One of the biggest surprises during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft was the Tennessee Titans trading wide receiver A.J. Brown. Brown was one of three wide receivers from the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, along with Deebo Samuel and D.K. Metcalf recently popped up in headlines about seeking new deals.

Of the three, the least trade chatter surrounded Brown. He seemed the least likely to be on the move and the Titans offered him a contract. But, the offer was for a lot less money than Brown thought he was worth, which in part led to the trade.

Philadelphia traded the No. 18 and 101 overall picks in the 2022 NFL Draft in exchange for Brown. He promptly agreed to a new deal with the Eagles that is worth $100 million over four years with $57 million guaranteed.

When the trade was announced, many people were shocked. The Eagles seemed to get the better end of the pick at first glance, as Brown already has two Pro Bowl seasons on his resume with plenty more to come as he is going to be only 25-years old in June.

Tennessee wasted no time filling Brown’s spot on the depth chart. With the 18th pick that they received from the Eagles, the Titans selected Arkansas wide receiver, Treylon Burks. Funny enough, many people compared Burks to Brown throughout the evaluation process.

One NFL executive that talked to NFL Analysis Network shared his thoughts on the deal. While trading a player as talented as Brown is never a positive thing, replacing him with Burks could yield some excellent results.

“Trading AJ Brown wasn’t the ideal scenario, but getting Treylon Burks to replace him was. Burks is exactly the kind of wideout that Brown has been for the Titans. In a few years, we might even be talking about Burks being better than Brown.”

Burks can line up anywhere on the field and produce. The Titans will assuredly take advantage of that versatility, as Burks will be relied upon to play starter snaps right from the get-go. He will likely start alongside veteran Robert Woods, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Rams earlier this offseason.

For now, this is a trade that the Titans will likely be lambasted for as Brown is an established product. But, as the executive pointed out, Burks is talented enough that people could change their opinions in due time.