Ah, the 2004 draft. This is, alas, the last draft before I started blogging the draft, so you'll have to rely on my somewhat hazy recollections of what I thought about the picks at the time.

The Titans came into the 2004 draft off a 12-4 season where some close regular season losses had left them with an unfavorable spin of the roulette wheel in the evenly matched top 4 of the AFC, resulting in a 17-14 loss in bitter cold at New England. GM Floyd Reese managed to keep the core of the team intact, but the Titans had a great need for depth.

The initial storyline of this year's draft for the Titans was the sheer number of players they ended up selecting, 13 in all, of whom 12 would eventually make the team. The big reason they had so many picks was the great Jason Babin trade, where the Texans traded up to the Titans' #27 overall slot to draft the hybrid DE/OLB. In exchange for that pick, plus the Titans' 5th round pick, #159 overall, used by the Jaguars on T Sean Bubin, the Titans picked up the Texans' 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th round picks.

As for the players chosen with those picks, well, after the jump:

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Recently, I took a look at some potential draft candidates who could possibly fill the Tennessee Titans' huge void at kick/punt returner. If the Titans aren't satisfied with spending a mid-to-late rounder on a potential return man, maybe they'd be willing to give up a similar draft choice to acquire a recently-made-available proven commodity at the position.

The guy who was just put on the trading block that I'm referring to is Miami's Ted Ginn Jr., who, according to reports, has drawn the ire of the "Big Tuna" and could be on his way out of South Beach on/before draft day.

Yesterday, Drexel speculated about whether or not the Titans would draft a quarterback and listed a few possible candidates.  Personally, I think it's a real possibility, but the Titans also chose to address their immediate needs at the position, signing Chris Simms to what is reportedly a one-year deal.

This is Simms' second go-round with the Titans, after being signed following VY's injury against the Jaguars Week 1 of 2008.  He spent the next couple games as the backup then the rest of the year as the third-stringer, seeing his only action in the fourth quarter of the Week 17 who cares fest against the Colts when he threw two passes.  He decamped for the Broncos and a shot at a starting job last offseason, spending the year as Kyle Orton's backup and putting in some of the worst work this side of JaMarcus Russell in his limited action (5-17, 1 interception, 5 sacks).

I saw it speculated he's just another QB to have around, but he's too experienced and expensive for me to think that-a vet equivalent of Alex Mortensen could've been had easier and cheaper.  Rather, Simms is competition for Kerry Collins, at least in the sense of an incentive to get him to renegotiate his $5.5 million base salary.  With Simms' performance since his 2006 spleen injury, I have ZERO confidence in him should he be called upon to play, so I'm hoping Collins renegotiates, but that's an easier hope to have when it's not you take a sizable paycut.

As a result of last year's Vin-aissance, Vince Young has once again established himself as the Tennessee Titans' signal-caller for the upcoming season and beyond.

Beyond VY, the state of the franchise at the quarterback position is a bit blurred. Veteran Kerry Collins is set to be the team's backup QB, but a high salary for 2010 could lead to his eventual release if he isn't prepared to take a pay-cut. Fellow vets Patrick Ramsey and Chris Simms have both played in Tennessee and one of them could be called in to replace Collins if KC is jettisoned.

With VY firmly entrenched as the starter and one of the aforementioned veterans poised to serve as the team's #2, there's a good chance that the Titans will spend a mid-to-late draft choice on a gunslinging youngster to groom as a developmental project.

Here's a look at a few guys that could be on the team's radar if they do decide to select a QB in the latter part of the rapidly-approaching NFL Draft.

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I'm sure many of you have been following the rampant speculation regarding a possible Albert Haynesworth reunion with the Tennessee Titans.

Due to the tug-of-war going on between two strong-willed individuals: Washington Redskins' new sheriff in town Mike Shanahan and Fat Albert, there's been reports suggesting that Haynesworth could be available. Naturally, since he established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the city of Nashville, there's been a thought or two regarding the Titans' possible interest in their former stud defensive tackle.

Of course, Albert's massive contract makes the situation a bit tricky. However, if the Redskins are hell-bent on ridding themselves of Albert, for the right price, the Titans would be wise to make a run at reacquiring Haynesworth's services.