By MIKE HERNDON, columnist

Despite many of the headliners from the 2024 draft class choosing to skip the on-field testing portion of the NFL combine, including projected first overall pick Caleb Williams as well as fellow top-five prospects Marvin Harrison Jr., Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers, the made-for-TV scouting event still managed to produce plenty of excitement.

Of course, the biggest headline from the weekend was Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy breaking the 40-yard dash record with a 4.21-second run, narrowly edging John Ross’ 4.22 mark from 2017.

OFFICIAL: 4.21

XAVIER WORTHY HOLDS THE NEW 40-YARD DASH RECORD pic.twitter.com/IrXf3WyemB

— NFL (@NFL) March 2, 2024

However, that was far from the only takeaway. We’ll hit on the biggest storylines from a Titans’ perspective below as well as a few general draft thoughts that I’ve been stewing over recently.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – As free agency nears we’re talking a lot about players the Titans we hope the team will pursue.

It seems an appropriate time to talk about players I think it would be wise for them to stay away from.

Bengals cornerback Chidobe Awuzie will be two seasons removed from his torn ACL, so if Brian Callahan, who’s very familiar with him, and Dennard Wilson like him I’m on board with a signing like that.

But for a team that has had crushing injury problems for three seasons running, one easy way to avoid injuries is to stay away from guys with injury histories.

Past performance is a big indicator of future performance and while it’s not hard line, I buy that when it comes to injury concerns.

So, a list of free agents to avoid:

By ZACH LYONS, Stacking the Inbox

If you’re like most normal people, you did not sit on your couch, or in front of a TV, and watch the combine in its entirety. I do not blame you. It was the right choice. However, just because you shouldn’t have to sit and watch the “Underwear Olympics,” doesn’t mean you should discount the importance of the event.

That’s why you have a nerd like me. My name is Zach Lyons, and I am addicted to the combine. I love everything about it. The pressers, the social posts about formal meetings, and yes, the athletic feats. Luckily for you, I enjoy it so much that I collect all of the data for you and give you a one-stop shop for all things combine.

While this is the first year you, a paid subscriber to PaulKuharsky.com, gets access to the fruits of my addiction. It is my third year in a row compiling all this. In just a moment I am going to introduce you to my combine tool. After I take you on a tour of the tool, I am going to give you a few prospects that you should get familiar with, Because I surmise the Titans will be doing their due diligence on them as the process goes on.

The Combine Tool

Wrapping up some combine thoughts after five days in Indianapolis, starting with a few categories…

Best podium sessions I was in on…

Rome Odunze: An absolute delight. He will be an absolute media darling wherever he goes. That was apparent as he stepped onto his podium platform and was quick to greet social media guys from Washington. 

Jackson Powers-Johnson: While the Oregon center stopped short of letting us hear how he can sing both alto and tenor in his gospel choir he talked about being part of it with the same passion he has for football. Also loved the way he spoke about being in command of an offense from the moment he takes the field.

INDIANAPOLIS – Starting Monday, PaulKuharsky.com will add a new content element during free-agent and draft build-up that I'm sure you will love while anticipating what the Titans might do.

Zach Lyons writes a terrific Titans’ newsletter called “Stacking the Inbox.” He is especially good at providing comparative looks at players the team and its new decision-makers have signed and drafted in the past and finding comparable players in the free agent and draft pools.

He will share his spreadsheet and offer what we’ll call Lyons’ Titans – players he sees in the free agent and draft markets who he believes line up with what the team wants. He’ll show you why they’d fit, explaining their physical characteristics, draft value, financial and cap costs and other pertinent details while using a mix of analytics.

INDIANAPOLIS – Oh, the parade. Talented receiver after talented receiver took the three steps up to the podium platforms at the NFL scouting combine Friday.

Headliner Marvin Harrison Jr. skipped it.

But a loaded class with plenty of other big names forged ahead, making a lot of good impressions and cases for while they will be high-quality additions to teams around the league. 

It’s hard to imagine any are more receiver-needy than the Titans, who’ve got uncertainty after DeAndre Hopkins and lack the speedy and explosive playmakers they need to take advantage of Will Levis’ quick release and big arm. Both Ran Carthon and Brian Callahan spoke early in the week about receivers and sounded committed to solving a long-term issue.

Many receivers spoke of what they think differentiates them from the field.

INDIANAPOLIS -- A day after breaking ground on new Nissan Stadium, an official from Nashville and another from the Titans are here as part of a group hosted by the NFL to discuss the possibility of hosting the scouting combine.

Four cities were part of the visit, as Las Vegas, Minneapolis and Phoenix joined Nashville while Indianapolis will try to retain the event. Things are in the very preliminary stages.

"The league has decided they want to take a look at is it worth moving, they've invited several cities to Indy this week to look at it and of course, we raised our hand and said we'd love to tag along and take a look and hopefully have a shot at doing something with it," said Butch Spyridon, former president and CEO of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation who is representing the city as a consultant.

"The new stadium is critical to it and it's another example of what the new stadium opens up as new opportunities for us."

Adolpho Birch, the Titans senior vice president and chief external and legal affairs officer, was also with the group.

INDIANAPOLIS -- For this week's edition of The Paul Kuharsky Podcast, I recruited three smart friends with great views on the draft and beyond for chats.

You don't want to miss Pete Prisco of CBS, Dane Brugler of The Athletic and Ben Solak of The Ringer.

Prisco covered the Jaguars for a long time before he became a national guy. He sees interesting times ahead for the AFC South with a division better stocked at quarterback, where he's a big Will Levis believer.

Brugler has recently mocked Olu Fashanu to the Titans at No. 7 and sees a realistic scenario where the left tackle vs. wide receiver decision could be made for them. He can envision Marvin Harrison, Jr., Malik Nabors and Rome Odunze all selected in the first six picks.