Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Mock Draft Monday - Players Linked to Titans, Prospect Debate & Monday Mailbag

Episode Date: February 22, 2021

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You are Locked On Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked On Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, Titans fans. This Monday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast is presented by Bilt Bar. Go to BiltBar.com, use promo code LOCKEDON, that's one word, LOCKEDON, and you'll get 20% off your next order. On today's Monday show, we are going to dive into a few mock drafts. That's right, you guys know how I love alliteration, and we

are getting a double dose today. We're going to do Mock Draft Monday. Going to go over five really popular mock drafts that I have been reading or been checking out over the last few days to a week. Going to talk about what the selections are for the Titans for these different mock drafts. I'm going to give you my take on whether they make sense, whether I disagree, and then ultimately we are going to have a discussion about two different players that seem to come up quite a bit. So ready to dive into all of those different mock drafts on this Mock Draft Monday. And then we will finish off the show by diving into the mailbag once again.

That's right. I have a ton, a ton of your guys' questions to go over. So I'm going to make sure that I answer those, give you guys a shout out there in our last segment. If you guys ever want to send me your mailbag questions, feel free to tag me on Twitter at TicTacTitans. You can also put any of your questions in as a review on Apple iTunes, and of course, five stars is preferred. Also, please subscribe to the Locked on Titans podcast on whatever platform you do stream.

I will be bringing you guys Monday through Friday Tennessee Titans content throughout the entire year. But with that being said, it is time to dive into this Mock Draft Monday and this Mailbag Monday. Let's get it. It is Mock Draft Monday. We are going to take a look at a few mock drafts from around the NFL and see what some of these pundits are projecting for the Tennessee Titans. And actually going through all of these different mock drafts is going to create a discussion for us organically. And then we will have that small debate, me versus myself versus I, talking about these

different guys that keep getting projected to the Titans. And it probably won't shock you guys, but we will discuss. And I'd be interested to hear what you guys have to say about this battle between these two names. So we'll talk more about that in just a moment, but let's dive into these mock drafts. The number one mock draft that I want to dive into is from a guy that is highly respected. He may very well be the most highly respected draft analyst in the NFL cognoscente at this moment in time. And it is Daniel Jeremiah from the NFL Network.

So he just released a mock draft here. And with the 22nd overall pick, Daniel Jeremiah has the Tennessee Titans selecting Jalen Phillips. Edge rusher out of Miami. He's a redshirt junior, but this is what Daniel Jeremiah had to say. The Titans are desperate for pass rush help. Phillips is the most naturally gifted edge rusher in the draft. I agree with Daniel Jeremiah there. It's absolutely the case. Now, Phillips does need some more refinement. He needs to kind of hone his skills. It's like a, I hate to make all these nerd comparisons for you, but it's like a superhero who just got their powers and things are a little fuzzy for them.

It's difficult for them to really focus in and figure out exactly how to use all of their skills. Well, that's kind of where Jalen Phillips is. He's a young, budding superhero, quite frankly, on the outside edge. He's got length at 6'5". He's got prototypical size, great athleticism. He shows incredible flashes of technique as well. He does have a pretty good assortment of pass rush moves already. Like I said, it all just needs refined. It needs honed in.

He needs to just kind of focus in and learn what works when, I guess, is what he really has to put together. And that comes with experience. That comes with coaching. But that's why Jalen Phillips is such a tantalizing prospect. Now, with all of that being said, do guys like that end up falling to the 22nd pick? I know that there's a lot of good wide receivers. There's a lot of good offensive tackles. There's a lot of quarterbacks to consider, but I just have a hard time believing that an edge rusher of that quality with that talent and

that upside, but also the ready-made technique is going to fall to the Titans at 22. I'm going to be ever optimistic, obviously, but with how high everyone seems to be on Jalen Phillips, I just don't know how that would happen. Now, I will discuss something a little later on when we do our debate time that will maybe make it more possible for the Titans to land somebody like Jalen Phillips, despite my skepticism of him being there at number 22. The second mock draft that we are going to go into here is from Brentley Weissman over at the Draft Network.

I love the Draft Network. Our guy from Locked On Bills, Joe Marino, obviously heading things up over there. They have some excellent content. I always tell people to go check that out. It's a great resource for draft information. I watch as much as I can. I dive into all the different scouting reports, but a lot of the time, the draft network is very helpful for me to kind of plug in the places that maybe I didn't see. Maybe some guys who I haven't had time to get around to, but I want to make sure I discuss with you guys. So make sure you're taking advantage of that as well. But as for the mock draft,

guys, so make sure you're taking advantage of that as well. But as for the mock draft, Brentley Weissman had the Tennessee Titans going with Jalen Phillips. So this is what Weissman had to say about the pick, though. Quote, Tennessee was hoping that Jadavion Clowney would come in and provide some much-needed help in sacking the quarterback. Unfortunately, Clowney didn't live up to the expectations, and the Titans' pass rush wasn't as formidable as it had been in years past. Phillips would be a home run here

because of his talent, physical traits, perspective. He is only behind Gregory Russo as far as edge rushers are concerned. Adding Phillips to the front that already consists of Jeffrey Simmons and Harold Landry would make for a very disruptive defensive line. I agree with everything that Wiseman had to say there. It was unfortunate that Clowney wasn't able to live up to expectations, and he was injured after eight games, but I do think the Titans have some talent on the defensive line with Landry and with Simmons, and you add a young guy here like Phillips, I think it makes a lot of sense. But again, my skepticism of whether or not he will be there on the board. And as for the name of Gregory Russo, I really like Russo,

but again, it's going to be interesting whether he is available. But between the two, I might lean Jalen Phillips. But it is going to depend what the Titans do in free agency to kind of sway my opinion. Now, I did want to talk about this last mock draft here before we go into our second segment, and it comes from Pro Football Focus, and it actually was a mock draft done on YouTube, so I don't have the blurb to read to you guys, but it injects a new name into our conversation, an interesting one. Pro Football Focus had the Tennessee Titans selecting Aziz Ujulare from

Georgia. So with Aziz Ujulare, he's a little bit smaller than Jalen Phillips. He's six foot three, not quite as long, but he plays with an incredible edge. He plays with great motor. He's always going to hustle. He's going to try to outwork his opponent. And through that hustle and through that grit, he's able to get himself to the quarterback over and over and over again. Now, he had one year of big-time success, so you always got to factor that in, but he's also a young guy, so I would rather have somebody who I have to tell him, hey, calm down, calm it down, than have to get somebody who you got to charge them up and get them excited

to play football. So a guy like Aziz Ujulari without having the raw, natural talent of a guy like Jalen Phillips, a lot of times in the sport of football, having that effort, having that drive, that never give up, especially in the pass rush, to just never give up on the play, that can turn you into a longtime veteran in the NFL. So it'll be interesting to see what the Titans do if both those guys were on the board.

But we're going to continue looking at some other mock drafts. We are going to go into a little bit of a debate of two common prospects. And then, of course, we do have the Monday mailbag at the end of the show. But before we continue, I do want to tell you guys about our friends over at betonline.ag. The NFL season may be over, but there are still NBA, college basketball, NHL, MLBs right around the corner. BetOnline is the fastest and easiest way to place all of your bets on any of the sports action.

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promo code LOCKEDON. That's one word, promo code LOCKEDON for a 50% welcome bonus on your first deposit when you sign up at BetOnline.ag. BetOnline, your online sportsbook experts. We are going to continue this Mock Draft Monday here on the Locked on Titans podcast. Got a few more Mock Drafts I want to go over with you guys before we get into our impromptu prospect debate. And then, of course, at the end of today's show,

we will have the Monday Mailbag, where I will be answering your guys' questions here on the show. But the next mock draft that I do want to dive into comes from ESPN's Todd McShay. Now, I do want to mention that in this mock draft, there are a lot of edge rushers that go off the board before the Titans. We have Jalen Phillips going at number 18.

We had Gregory Russo going at 16. You had Quiddie Paye going at number 21. So the fourth edge rusher off the board goes to the Titans, and it is a name that we just discussed, Aziz Ujulari from Georgia. So this is what McShay had to say about the pick. Quote, Tennessee had 13 sacks through 15 games before getting four in a week 17 matchup with the dreadful Houston Texans line.

Don't let the five sacks and the AFC wildcard playoffs fool you either. Edge rushing is by far the biggest problem for the Titans, especially after one year deals with Jadavian Clowney and Vic Beasley didn't work out. Ujolari is certainly a start after the Titans suffered a net decline of 24 sacks from 2019 to 2020. I love his first step quickness and dip and rip move coming around the corner, end quote.

So Ujolari makes a lot of sense there. The Titans really need pass rushing help. As we all know, I think that's the big takeaway from McShay's little blurb right here is just how dire the need is for pass rushing help for the Titans. So even if it's the fourth edge rusher off the board in Ujulari, I would still support that move. Now the next mock draft that we are going to get into comes from Vinny Iyer from Sporting News.

And we're keeping tally here, guys. It's now 3-2. Iyer has the Titans taking Aziz Ujulari. And this is what he had to say. Quote, the Titans' pass rush was a bugaboo and it cost them in front of their weak pass defense in the end with Jadavion Clowney not providing enough late free agency answers Ujolari has jumped into the first round consideration because he's a unique

pass rusher who can fit a variety of schemes and alignments and has potential in both stopping the run and in coverage Mike Vrabel and Shane Bowen would love his style of play. Here's what I have to say about that. Okay, it's great that he can stop the run. It's great that he can help in coverage too, but dang it, the Titans need pass rush. I don't want to hear about any of that. Okay, great, he can do it, but I don't want Shane Bowen and Mike Vrabel being like, oh, he's so versatile, we can do all this. You know what happens when they think like that? You get Harold Landry dropping into coverage 120 times, his career high in a season. Okay, so I don't want Mike Vrabel and Shane Bowen to look at this guy as a versatile threat.

I want them to look at him as a pass rusher. Get after the quarterback. Okay, at the end of the day, that's what it comes down to. We're going to check out one more mock draft. I thought it was pretty funny. I had to throw it in. I like Pro Football Network. I'm not a hater, okay? I like Pro Football Network, but Ian Cummings had a three-round mock draft. I'm just talking about first-round picks right now. We'll get into some mock draft Mondays in the future where we look at some multi-round mock drafts. I'm even going to do some myself, but I had to throw this in, guys.

He had the Titans taking Tevin Jenkins' offensive tackle out of Oklahoma State. Okay, no, no, no, no, no. All right. Listen, I'm going to let Cummings, I'm going to let him speak his piece. This is what he had to say. It's a pretty long blurb, actually, but this is what he had to say. Quote, it's incredibly tempting to pick an edge rusher here, but the recent news regarding 2020 first round pick Isaiah Wilson demands attention. Recently, Titans general manager John Robinson said that Wilson was not the same player we evaluated during the 2020 season. Robinson then said that Wilson will have to make a determination on whether he wants to play pro

football. This comes after a rookie season in which Wilson violated protocols twice and was charged with DUI. There's always a chance that Wilson and the Titans smooth things over, yet just one year into his career, that's not how you want a general manager to talk about a player. If Tennessee ends the Wilson experiment early, they'll need a new starter at right tackle on the offensive line. One player who'd be comfortable in that position early is Oklahoma tackle Tevin Jenkins. This might be a bit high for Jenkins, but he's been getting first-round buzz recently. Jenkins is a powerful physical blocker who's hard to move, and he'd fit what the Titans are looking for in their linemen.

End quote. No. No. No. Look at this. This might be a bit high for Jenkins. We're not doing this again. We're not taking an offensive tackle who's a mid-rounder

who we're just trying to take early to bank on the upside here. And this sounds like somebody who doesn't really understand how Dennis Kelly just was solid. The Titans want to restock the offensive line. I think that tackle could be something that's taken in the first three rounds. The Titans should have two third round picks, but there's no way, there's no way the Titans take back-to-back first round picks on offensive tackles who aren't going to start. No, no, that's not happening. So I had to throw that in just to give me an opportunity to completely squash that idea at its base. But outside of that, every single pick was Ujolari or it was Jalen Phillips. And I just want to talk about it base. But outside of that, every single pick was Ujolari or it was

Jalen Phillips. And I just want to talk about it quickly. So like I mentioned, Jalen Phillips is that stud, that superhero, all the raw talent in the world, shows flashes of great technique. He's got length, he's got size, he's got athleticism, burst, explosiveness, everything you want. He just needs to refine things. That's really what it comes down to. Ogilari doesn't have the length. He doesn't have the explosiveness necessarily of Jalen Phillips, the top end athleticism. He definitely doesn't have the arm length. He doesn't have the refinement in his pass rush moves, but he's got a go-to move as McShay talked about, the dip and rip. He's also got incredible effort and he's got a good first step, even if the explosiveness that comes after isn't necessarily up to par with Phillips.

So for me, there's differences in the player. Now, I don't see Phillips as a guy who's dropping back into coverage, but he was solid against the run in college. So again, like I mentioned just a second ago, the pass coverage ability is great and all, but man, we need guys who can get to the quarterback. So to me, this isn't really a debate. If Jalen Phillips is on the board, the Titans are taking him.

He's the better prospect. But I would not be upset with Ojolari either, as I do kind of comp him to a Yannick Ngakwe. He has that rip and dip. If he can add maybe one more move, add a counter, continue to play with effort and refine that technique as well, he could really be something special because you have that base effort there and that's a good place to start. But for me, if I'm the Titans, effort's great. I love guys that play hard, but right now they need a stud. They need somebody who can help right away. And I think that Jalen Phillips would be more in that mold right now of what the Titans

need right now. And that's just somebody who gets into the backfield and stops the quarterback. So that's how I feel about those two guys. I would take Jalen Phillips if I had my choice, but I still like Ogilari as an option for the Titans at 22. We are going to get into the Monday mailbag next. Before we do, I want to tell you guys about a new podcast from the Locked On Podcast Network, and that is Locked On Today. Right now, we're

covering everything you need to know about the Titans, but what about the rest of the sports world? Check out the Locked On Podcast Network's new podcast, Locked On Today. All of your sports news every single morning in under 20 minutes. Make sure that you subscribe to the Locked On Today podcast wherever you get podcasts. Also, I want to tell you guys about our title sponsor today, the best tasting protein bar of all time, and that is our friends over at Built Bar. They got the 16 amazing flavors that you can choose from.

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So make sure that you go to builtbar.com right now. Use promo code LOCKEDON. You'll get 20% off your next order. Once again, use promo code LOCKEDON you'll get 20% off your next order once again use promo code LOCKEDON for 20% off at BiltBar.com it is time for the Monday mailbag and thank you guys so much. I kind of just slipped my mind to put up the mailbag post. And I put it up on Sunday afternoon.

And I was kind of concerned that maybe I didn't give you guys enough time. And based on traffic and algorithms and all this on, you know, when there's the most engagement on Twitter and things like that. I didn't think I necessarily put you guys in a great spot to give me a lot of questions, but a ton of questions to get to, as a matter of fact. So thank you guys very much. I appreciate that. Like I said at the beginning of the show, you want to send in your question, have me

answer it and give you a shout out on the show, on the Monday Mailbag segment. Give me a five-star review or, you know, I guess if you want to give me less than that, you could do that. But man, you know, free podcast, pretty solid, in my opinion, five-star review. Leave your question there. I will answer that. And then obviously, if you tag me on Twitter at TicTacTitans, I'll make sure to bookmark your question and get to it. But number one, got a question from Franco, my boy Franco on Twitter. He said, if the Titans miss on Watt, can they risk going after another injury prone, high priced free agent like Von Miller? Okay. First off, what we have to realize is Von Miller is in a totally different class than Jadavian Clowney or Vic Beasley. So yes, I think that the Titans would be smart. Now, I don't think it should

be a long-term commitment based on some of the legal troubles that Von Miller's been rumored to have, based on injury history that he's had. I don't think you could give him a long-term commitment. But if the Titans miss out on what? If they want to give $15 million to Von Miller and he's healthy and he can go? Yeah, yeah. The Titans haven't had that quality of edge rusher in a very long time, and Von Miller's a Hall of Famer,

and even if he's a little long in the tooth at this moment in time, we're talking about the Titans whiffing on their top options. So, of course, I would have Von Miller as an option as a fallback plan. I think that would be fine if he would entertain it. The next question comes from Slappy. What up, Slappy? I've been studying more pass rush to try to understand just why the Titans can't do it. Guys like Joey, Nick Bosa have phenomenal hands.

Excellent swipe move. That seems more technique as opposed to athleticism. Other than Roberson, why don't the Titans have good hands? Coaching? Okay, this is a good point. This is a very good point, Slappy. You did a great job identifying that. Yes, hand technique. The Titans edge rushers don't have a lot of go-to moves. Landry has his dip and rip underneath, and that's really all he has at this moment in time to go to. I think Simmons didn't progress as well as I wanted in his hand fighting skills in the pass rush. And that's why he has a little bit of a problem getting people off his body. Now he can power through people with a bull rush, but at some time you need to be able

to use hands and use quickness and that explosiveness that he was drafted for to also get to the quarterback. So in my opinion, I think Jeffrey Simmons and Harold Landry and some of the other options that they have had, they definitely need to improve their technique. And of course, that's coaching. If Shane Bowen did a terrible job last year calling the defense, then it can't be a surprise to any of us

that some of the pass rush problems that he's had or that the Titans have had come from him as well. But I also do want to say, I mean, look at the edge rush group the last few years. The Titans got Cam Wake. That didn't work out. He was injured. Beasley was a bum. That's on John Robinson.

Clowney, I thought, was okay. It's not like Clowney not getting sacks is Bowen's fault. He didn't develop him most of his career. But Clowney got hurt. So other than that, I mean, they had Tazar Skipper out there. They had Wyatt Ray out there, Brooks Reed out there. I mean, what's Shane Bowen supposed to do with some of those guys? But the better players, Simmons and Landry, I haven't seen progression from them in their pass rushing. Now,

in fairness to Bowen, he's not really responsible for Jeffrey Simmons. That's not really his defensive line. Isn't his area of expertise. but with the outside linebackers it's definitely worth noting that Harold Landry hasn't really progressed a lot in his pass rushing technique he's still got that one move that he wins with and and everything else is effort based so um that that's what I'm seeing yes coaching has to be the the biggest blame for hand usage and then John Robinson a close second with not putting enough talent out there as well next we have a question from David H gotta run through these a little bit quicker you guys and then John Robinson a close second with not putting enough talent out there as well. Next, we have a question from David H. Got to run through these a little bit quicker.

You guys know I'm long-winded. So David H. said, I think you alluded to this in an episode, but do you think a better pass rush solves a huge portion of the issues on defense, which is a bigger issue in your opinion, pass rush or coverage? Yes, I have talked about this before, but I think it's a good thing to hit home especially with all these moves the Titans have to make here in the next month two months I think pass rush is by far more important than coverage yes if you have dynamic coverage then that's going to help out everybody else but I think it's just much more likely to be able to put guys in a position to get to the quarterback within two to three seconds than it is to have guys cover for four to five seconds. So to me, the great equalizer in football, all these offenses, all time quarterback has been the most valuable position, the most all-encompassing position that can literally change the team.

The great equalizer to great quarterback play is pass rush. It's not great coverage. It's pass rush. So to me, pass rush is much more valuable. Edge rushers are more important to me, or an Aaron Donald is more important to me than any cornerback in the NFL because it's just hard to cover. And even the best cornerback in the world is going to have a hard time covering

an NFL wide receiver for four to five seconds so that that's how I feel about that next Alberto he said uh what would be the perfect plan to turn around or turn around the defense into top 10 well that would take a while but first I want four pass rushers I I would like a mixture. I would like at least two, maybe even three speed outside edge rushers. I would like two interior edge rushers that can play that Jack Crawford elephant role. I want two in free agency. An expensive one or a decently priced one, $10 to $15 million. I want one as a bargain bin guy, anywhere from $3 to $6 million. I want a high-end draft pick on the edge, whether that be in the early second round with a trade-up or with the first round pick.

And I also want a late-round edge rusher. So to me, that's where you start. After that, you make sure that you keep Malcolm Butler. You sign a veteran cornerback who's not a toast like Jonathan Joseph to play on the other outside. You cut probably Adoree Jackson, one of the other cornerbacks, Adoree or Malcolm, whoever you want it to be, make up that decision right now and then make my plan into that. But you cut one of the starting cornerbacks to save $10 million.

You spread that money out. I think the Titans, based on the comments, you bring Jayon Brown back and you commit more to David Long playing over Rashawn Evans and you start focusing Rashawn Evans as an edge rusher and as a kind of a movable piece as well. So those are the things that I would consider first. I'd like to maybe draft a safety as well. And then I would also like to draft an interior defensive lineman like a Laurel Murchison type you know at late in the in the draft fifth sixth round get another depth defensive lineman and see what the Titans can do but they have had success with undrafted

free agents at that position so maybe maybe that's a route John Robinson will go now that he's had some hits a couple years in a row continuing Continuing to go forward with the questions, though, we have Varney Vale. He says, can you go over your fandom outside of the Titans? I think you said you are a Lakers fan. What about MLB, NHL, soccer, UFC, WNBA, esports? Okay, so I obviously love the Titans, love the Lakers. Those are my top two, uh, MLB Cincinnati Reds fan. I'm actually named after Pete Rose's second son. I was born during a red spring

training game. Uh, I've always been a big Reds fan, but I'm just pissed at them as a franchise and the way that they've operated. It's funny. I broke my leg, uh, earlier in my life when I was younger and I went to the Cincinnati Reds game five against the San Francisco Giants in Cincinnati in a wheelchair because of how dedicated I was to the Cincinnati Reds. It was like 2012 or something like that, so I was in a wheelchair at the game. The Reds won two games in San Francisco in the first round of the playoffs, came home to Cincinnati, and lost all three games in a row, and I was there for game five so um not only that but they just trade all the good players ah man it's frustrating but baseball has really

dipped from my radar as it has nationally quite frankly um as for NHL and soccer I I used to be a big Chelsea fan when I was in college but I kind of quit following international soccer like that once I got out of college. I enjoy both sports. I love watching the big games, the best teams, especially love NHL playoffs, but I wouldn't say that I necessarily have a team that I root for. I guess I want the Preds and the Blue Jackets to do well. As a lot of you guys know, I'm from Ohio, but also I have an interest in Nashville sports, so if I had to pick two teams to do well, both of them. The only team that I don't want to do well is the Tampa Bay Lightning because I had a former co-worker who liked them. Screw the Lightning.

Anyways, WNBA. Can't really say. I have a favorite team, but I really like watching I have a favorite team, but I really like watching Deladon, Elaine Deladon, play. She's awesome. Candice Parker is great on TV covering the NBA, so she can do great anytime she plays. I'm a big fan. I think she just got traded to Chicago or something like that.

Going forward, Kyle Fulton, should the Titans cut Isaiah Wilson? Yes, but I don't think that they should do it now. I mean, let's just see what happens. Cutting him now as opposed to in the summertime or whatever, it's not going to save the Titans any money or do anything. So there's really no reason to do that right now. Next question, Kevin. KSesh, what's up, bro? What's your ultimate goal in the field of sports journalism? Man, I mean, if I could do this full time, I would be able to produce more content. I would be able to watch more film. I would be able to do more live updates. I would be able to do more creative things with streaming. I would just be able to do a lot more and produce a lot more content, probably start writing, maybe start my own website to kind of coincide with the podcast. I have a lot of things that I want to do. A lot of things I've talked to

you guys about trying to do, but it, do, but it's hard. I'm just going to be open and honest with you guys. I have a full-time job as well, and it's just difficult to find time to work out, which I'm committed to, to find time to cook food, which is a huge passion for me and keeps me sane throughout all of this. My job requires outside of nine to five responsibilities a lot of the time. And then I have this that I commit tons of hours to every single week. So it's difficult to do all the things and all the creative ideas that I want to accomplish in a timely manner for you guys. So I guess my ultimate goal would to be, you know, make enough money off all of this where it pays my bills and I can

focus more on doing better. And, you know, a lot of things have been happening at the Locked On Podcast Network, our partnership with Tegna. We're having some other partnerships coming into play right now as well. So, hey, maybe one day, maybe one day. But all I've ever wanted to do since I realized I wasn't going to be very tall is cover sport. So it would be more than just an ultimate goal in the field of sports journalism. It's more of an ultimate goal in my life um and i'm also i'm already very proud of this uh to be honest with you guys so um thank you so much not i'm gonna stop before we get sappy but next uh another

question from franco he's double dipping here with saffold's injuries the last few seasons plus his and ben jones price tag is brewer their heir apparent to left guard or center I was impressed with what Brewer did last year in limited snaps but he is an undrafted free agent who was a rookie last year and I don't know if based on those decent performances we saw from him we're ready to say he's the heir apparent I don't think the Titans should not draft an interior offensive lineman if they really like one in the mid rounds or add another depth piece to the interior offensive line and free agency based on Aaron Brewer's presence. But if he progresses and he plays well this year because he's going to have opportunities to play, then yeah, absolutely he could end up as an heir apparent for one of those two

guys. Next, Ron G. Titan said, why John Robinson and his scouting team can't evaluate pass rushers? Because let's be honest, his track record isn't great when drafting pass rushers. It has to be a reason for this. You know, I agree with you, Ron. Clearly, John Robinson has a few deficiencies with his scouting process. He struggled mightily with pass rushers, not only in free agency, but also in the draft. I don't really have a great answer for you. Maybe he cares so much about the versatility of their ability to drop back in coverage, their ability to play well against the run, that it doesn't allow him to

focus on what's most important, and that's actually getting to the quarterback. But man, that's a tough question, and without being in the building and knowing the conversations that take place, it's hard for me to give you an exact answer, but I can agree with you that it is obvious that that is an area of struggle for John Robinson. Next, Colin Light. I thought this was a great question. Tough question. Better team, 2000 Titans, 2019 Titans. Better duo, McNair, George, Tannehill, or Henry. Okay, so I do want to say that I think the best Titans team of all time was probably 2003. Okay, so I do want to say that I think the best Titans team of all time was probably 2003. I mean, some could argue 2008, maybe.

I mean, 2000 Super Bowl. I get it. I get it. But 2003 to me was the most talented team. I'm actually going to go with the 2000s Titans. They made it to a Super Bowl. They were a more balanced team. They had similar qualities on offense despite lacking the explosiveness, but better on defense.

So for me, I'll have to go with the 2000s team. Maybe I'm just scarred from the defensive performance last year. And as for better duo though, I am going to go with Tannehill and Henry. McNair is better than Ryan Tannehill overall at this moment in time. I think Tannehill has more like outstanding skills, but you can't deny the grit that McNair played with. He just got the job done. So right now, I'm giving McNair the edge over Ryan Tannehill, but Derrick Henry's better than Eddie George, guys. He has way more explosiveness than Eddie George had. Eddie George ran more physically, and he ran as a power back. Derrick Henry isn't really a power back. People think that because of his size, but he glides and he uses the stiff arm and everything.

But what really sets Derrick Henry apart is that speed, that burst in the open field. And Eddie George just didn't have that level. He didn't have that gear to his game despite having that physicality. So to me, Derrick Henry's the better player. McNair is the better player. But you put the two together, and I'm going to go with Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry. I think the explosiveness that they provide to the offense, to me, that's going to give them the edge. Next, we have Kareem Labib. He said, from J-Rob's Presser this week, you think it sounded like he was going to keep JD. He seems to like what he did for us before he got

hurt. Yeah, John Robinson said that he thought Clowney had nice production before he got hurt. I'm inclined to agree. I've been saying I would like Clowney back. I mean, for the right price, we're talking $6 million to $8 million. Yeah, I mean, I would like Clowney back, but it should be under the condition that he comes into the building right away. You're not skipping training camp and all that this year. You're getting in the building and being comes into the building right away. You're not skipping training camp

and all that this year. You're getting in the building and being part of the team, learning the system and proving that you're healthy and handling your business. The last question that I have here is Bryce Penick. And this is what he had to say. I know he's been a massive screw up so far, but if they don't have to pay him much, wouldn't it be better to bring him into camp and at least see if he would have any on-field production before cutting him oh he's talking about Isaiah Wilson and yeah I actually agreed with that earlier Bryce uh it doesn't make any sense for the Titans to cut Isaiah Wilson now other than everybody's mad at him so for me it's pretty cut and dry it's pretty easy I think the Titans bring him into camp or and or advise him that he is supposed to come to camp.

If he doesn't show up to camp in the summer or here in the spring, then yeah, I think at that point you cut bait because it's the message that you send to the rest of the team if you're giving him a pass because he's a first round pick. If he doesn't show up or he shows up out of shape, he's still the same guy, he's causing problems, all of that, then they have to cut bait because at some point the other people on the team are going to be like, hey, why are they letting this guy be treated differently? John Robinson talks specifically about the fact that they're not treating him any differently or asking any more from him than anybody else on the team. The flip side of that is they can't go out of their way to give him extraordinary circumstances

because they don't want to cut bait with him. So they should give him one more opportunity, all on his own. Show up right ready to be an NFL football player, and if he doesn't, then you cut bait. Doing it right now doesn't help you at all. But that is the mailbag segment for this Monday. That's going to do it for me today. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.