How Tennessee Titans pick Cedric Gray saw his mom's advice pay off in 2024 NFL Draft

Cedric Gray's mother Esther has officially been proven right.

The Tennessee Titans drafted Gray, a linebacker out of North Carolina, early in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. A two-time All-ACC player who ended his college career with three-straight 100-plus tackle seasons, Gray said he turned down opportunities to transfer in high school and college to stay where he felt most comfortable, bearing in mind what his mother likes to tell him.

"Something my mom always told me was ‘Don’t rush your blessing,’" Gray said. "This blessing, it came today."

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Gray prides himself on being a "sideline-to-sideline" linebacker, someone who plays a complete game with an emphasis on athleticism who's just as comfortable filling in against the run as he is rushing the passer or dropping in coverage. He looks up to star NFL inside linebackers like Zaire Franklin and Fred Warner. He was North Carolina's defensive play caller for two seasons in college and thinks he'll be able to take over that skill with the Titans as well.

He admits his knowledge for the game developed later in his career. When he was in high school, he was a "see ball, hit ball" player. It wasn't until the summer before his sophomore year of college when his understanding broadened. And from there, he quickly emerged as one of the best linebackers in the ACC.

Despite this success, and the Titans' need for an inside linebacker, Gray says the Titans never met with him in the pre-draft process and he didn't have that big of a sense that the Titans would be picking him Saturday.

The Titans had the confidence to pick him anyway, slotting him into a linebacker room that also includes Kenneth Murray II, Otis Reese and Jack Gibbens.

This is the type of player Gray says Titans fans should expect in him.

"A guy who gets to the ball a lot. A guy who can cover a lot," Gray says. "Linebackers today in the NFL need to have the athletic ability, the athleticism to be able to match up with running backs, tight ends and receivers and be able to make plays."

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick atnsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.