Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Favorites For Titans First Pick, Sneaky Titans Targets at Defensive Line & Late Round Role LBs
Episode Date: April 21, 2022With less than a week to go before the Tennessee Titans begin the NFL draft, who are YOUR favorites to go at pick 26?? Tyler discusses the most popular options and which he think fits best. Next, if t...he draft goes in a tough way for the Titans, they could be faced with the option of selecting a defensive player with the first pick. If that happens, there are some options at the top of the interior defensive line board that could make sense, but would it be worth it?? Finally, will the Titans take linebacker at 26??? DUH, NO! But that doesn't mean they will neglect the position entirely. With it not being likely the Titans go LB early and most roles in the room being accounted for, Tyler talks about the role the Titans do need to fill and some late round options that could fill it nicely.Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitansSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.Shady RaysEXCLUSIVELY FOR OUR LISTENERS, HEAD TO SHADYRAYS.COM AND USE CODE LOCKEDON TO GET FIFTY PERCENT OFF TWO OR MORE PAIRS OF POLARIZED SUNGLASSES.Athletic GreensTo make it easy, Athletic Greens is going to give you a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit athleticgreens.com/NFLNETWORK. Blue NileThis Mother’s Day give mom something she’ll treasure forever with fine jewelry from Bluenile.com, and LOCKEDON SPORTS listeners get $50 off $500. Use code LOCKEDON at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcript
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Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast.
I am your host, Tyler Rowland.
Titans fans, it is a Friday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast.
And on today's show, we're less than a week away from the NFL Draft.
Who do you guys think would be the ideal pick in the first round for the Titans?
I'm going to go over all the favorites right now.
Then we're going to continue the 2022 Locked on Titans NFL Draft Preview.
We're going to look at interior defensive line and off-ball linebacker.
And will the Titans take a linebacker at 26?
I still doubt it, but there are some great options in the mid-rounds as well.
But all of that and much more on a Friday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast.
Let's get it.
You are Locked On Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast
Network, your team every day. Titans fans, it is a Friday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast.
We are going to talk about your ideal selections in the first round for the Titans.
We're going to go over the interior defensive line class,
the off-ball linebacker class as well.
Before we get into today's show,
I do want to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast
your first listen every day.
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We are going to get into today's show, but I got to tell you guys
about an amazing interview with ESPN's Matt Miller
that I'm going to be rolling out early next week on the YouTube channel,
on the podcast platform.
Very excited to unveil that interview with you guys.
We talk everything about what the Titans will do at pick 26,
where the value is in terms of wide receiver and offensive line and tight end.
We also talk about the Titans' perfect fit at quarterback.
So an NFL draft guru, a big fish.
Matt Miller joins the show early next week.
Make sure that you guys subscribe to the Locked on Titans podcast
so you don't miss that.
It's a perfect way to kick off draft week.
And boy, the draft is almost here.
And with the draft right around the corner, less than a week away, I went to Twitter on
Thursday and I just wanted to check the pulse of Titans Nation.
What do you guys think would be the ideal, yet realistic, first round pick for the Titans?
And I may have had a tad bit of influence on that as I went first in the tweet.
And I said, my ideal pick for the Titans is Traylon Burks.
Not only is it ideal, it's realistic as well.
I think he'll get picked there in the 20s, maybe early 20s if the Titans miss out.
But if Traylon Burks is there at 26, I think he fits perfectly with what the Titans want.
I know at the beginning of the draft season,
I was thinking, you know, let's get some speed
but the guys who are going to present speed
aren't going to be available at the Titans pick.
Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jamison Williams.
They're simply not going to be there, okay?
So if the Titans had to choose between taking Traylon Burks
and then or the other side of it, taking a wide receiver at pick 90,
who's like Calvin Austin or Wendell Robinson,
I would rather have Traylon Burks.
I think he's a big-time playmaker.
I think in the first round, you go for elite players.
You go for elite talent.
That's what you do in the first round.
And then you go for productive players who you count on
that you think can be productive players in the NFL. But you go for do in the first round. And then you go for productive players who you count on, that you think can be productive
players in the NFL. But you go for
stars in the first round.
And I think Traylon Burks
could be a star.
And he just fits what the Titans want.
They want to double down on size
guys, on powerful guys, on yards
after catch guys. I think he'd be the
perfect influx. And yeah, you could argue
offensive line. You should.
But look at what the Bengals did last year.
It was offensive line or it was wide receiver.
The wide receiver had the bigger impact and they went to the Super Bowl.
You need playmakers.
I think the Titans can get by at offensive line
with mid-round prospects,
with adding to the roster in the summertime as well.
Go get the big-time playmaker and get Trelon Burks.
But the other names
I mean Zion Johnson
from Boston College came up
a ton. Just a ton. And I really do think
that he is also
a perfect fit
for the Titans. His
mentality, the way he plays, how he'll
fit in the scheme and
the Boston College connection of course
with Mike Grable.
His intelligence, his personality, he is just a perfect fit for the Titans locker room and
for the Titans offensive line.
So I agree with all of you guys talking about Zion Johnson.
Kenyon Green, he's a little bit of a different player.
Not quite as polished, but much, you know, he's got more power, more raw power in his
body, a little bit wider as well, a nastier play demeanor.
But both those guys, Kenyon Green and Zion Johnson would fit perfectly. John Robinson was asked
about those two guys specifically in his pre-draft press conference that him and Mike Vrabel did on
Thursday. And, you know, he had nothing but great things to say about both those players. So I think
they'd be great options for the Titans as well. So those
are the three names that really popped up the most. I saw other wide receivers like Chris Alave,
Jamison Williams, and yeah, guys, I agree with you 100% there. Those are ideal fits. Now, the
quarterback conversation is just all over the place. Some of you guys want Pickett. Some of
you guys want Ritter. Some of you guys like Corral. Some people like Sam Howell. For me,
as you guys know, I'm a Ritter
or Corral guy. I don't think
the Titans will go quarterback. I've been
hearing some buzz, putting some pieces together.
I wouldn't outright say that I have sources
because I don't have sources.
But the people that I've talked to who I
trust, who I think have good opinions
and are informed,
lead me to believe that the
Titans are not actually considering quarterback.
And I'm thinking that their due diligence on quarterback is not only just par for the
course during draft season, but also in an attempt to maybe entice a team to come up
and trade up as well and kind of feint that interest towards other teams.
And maybe you could get Seattle.
Maybe you could get Detroit.
Somebody to jump up and try to get that quarterback that they've been looking for.
I think the quarterbacks will slide into the late first round.
So things are setting up for a potential good trade back for the Titans.
The way the board's looking like it might break though with those quarterbacks falling
down the board.
Might be tough for the Titans to get Burks, Green, or
Zion Johnson quite frankly. And that's a conversation
that we are going to have next week as well along with that excellent
interview that I have planned. So a great time to subscribe
to the Locked on Titans podcast and get locked in
to daily Monday through Friday Tennessee Titans content
all year round. We are going to move the episode forward.
Time to get into the interior of the defense. We're going to talk interior defensive line. We are going to move the episode forward. Time to get into the interior of the defense.
We're going to talk interior defensive line.
We're going to talk linebackers as well.
And while I don't think those positions are monster positions of need,
based on how this first round could work out,
the Titans could be selecting a couple of these players.
So we're going to get into that in just a moment.
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Titans fans, we're going to continue this Friday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast.
We're going to be discussing the interior defensive line group in the NFL draft.
Before we get into that, I do want to thank you guys for making the Locked On Titans podcast
your first listen every day.
But I got big news.
Some awesome draft events going on here at the Locked On Podcast Network.
Number one, the Locked On and Odyssey Ultimate Mock Draft 2022 is live right now.
It started on Monday.
It's got its own podcast feed, 2022 Ultimate Mock Draft.
Monday. It's got its own podcast feed, 2022 Ultimate Mock Draft.
Every single host from all the different Locked On podcasts make the pick for their team. So I'm making the pick for the Titans at
pick 26. You get additional analysis by a bunch of different experts. It's
awesome. So make sure you guys check out the 2022 Ultimate Mock Draft on its
own podcast feed or on the Locked On NFL Draft podcast feed.
Also, speaking of the Locked On NFL Draft feed, you guys need to go subscribe to the
Locked On NFL Draft YouTube channel.
We are going to have a live on-air coverage for the NFL Draft all three days.
We're kicking things off 30 minutes before the draft starts every single day on the Locked
On NFL Draft YouTube page.
Live coverage and you're going to get feedback from the local experts covering each team.
You don't want to hear all these national guys break down your team's picks or break
down the Titans selection.
Hear it from an expert who covers each team every single day.
Make sure that you guys subscribe to the Locked On NFL Draft podcast on YouTube to check out
that live draft coverage.
But before we get into the prospects here at Interior Defensive Line,
here's what I want to say.
I only picked out three prospects, or six prospects,
that I want to go over because here's my position.
The Titans have gotten Isaiah Mack, 2019.
T. Air Tart, 2020.
Naquan Jones, 2021.
Why in the hell would John Robinson ever,
John Robinson's one,
not going to take a defensive tackle at like 90 or 131.
So if you get guys that good, an undrafted free agent,
why in the hell would you ever use a late round draft pick
on an interior defensive lineman?
Larell Murchison was the last interior
defensive lineman the Titans took in the
draft fifth round.
And he got
surpassed on the depth chart
by two undrafted free agents, by
Kevin Strong. I mean, there's just no
point in taking an
interior defensive lineman
late in the draft. It just makes no sense.
But here's what I will say.
If the QBs fall,
that means there's going to be a big run in the first round on.
Wide receiver, offensive tackle,
and with the Patriots, the Cardinals, the Cowboys,
interior offensive line could be gone as well.
I mean, it's starting to look like that.
Like Kenyon Green and Zion Johnson won't even be an option for the Titans.
We've banked on them being an option for the Titans
if the tackles and the wide receivers aren't there.
And it's starting to look like that may not be.
So if all five of the top wide receivers are gone,
all four of the top offensive tackles are gone,
all two of the top interior offensive linemen are gone,
and the quarterbacks are sliding down the board.
And let's say only Malik Willis or Kenny Pickett's been chosen.
What are the Titans going to do?
They have an option at that moment in time.
They can reach for tight end or O-line.
They can take one of the quarterbacks like Malik Willis or Desmond Ritter.
Or,
they could go best player available
and take defensive line.
This is the only scenario
that I think the Titans would take an interior
defensive lineman.
Well, two. One,
the board shakes the way I just said
and the Titans aren't actually truly
interested in a quarterback this year.
Then you take the best defensive player on
the board for you.
I think that's a logical situation.
Number two, the Titans do execute a trade back
into the early second round, middle second round,
and then they look for one of those guys,
which is less likely because if you trade back,
then you're probably better reaching on a wide receiver
or an offensive lineman like a Tyler Smith or a Christian Watson, Sky Moore,
somewhere in there.
So, if the Titans stick at 26
with all the wide receivers and
all the offensive linemen off the board that they want
and they're not seriously interested in
quarterback, then I think
some guys who could make some sense. Not Jordan
Davis from Georgia. He'll be
gone and honestly, that's not what the Titans are looking
for anyway. A run-stuffing nose tackle.
He's 6'6", 341 pounds.
Yeah, huge guy. Quick
for his size. Good play recognition,
but super limited
on snaps because of the rotation at
Georgia. Can he stay,
can he have the adequate stamina
and stay conditioned? I don't know.
25 snaps a game ain't gonna do it
for a first-round pick.
He's a tall guy,
so his pad level gets bad,
and he's not really a pass rusher.
Right now, he's not a body mover either.
He's a guy who just holds his gap.
He's not a guy who drives guys into the backfield.
Something Greg Cassell talked about recently in his coverage of Jordan Davis.
So, I don't think Jordan Davis makes sense.
I don't think he's going to be there at 26-ire.
Same thing with Devontae Wyatt from Georgia.
6'2", 304. He's more of a three
technique guy and the Titans have that in Jeffrey
Simmons. I also think Wyatt's going to be
gone. He's explosive off the line of scrimmage.
Good bend for a defensive tackle.
Good chase down ability
behind the line of scrimmage. Doesn't have a ton
of rush moves. Can get unbalanced. Doesn't
play with quite the control you want.
And didn't have the production because of the rotation at Georgia, but I think he's a guy who goes before
the Titans pick, and he doesn't really fill a need or a role for the Titans. It's more about the role,
but this guy, Logan Hall, this whole entire segment is basically an opportunity to talk
about Logan Hall. Six foot six, 285 pounds. He is someone who could take over for Danico Autry.
He could play three technique on sub package downs.
He could play five technique in a 3-4.
He could kick out and play four-man front and play defensive end.
Basically, he would be an upgraded, more talented version of Rashad Weaver.
That's basically what you're getting.
Incredibly athletic, incredibly long,
a versatile guy who could play all up and down the line of scrimmage
like he did at Houston.
He has good rush moves and good rush combinations, good handwork. He's a penetrator, so he's going to
be able to dart gaps and shoot through gaps, and he's an incredibly hard worker as well. He's put
on a ton of weight since he's been in college. Now, he's a taller guy, so he can play a little
high. He's got to add more strength if he wants to be a better run defender and be able to actually
anchor against blockers and set the edge, learn how to shed defenders,
get more strong with his upper body so he can shed blocks.
But that's all stuff that he can develop because he's not going to be needed
to be a starter right away.
I just think he would be a perfect fit for the Titans.
The Titans have talked to him a ton in the pre-draft process.
I think Logan Hall is a realistic option at 26 for the Titans.
A guy who's right in that same area in terms of value that I don't think the Titans will be interested in is UConn's Travis
Jones, 6'4", 325 pounds. He is going to be a nose tackle. He's got incredibly strong and he's
incredibly smart with his hands on the interior. He's got a very strong anchor to be that nose
tackle to hold up against double teams and things like that. Now, he's not a great pass rusher at this time, despite being good with his
hands. He doesn't have a great pass rush plan and how to combo moves together. Doesn't have great
burst off the line of scrimmage, which limits his pass rush ability, but he is a pure nose tackle
for you. And again, I don't think that makes sense for the Titans in the early rounds, whether it be
26 or a trade back. Another guy who I'm not counting as a good fit for the Titans is a
Perry on Winfrey. Although he's probably the second best fit out of this group, six foot three,
290 pounds, more of a three technique, five technique guy. I don't think that he's a guy
who's going to be able to play on the edge in a four man front. So that kind of limits him to the
interior, which means he's more of a Jeffrey Simmons type guy,
and the Titans simply don't need to fill that role.
Good burst off the line of scrimmage for Perrion Winfrey.
He's got speed, he's got range, he's got length and strong hands.
Pad level, again, gets a little bit too high.
He needs to be more consistent.
He doesn't play with much discipline gap-wise.
He tends to shoot around and he can get out of position,
but he'll be a guy who gets taken early on day two.
Another guy that I'm interested in is DeMarvin Leal from Texas A&M. 6'3", 283 pounds. I think
he can play anywhere from three technique to five technique to putting his hand in the dirt in a
four-man front. Athletic, very strong, good pass rush moves. He really understands how to use his
body and use his hands to get open. He's a versatile guy, like I said, up and down the line of scrimmage.
Now he was inconsistent.
Didn't play with a hot motor at all times.
Needs to improve his anchor as well and get more strength
so he can hold up against blockers at the NFL level.
Doesn't have much power in his hands.
He's got strength, but not a lot of pop.
You know what I mean?
So I think DeMarvin Leal could make sense for the Titans
if they trade back and acquire an
additional second rounder. Maybe if
the Titans are picking in the 50 to 60
range, but really it's all about Logan
Hall. I think he's just a perfect fit
for the Titans if the board falls in a
nightmare scenario for them to take it
26 and put a strength on a strength.
Danico Autry's in his 30s. Rashad
Weaver's coming off a broken leg.
Replenish the pass rush.
Get more in the pipeline.
Remember, I think that Bud Dupree will be gone after this season.
While Logan Hall isn't a perfect fit for that role,
just adding reinforcements to the pass rush cannot be a bad idea, in my opinion.
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Titans fans, we're going to cap off this Friday edition
of the Locked on Titans podcast
with the off-ball linebacker group in the NFL draft.
I will pose you this question.
Will the Titans draft linebacker at 26? No.
The answer is no. Absolutely not. And we're going to dive into why that's going to be
the case. Before we get into it though, got to thank you guys again for making the Locked
On Titans podcast your first listen every day. I told you guys this before. I'm going
to tell you again. As for your second listen, check out the Locked On NFL
Draft podcast hosted by
analytics guru Ryan Tracy
and former NFL cornerback Eric Crocker.
They're breaking down the NFL Draft Monday
through Friday and subscribe to the YouTube
channel right now and get ready for the live
draft coverage all
three days. The entire NFL Draft
going to have live coverage for you guys
on the Locked On NFL Draft Podcast YouTube channel.
No better place to get draft coverage
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and people who actually cover these teams
on a day-to-day basis.
So make sure that you check out
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but specifically check out the YouTube channel
for the live coverage coming on draft day.
But here's how I want to do this at linebacker.
No, the Titans aren't taking linebacker at 26.
So they're not going to take Devin Lloyd from Utah,
who's a space cadet, man.
He can operate in space, mobile, agile, speedy.
He's long as well.
He's a disciplined guy, really reads running backs, reads quarterbacks, his keys, all that very well.
He's got some issues with missed tackles,
but that can be cleaned up at the next level.
They're not going to take N'Kobe Dean out of Georgia,
who's just an undersized warrior who's incredibly smart out on the field.
Now, he did get a lot of help from Georgia's defense and their defensive line.
Makes him hard to evaluate with him being undersized.
And that fact, he may drop in the Titans range,
but just doesn't make sense with David Long and Zach Cunningham.
And another guy, Quay Walker.
What an athlete out of Georgia.
I mean, 6'4", long, super athletic, great tackler, physical tackler.
Now, he's not quite as violent as you would want to see from a linebacker, 6'4", long, super athletic, great tackler, physical tackler.
Now, he's not quite as violent as you would want to see from a linebacker,
and he can be a little late to recognize certain things,
but I think there's a chance he gets taken over Dean because of his tools, his athleticism, his size, his length.
Just a prototype at linebacker.
More names.
These guys are going to get taken in the second round.
I just don't think are going to be there for the
Titans. Chad Mama
from Wyoming. He's a tackling
machine. Good length.
Plays a little too high. Coming out of
Wyoming, there are competition concerns,
but the Titans don't need that type of
linebacker. They just don't. Same thing
with Troy Anderson from Montana State.
Now, I like Troy Anderson a ton. I think he's awesome, but he's not going to be there for the Titans.
He's going to get picked in the 50s or the 60s, and he just doesn't make sense for the Titans to
go linebacker there. He's got great acceleration. He's a great athlete. Good build on him. Really
high upside as well. Anderson played running back and quarterback and then switched his last season in college to linebacker.
I'm pretty sure I heard today he leads Montana State in career touchdowns.
At least career rushing touchdowns.
So what a versatile guy.
And that's a major upside for a guy who could play linebacker
who's only played linebacker really for one and a half seasons.
Now, there are things he's got to get better at shedding blocks.
He's got to get better at tackling the physical aspects of playing linebacker but it makes sense that maybe you
know it's not the quickest acclimation for him so he's going to get drafted really high Anderson is
very very tantalizing man uh Brian uh Asamoah from Oklahoma he's got great range sideline to
sideline he plays with incredible violence but he is a smaller guy which is why he's got great range, sideline to sideline, he plays with incredible violence, but he is a smaller guy,
which is why he's going to get pushed down the board.
But again, don't think it's an option for the Titans.
Now, who is an option for the Titans, Tyler?
You're going to tell us six guys who aren't.
What about guys that are?
What am I looking for at linebacker?
I'm looking for a late round pick,
169, 204, 219.
Late round pick
that can fill the role the Titans don't have filled.
You have Cunningham and David Long
as your starting linebackers
and David Long is probably going to be
your third down linebacker.
You have Monte Rice
who is your backup run stuffer.
You have Dylan Cole
who is your designated special teams linebacker.
But who is going to be
the backup pass coverage linebacker?
There's no Jayon Brown now. So who is going to fill that role? Well linebacker? There's no Jayon Brown now.
So who is going to fill that role?
Well, here are some guys who I think fit great.
JoJo DeMann, out of Nebraska, 6'1", 239.
He's going to be a sub-package linebacker.
He's got great route recognition, really comfortable dropping into zone coverage
and understanding where he should drop.
He's an athletic guy, of course, with coverage ability.
Doesn't have great length, which is going to make it tough for him
to get guys off his body when they're blocking him,
which is why he's probably going to be a sub-package linebacker,
not a three-down guy.
He plays a little too fast,
which some of these smaller coverage linebackers can do.
He's 25 years old already,
so you're not expecting that he is going to improve in a ton of ways.
He's basically the player that he is, and he's got some medical concerns.
But taking him that late in the draft,
I don't give a damn about the medical concerns.
They're that late, and there's nothing serious medical.
It's just getting nicked up here and there and little things.
So JoJo, I think, would be great as the Titans' fourth linebacker
and special teams player, a guy who could be a pass coverage sub-package linebacker.
Another guy like that is Baylor's Terrell Bernard,
6' tall, 224 pounds, sub-package linebacker,
incredible speed.
He's got great range, sideline to sideline,
coverage instincts.
He really knows where to be in coverage.
And different from JoJo, you get the added plus
that he's a good blitzer, which fits what the Titans want to do on third down blitz in that linebacker up the middle.
He's got incredible character as well. Now he's got injury concerns. All these smaller, leaner,
smaller linebackers seem to have these injury concerns. He's got no special teams experience
as well, which is going to be a critical part to his NFL career going forward. Of course, he's
smaller. He isn't a guy who's good with his hands against blocks like David Long does.
He tries to slip past offensive linemen rather than taking them on with his hands
and shedding blocks and stacking offensive linemen and shedding.
He tries to slip through with his athleticism,
which can cause you to get out of position from time to time.
But again, you're looking for a fourth linebacker late in the draft
who could be a pass coverage backup linebacker.
I think Bernard would be a great fit there.
Now here's a guy who doesn't fit that exactly,
but a big chess piece who could play some off-ball linebacker,
can rush a little bit maybe off the edge, is Mike Rose.
6'4", 245 pounds, so significantly bigger
than most of the guys we're going to talk about here.
He's got great length, really good agility for a guy that size. Versatility to, like I said,
play multiple positions at linebacker. He can even overhang and cover the slot. He's that athletic.
So I think he could be an awesome chess piece for the Titans. You develop his pass rush skills.
You use him as a coverage linebacker and sub packages at first. He's rangy. He can match up
one-on-one against tight ends.
Now, he doesn't have great straight line
speed, even though he's got good agility. He's quicker
than fast. He misses some tackles.
He's not great
against blocks. He's another guy who tries
to slip, not stack. But man,
6'4", 245, with that
agility, that length, and that versatility
to cover the slot in college, it's not
going to be something he's asked to do a ton in the NFL,
but boy, that is tantalizing
for me. Mike Rose could be a
star defender for the Titans
if developed in the right way.
The next guy that I'm going to talk about
here is a guy I'm not as high on. It's Penn State's
Brandon Smith, 6'5",
227 pounds, so another big,
tall guy, sub-package linebacker.
Some people think that he might be an edge rusher at the next level
because he's got the ideal frame and length.
He's big-bodied. He's a fluid mover.
He even covered the slot a little bit at Penn State,
so that's something that his ability in space and his speed in space
could make him a better edge rusher.
He's not a great tackler.
He's not incredibly physical for a guy that size,
not good at shedding blocks,
so he's going to be a sub-package guy early on,
but if you drop him down to edge and make him play more physically,
you might have yourself a decent edge guy,
but I don't think that's a good fit for the Titans personally.
The last guy here is a guy I really like,
and I think they can have him at 204 or 219.
Baylen Spector from Clemson, 6'1", 233 pounds,
another sub-package linebacker with special teams experience.
He's instinctive. He's athletic. He's great in space.
He can cover the seam and run with tight ends down the seam and man cover.
Good play recognition. I mean, he's got all of the intelligence
you want from a linebacker.
I talked about this yesterday.
There are just guys who go beyond traits
and are just smart, physical, tough, reliable football players
and they find a career when some of these traits-y guys who don't have all the intangibles
and all the mental work ethic type things, those guys fall away because they can never get on the same page
as the team with all of those traits.
Well, sometimes it's the hard-working, lunch-pail, blue-collar type players that work.
And Valen Spector is a guy who I think, despite not having great size or length
or playing with good thump right now and good strength,
I think he could be the perfect fourth linebacker to help on special teams
and be that sub-package backup linebacker for the Titans.
So that's a ton of different names at two positions I don't see major needs for at the Titans.
But again, interior defensive line,
if the Titans do it,
it's going to be at 26
or a trade back into the early 30s or early 40s.
If they go linebacker,
it's going to be very late in the draft.
And I think some of these role players
can make a ton of sense for the Titans.
But that's going to do it for me today, folks.
Remember, as I told you,
big interview with ESPN's Matt Miller coming up on Monday.
We're going to round out the college preview with the secondary next week on Tuesday.
Another mock draft Monday on Monday.
I mean, the draft is here, folks, and I am so excited.
Again, that's going to do it for me today, though, folks.
As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.