang for your buck at the top of the draft. And that’s where the Titans have fumbled. The lack of star power on this team is a direct reflection of what has happened in the first round of the draft.

It’s been seven years since the Titans picked off Chris Johnson in the first round. Otherwise, there have been too many misses, not enough hits.

Contrast this with the drafts from 1995 to 2000. The first rounds of those drafts produced players like Steve McNair, Eddie George, Jevon Kearse and Keith Bulluck.

Those were the good old days. These days? Not so good.

David Climer’s columns appear on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at 615-259-8020 and on Twitter @DavidClimer.