Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Locked on Titans: Talking draft needs with Justin Melo

Episode Date: April 11, 2018

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Welcome in to another edition of Locked on Titans. I'm Jimmy Morris, joined as always by Terry Lambert. Terry, how are you tonight? Doing well. What's going on, Jimmy? Not a whole lot tonight. We are joined by Justin Mello. You can follow him on Twitter, JustinM underscore NFL. He writes for The DraftWire. You can follow The DraftWire on Twitter, at TheDraftWire. Has a lot of good info there about prospect visits, interviews, all that kind of stuff.

And he also does some stuff for The Titans Wire as well. You've probably seen his work there. Justin, we're happy to have you. How are you? I'm doing well, boys. Appreciate you guys having me on. Yeah, thanks so much for joining us. All right, so before we get started with Justin,

remind you, Terry and I write for MusicCityMiracles.com, thanks so much for joining us. Alright, so before we get started with Justin, remind you, Terry and I write for MusicCityMiracles.com, covering the Titans for SB Nation. So you can check out our work there. You can follow us on Twitter. I'm at jmoresmcm. Terry is at tlambertfb. The podcast account is at LockedOnTitans. And you can subscribe

to the podcast, LockedOnTitans, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, wherever you get your podcasts, you can find us there. All right, so to start tonight, we will just kind of, Justin will ask you kind of your overall impressions of the Titans offseason, obviously the two big signings of Malcolm Butler and Deion Lewis. What did you think of those two signings?

I loved both of them. I thought they were two great additions you know starting with deon you're getting a guy who's got a very different skill set than a derrick henry i think you're getting the guy who matt lafleur is going to really enjoy using in his offense as he instills uh his scheme and the dna really of this football team you get a guy who's going to catch a lot of passes in this offense. You know, LaFleur, obviously, last year, Todd Gurley caught a lot more balls than he had ever caught before. So I think Lewis is going to really, really help them out a lot,

keep defenses honest, keep them on their toes. Really not sure what the team's going to be doing when he's in the game, and that's obviously a good thing. Looking at Malcolm Butler, you know, this is obviously a passing lead. Two league two very good corners in my opinion in Adoree Jackson and Logan Ryan to me Malcolm Butler comes in and kind of completes that trifecta you know the nickel corner isn't the same as it used to be it's really you know back then we used to think of it as a bit of a you know a position that would have to come in off the bench nowadays it's really a starting position teams are in those three receiver sets more than anything on offense.

So getting a guy like Malcolm Butler, who gives them a very good trio of corners, you know, kind of had a little uncertainty in that area over the last few years. Well, Sean Sims has kind of been up and down, shown some promise, but he's gone through some really rough patches. Obviously, guys like, you know, Bryce McCain and Palantino Blake

were never the answer, and they unfortunately got a lot of play time over the past couple of years at that spot. So I think those are two fantastic additions, and they're really, really going to improve the team this season. We forgot to hit the little piece of news. We just tightened sign Michael Campanaro before we came on. So, you know, surely they're not done adding to that receiver room.

What's kind of your take on the receiver room right now? It's really young. You've only got really one experienced guy. Are you surprised they didn't add any more veterans than they have? And can you add another rookie into that already very young mix? Yeah, I'm a little surprised that they didn't add a veteran, to be honest with you. I thought maybe they would have shown a little more interest in bringing Eric Decker back. I can understand why they didn't.

Obviously, Keaton didn't go as well as anyone had hoped. I thought they might have thrown their name in the hat for Jeremy Macklin. I mean, he's still a free agent, so I'm not sure what's going on there. We know that they visited with Jordan Matthews. I thought that would have been an excellent fit for both parties. But on the flip side, can't blame Matthews for choosing New England and wanting to go play for Brady. I do think it's a young room, as you said.

I do think they may decide to add a rookie there. I don't think that will come in the form of an early pick, maybe a guy on day three. They have worked out a lot of interesting receivers, more of a day three variety than anything. I really do wish they would have brought in a veteran to this group, to be honest with you, but that doesn't look like it's going to be the case at this point. And a guy like Camp, who they signed today, I think you're getting a guy who can play out of the slot, maybe contend with Tywon Taylor for some snaps. They're obviously more of a veteran guy who may adjust the playbook a little quicker. Also a guy who's really good on special teams,

can maybe give Aguri a break once in a while on kick and punt returns, and also a guy that can play the gutter position as well. So I think they're getting a good overall versatile guy in camp, but I do wish they would have gone with a receiver that could have maybe added a little more skill to the group. All right, so all of that being said, obviously the draft's coming up here in a couple of weeks. What do you see as maybe the Titans' top three needs? I mean, I think we all agree that edge rusher is the biggest need.

Maybe you can talk a little bit about that and then talk about kind of what you see as needs, you know, two, three, and four or whatever behind that. Yeah, I would definitely agree that edge is the number one need on the roster right now. I've been saying that for a few months now, and I maintain that position on there. You know, I still really like both Brian Arakpo and Derek Morgan,

but, you know, neither of them are getting any younger. I think Arakpo is entering his age 32 season. I believe Morgan will be 29 by the time this season kicks off. I think there's a need to start planning for the future there, get younger, get a little bit more athletic, and it's a really good time to add a young edge rusher to that

group, as they won't be relied on too heavily in their rookie season. They can kind of bring them along slowly, work behind the veterans that they have, and really just kind of use their rookie year to really learn and understand the game, obviously, as they get up to speed with playing at the NFL level. Second, and I think the Titans would probably agree, obviously, we don't know exactly what they're thinking right now, but when you look at some of the moves John Robinson has made this offseason,

he's done an excellent job adding depth to a lot of positions of need. You know, we just talked about adding camp today in the receiver room. Added Benny Logan to nose tackle just the other day. So he's really, you know, added Will Compton to the linebacker group. So I really think he's done a great job adding depth at multiple positions of need and put himself in a bit of a position where no one position is a must draft at 25. So I think that's great, but what's one position they haven't really added to? And that's the edge position. That has me feeling and thinking that they're probably leaning that way

with the 25th overall pick. Now, if I'm looking at a second need or the second need on the roster, I'm still going with the inside linebacker position, even with the addition of Compton. You know, he's a guy, you know, gritty player, two-down bumper. They have Jayon Brown, who obviously, you know, was really good last year, but more of a pass coverage guy, not really a proven three-down backer. So I still think the inside linebacker position could be one of need.

You know, it doesn't sound like Leighton Van Der Esch is going to be there at 25. I think that's a guy they would be very excited to add. But, you know, all signs point to him being off the board by the time the 25th pick comes around. Still think they might consider a guy like Rashawn Evans. And there's a lot of talent in that linebacker later on in the draft rounds, two, three, and four. If I was going with a third need, I'd still say the defensive line. Having released Carl Klug and Sly Williams this offseason, there are a little bit, you know, not a lot of bodies in that room right now.

Obviously missed out on Sue, losing out on Sue's sweepstakes for the Rams. I do think they could really use a nose tackle, even though they've added Benny Logan to that group. I really think that could be an area they look to address on maybe day two. Completely agree with your top three needs there. But a guy that obviously doesn't agree with those needs is Todd McShay. He had the Titans going with Connor Williams, offensive lineman from Texas who was a tackle

and might shift to guard at the next level. Talk to me about this offensive line. Is it crazy to think that the Titans could add another offensive lineman with that first-round pick? I kind of think it is considering you've got all five coming back in addition to a couple more depth pieces. Yeah, I wouldn't rule it out completely, but I think it's highly unlikely. They obviously gave Josh Klein a relatively large contract.

They decided to bring back Stain on a one-year deal. He signed his tender. They also added some depth, as you mentioned, Kevin Panfield, and they got that guard from houston as well so i i think i think they're set up very nicely there right now when you're looking you know as you said the five starters are coming back you've got some depth pieces dennis kelly still in the mix might have to start the first game or two at right tackle if robert can't recover in time so i do think it's relatively unlikely the only reason i wouldn't

rule it completely out is they didn't play that well last year. You know, the interior had a lot of issues. And I think that maybe had a lot to do with how predictable the offense was. Obviously, you know, Terry Robiskie's team got quite stale. They couldn't run the ball as the year went on. It was very, very predictable. Guys like Ben Jones really struggled. But he was also, you know, playing through an injury, the majority of the team. So I do think it's very, very predictable. Guys like Ben Jones really struggled, but he was also playing through an injury, the majority of the

team. So I do think it's very, very unlikely, but I think they'll like guys like Isaiah Wynn or Will Hernandez or even James Daniels. I think those are three guys they'll probably like. I like them very much. I think they're excellent

players, and I think they're all worthy of first-round picks, and I think they're all worthy of first-round picks. And I think maybe if the Titans pop three or four targets on defense is off the board at 25, then they may find themselves in a best-player-available scenario, and it could be one of those three. But I would agree that it's rather clearly unlikely. All right, coming up, we will get a little bit more into some specific players that the Titans could be considering at 25. All right, so again, we're joined by Justin Mello at JustinM underscore NFL on Twitter.

Follow him there. A ton of good work there. He writes for the DraftWire at the DraftWire on Twitter. You can follow that site. wire at the draft wire on twitter you can follow that site um all right so i was looking at something you did last week a week before uh for the titans an edge rusher in every round of the draft which i thought was really cool and just kind of gives us an idea of the type of players that could be available as the draft rolls on uh you had the Titans taking Josh Sweat, which has become a pretty popular name around here for 25.

A guy that we ask everybody that we have on, because we're just a little bit confused, is Harold Landry. He's a guy that, to me, looks like a no-brainer to be a top 15 pick. Edge rushers are at a premium. Those guys are hard to find.

They always get pushed up draft boards. I understand the injury concerns and all of that. But then when you look at, like, Todd McShay's mock draft that we already referenced earlier, he went, you know, like halfway in the second round. So is there something that we're missing? I mean, do you see a scenario where Landry is still on the board at 25? And are you like us? If the Titans are on the board at 25, and are you like us? If the Titans are on the clock at 25, he's there.

Do you not spread up there and turn the card in? If I'm the Titans and he's on the board at 25, I would absolutely spread to the podium to turn the card in. I mean, I think this is a guy, you know, a few guys had a better combine, first of all. Ran the 40-yard dash in 4.64 seconds. You know, 36-inch vertical, three-comb time of 6.88. Very, very impressive.

In my opinion, he's as explosive as any pass rusher in this class. He was obviously hurt in 2017. Ankle injury bothered him all year. Saw his production take a significant dip from 2016, where he posted 16.5 sacks. He's a guy I actually interviewed before he posted 16 and a half sacks uh he's a guy i actually interviewed before um he kicked off this past season in my interview and i got this great quote i like to tell everyone i can what he said because it really grabbed me he said i wish there

was a way for me to bend as low to the ground as motorcycles do when the rider's knee turns the corner i mean if that's not the sound of a pass rusher, I don't know what is. To answer the second part of your question, is there a scenario where I can see him dropping? Absolutely, and I'll tell you why. While I don't agree with, you know, I don't think that he should drop, but I think that he might. When I interviewed him last year, he's coming off a season

where he put up 16 1⁄2 sacks. I asked him about the, he's coming off a season where he put up 16.5 sacks. I asked him about the decision to return to school, and I asked him if he had received a grade from the draft advisory board, and he said to me that 3-4 teams were significantly higher on him than 4-3 teams. The 4-3 teams had him graded in the third round. That was mind-blowing to me. I really could not believe that, but that's what he said to me. There's no reason to believe he wasn't telling the truth.

I don't know why anyone would admit that if it wasn't true. So if that was the case, where he was coming off a 16.5-sack season, and apparently some teams had him graded in the second or third round, well, what do they think now that he was hurt all year and only had five sacks in 2017? I still ultimately think he'll be selected relatively early, but the fact that that was the case last year really blew me away, and it tells me that a draft day slide is very possible for him. That's an interesting tidbit there.

That's one we haven't heard. So, yeah, I still think he's going to be gone like you mentioned. If Chubb, Davenport, and Landry are all off the board like we all think they will be, who's that next guy for John Robinson to take a stab at at 25 in terms of pass rusher? For me, it is Josh Sweat, as you mentioned. It's becoming a very popular name right now, and with good reason. This is a guy, when I put the tape on, you know, first things first, very good get-off, very quick off the snap.

You know, and to me, that's probably the most important trait for an edge rusher. It's not the only part of his game that I enjoyed. A surprising amount of strength in his hands. Very, very good with his hands. Went to the combine, tested completely out of the gym. You know, finished first or second place in a number of categories among all edge rushers that participated in Indianapolis. Now, I'm still trying to wrap, you know, like many people, I'm still trying to wrap my head around why FSU played him so much at the 4-5 tech position. It's very clear that his best

came when he was playing that wide 9 spot. Really don't understand that decision making, you know, playing in that scheme really limited the amount of splash plays he made. That's part of the reason I think there isn't a ton of excitement around him right now. When I look at the measurements, something jumped out at me. I really thought, it's funny, I really, really thought of Daniel Hunter. Daniel Hunter is a guy who at LSU had four and a half sacks in three seasons. In the NFL, he's got 25 and a half sacks through the same amount of time,

three seasons. Now, that's obviously a significant difference, and it might be an outlier. It's really a comparison that I thought of, and interestingly enough, you know, I had no idea how they measured side by side. When I Googled Daniel Hunter, this is what I came up with after. Josh Sweat, 6'5", 251 pounds. Daniel Hunter, 6'5", 252 pounds. Both have 34-inch arms.

Both have 10-inch hands. Hunter ran the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds. 4.57 seconds, excuse me. Sweat ran it in 4.53. Those are awfully, awfully similar numbers. And just like Hunter, Sweat strikes me as the kind of guy who's going to be a much better pro than he was collegiate player. All right, and then last question as far as these edge guys are concerned.

Sam Hubbard is a guy that makes a lot of sense connecting the dots, Ohio State, Mike Vrabel, the Titans, all that stuff. Seems to be a guy now that is more likely a second-round pick than a first-round pick, kind of early in the mock draft process, if you want to call it that. It was a popular pick for people to give him to the Titans in the first round. So, I mean, I think at this point he's definitely a second-round guy. What do you think of Hubbard,

and is he a guy that can come in and make an impact from day one? I do think he can come in and make an impact right away because he's a very smart player. This is a guy who I have pegged. He's a really well rounded prospect. When you put the tape on, he's someone who can both rush

the quarterback and stuff the run. He's equally as effective in both areas. Non-stop motor, always in pursuit of the ball carrier. At the combine, I think we were all a little surprised with his three-cone time of 6.84 seconds. I didn't quite see

that athlete on tape. What I see is more of a savvy technician. But at the end of the day, he's someone who I think is a highly talented, versatile player. Very, very smart snap awareness is off the charts and you know outside of connecting the dots with a brable in ohio state i think he's someone who's going to make a very good impression on both mike brable and john robinson as someone who's a very hard worker again because this is a really high football

iq uh you know he's someone who as said, I think he's more of a savvy technician than he is an exciting athlete, and that's maybe why we're not seeing as much excitement and buzz surrounding his name. But he's someone who, at the end of the day, I think is going to be a very, very good football player. And I do think that he's someone they might consider at 25. I know a lot of people have him pegged as a second-round pick,

but I think if Sweat is up the board and they still want to go edge, which they really should feel like, Hubbard is a guy who I think makes a lot of sense. All right, good deal. So that will do it for tonight with Justin Mello. Again, man, we really appreciate you joining us. We are going to have Justin on again tomorrow night to talk about

some specific guys that the Titans have been connected to as far as visits go. So again, you can follow Justin on Twitter at JustinM underscore NFL and follow The DraftWire at The DraftWire on Twitter. Again, Justin, thanks so much for taking the time tonight.

Oh, pleasure. Thanks for having me on, guys. All right, so like I said, that'll do it for this edition of Locked on Titans. Again, you can follow us on Twitter. I'm at jmorrismcm. Terry's at tlambertfb. Podcast account at Locked on Titans. And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so you'll get the episodes as soon as they become available,

iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, wherever you get that. And so you'll catch tomorrow episodes as soon as they become available itunes spotify stitcher wherever you get that and so you'll catch tomorrow's episode with justin as well so for terry and justin this is jimmy saying thanks for listening we will talk to you again tomorrow