Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tannehill's Top Throws & Draft Deep Dive on Kristian Fulton

Episode Date: May 19, 2020

Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, Titans fans. We are going to jump into a little bit of article analysis to start our day today. The USA Today did drop an article over the weekend taking a look at which quarterback in the NFL is best at certain types of throws. So there's all different kinds of throws and situations that NFL quarterbacks are faced with. And we are going to take a look at that article, taking a look at each of those, and assigning a quarterback who was best in the 2019 season.

And if it's a Tannehill Tuesday, that means he got a ton of love in that article. So I just want to break down which throws he was best at and why that should all give us some great optimism about what Tannehill can do in 2020 for the Titans. And then we are going to jump into the next installment of our Draft Deep Dive series. So we kicked things off yesterday with Isaiah Wilson. And if you have not yet, go check out my Twitter at TicTacTitans and check out the incredible visual that I put together for you guys. An awesome TicTacTitans film breakdown that you will enjoy. So make sure that you're following me on Twitter at TicTacTitans

so you can check that out. I am going to have another one of those in the works for our next installment with Darrington Evans, and you're not going to want to miss how he projects into the Titans offense and how he can elevate things. But we have to talk about Christian Fulton first. So what we are going to do is in our second segment, we are going to start with a little bit of background, talk about his high school ratings, how he performed at LSU and his journey

there to the Titans, and then talk about what he did on the tape while he performed at LSU, and his journey there to the Titans, and then talk about what he did on the tape while he was at LSU, his strengths, his weaknesses, and how they kind of project into the Titans system. And then we will finish off the show hearing directly from the people involved, just as we did in our deep dive for Isaiah Wilson yesterday. We are going to hear from Christian Fulton as he answers questions about joining the Tennessee Titans, and then hear directly from the people who made the decision to choose Christian Fulton,

General Manager John Robinson, and Head Coach Mike Rabel. So really excited to do a little bit of article analysis for you guys, and then have a little bit of a tape Tuesday in our draft deep dive about Christian Fulton. Of course, this episode is brought to you by BuiltBar.com. Make sure you check out BuiltBar.com. Use promo code LOCKEDON for $10 off your first order. Once again, that is promo code LOCKEDON for $10 off at BuiltBar.com. But a Tannehill Tuesday, some article analysis analysis a draft deep dive on Christian Fulton

let's get it a recent article by Doug Fara from the USA Today's Touchdown Wire took a look at which quarterbacks in the NFL were the best at specific types of throws or specific circumstances that every NFL quarterback is faced with. And out of the 13 categories or situations that Fara went over, and out of the 13 categories that were examined Ryan Tannehill came out on top in four of those categories the most of any individual quarterback in this exercise so Ryan Tannehill of course as we know had a fantastic 2019 let's look at these specific areas where he was dominant. And first off, the three-step drop.

Fara had this to say about Tannehill. Play action was a crucial part of the Titans passing game when Tannehill took over for Marcus Mariota halfway through the 2019 season. But the quick game was another integral aspect. And on three-step drops, Tannehill led the league with a 123.9 passer rating completing 96 of the 138 passes for 1,356 yards 12 touchdowns and two interceptions end quote there Fara obviously points out that it's not just the play action where Tannehill was great but he was excellent at getting the ball out of his hands quickly and accurately,

and a lot of that had to do with the Titans' run-after-catch success as a team. The next category that Ryan Tannehill was able to take home was outside-the-pocket throws. We know that Tannehill is athletic, he is mobile, and he used that mobility to get out of the tackle box and make plays. Farah had this to say, Tannehill has always been an athletic mover, but in previous seasons, his GPS when throwing on the move was iffy at best. But in Arthur Smith's offense, Tannehill was able to combine quick throws with play action and rollouts to a highly effective end. He had a 134.7 passer rating on out-of-pocket throws, completing 24 of 39 passes for 391 yards, 5 touchdowns, and no interceptions.

So obviously Tannehill has gotten even better outside the pocket in his move to Tennessee, and that's something that will have to continue. The least surprising win of any category for Ryan Tannehill was play action, and Fara had this to say. Comeback player of the year indeed. Tannehill tops the bill in passer rating on three-step drops, throws outside the pocket, and play action passes. Play action was a huge part of Tannehill's professional redemption in Tennessee

as he posted a 143.3 passer rating, completing 66 of 86 passes for 1,149 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. If you're completing 76.7% of your play-action passes and averaging a league-leading 13.4 yards per attempt. Well, with four years, $118 million contract Tannehill signed in March to stay with the Titans, expect it to be the primary construct of his passing game, end quote. And that's why there is a premium on bringing back Derrick Henry as well as his excellence

in the run game is a direct contributor to Tannehill's success in the play-action pass game. And then the final category that Ryan Tannehill was able to bring home was throwing the ball without pressure. And Fara had this to say, might as well close out with this guy again. And gosh, what a heroic picture. Tannehill led all NFL quarterbacks in 2019 with a 122.6 rating from a clean pocket, completing 194 passes and 266 attempts for 2,535 yards, 21 touchdowns, and just four interceptions.

Yes, it's easier to make plays from a clean pocket, but there are studies that indicate that performance without defensive pressure is actually one of the more accurate barometers of quarterback success. End quote. So there, that is the most optimistic view of Ryan Tannehill in terms of him not regressing a bunch in 2020. Tannehill was fantastic when he had time to throw, and if you don't have time to throw, then it's understandable to make mistakes.

But if you're struggling to make throws when you do have time, well, that would be a death knell for most quarterback careers. So Tannehill being incredibly efficient and incredibly effective while not having pressure in his face is the best sign that we can take for him having another great season in 2020. And knowing that also makes the draft pick of Isaiah Wilson look that much better. If Ryan Tannehill is the best quarterback in the NFL when he actually has time to throw, then it makes all the sense in the world for the Titans to do everything they can to recreate

that. And not just, you know, with Ryan Ryan Tannehill but obviously his success in the play action is built upon Derrick Henry's success in the ground game so I know that the offensive line is one of the most important parts of any football team at any level but based on what the Titans do well there's even that much more of a premium on offensive line play and getting Isaiah Wilson in the fold looks even better day by day. And speaking of Isaiah Wilson, we started our draft deep dive series yesterday talking about Isaiah Wilson. And today in our next segment, we are going to be moving that forward

and talking about second round pick Christian Fulton and talking about his background at LSU, what he went through there, what the tape shows about his strengths, his weaknesses, and how he can fit into the Titan scheme going forward. Before we jump into the second part of our draft deep dive series, I do want to talk to you guys about Built Bar. Now I've been mentioning them for the last few weeks now, trying to get everyone on board that I possibly can because their health bars, their protein bars are absolutely delicious. I mention my favorites all the time, the salted caramel, the chocolate orange, the peanut butter brownie, the chocolate peanut butter, whichever one of those sounds best to you. I'm telling you,

you cannot go wrong with any of them. I haven't had a protein bar that tastes quite this good in a very, very long time. Now, what I will tell you is they do have eight chocolate and nut flavors. They also have eight chocolate and non-nut flavors for you guys with any kind of nut allergy whatsoever you are good to go there is a flavor there is a bar for everyone and the bars are not only tasty but they do have 100 real chocolate it's not that processed chocolate that you're used to and you can definitely taste the difference and they are not crumbly and crunchy like other protein bars. They're soft. They're easy to chew. They're enjoyable, and I've talked about the taste quite a bit.

That's usually what I focus on because we've all had our fair share of just really terrible protein bars and health bars. So I like to highlight the taste, but, of course, you do need to take a look at the health benefits here. It's a great bar for any health conscious guy or girl it can help you not only lose weight but maintain weight all while it feels like you're eating a treat they're low calorie low sugar high protein high fiber i give this example every time and it's perfect if you want something to give you a boost for a workout or maybe you're looking for a breakfast substitute, the peanut butter brownie, 20 grams protein, 170 calories,

3 grams sugar, 3 grams net carbs. If you're looking for a guilt-free treat after dinner or a little bit of a dessert, the mint brownie, 15 grams protein, only 110 calories, 4 grams sugar, 5 grams net carbs. You can't go wrong with either of those choices. Go to BuiltBar.com and use promo code LOCKEDON and you'll get $10 off your first order. Once again, that is promo code LOCKEDON for $10 off at BuiltBar.com. yesterday we kicked off our draft deep dive series with titans first round pick offensive tackle isaiah wilson and i put together a really good film breakdown on isaiah wilson that i

released on twitter at tic tac titans on mond. So make sure that you check out yesterday's episode and that film breakdown if you have not already. But we are going to continue our draft deep dive series today with Titans second round pick Christian Fulton. So let's talk a little bit about his background before we jump into analyzing the tape. Fulton is from New Orleans, Louisiana. He was a five-star recruit

out of high school, one of the most highly touted prospects in the country, and it's no surprise that being from New Orleans, he would go to the local powerhouse, LSU. Of course, Louisiana State University is considered one of the best hubs in college football for defensive backs. Specifically, you look at a place like Florida, Ohio State, LSU pumping out great defensive backs yearly and Fulton was expected to continue that tradition as one of the top guys in the defensive backfield in the country heading from college into the draft but he ran into a little bit of trouble during his time at LSU. He played three games as a true freshman and was pretty good, but ran into some trouble in his sophomore year. So basically Fulton was going to take a drug test,

and it was actually for performance-enhancing drugs, not street drugs that you would think about. But Fulton thought it was for street drugs, thought that he would think about. But Fulton thought it was for street drugs, thought that he would fail that test, and actually used someone else's urine for the performance-enhancing drug test. And obviously the NCAA was able to figure that out, and he was suspended for two seasons. Well, Fulton actually appealed that after the 2017 season, his sophomore season.

He made an appeal and was able to get back one of those years. So he was able to play in 2018. He started 10 games for LSU that year and was one of the best cornerbacks in the country. But he missed the final three games of the season with an ankle injury, but came back in 2019 when LSU went to the national championship. He started all 15 games, had 38 tackles, one tackle for loss, had an interception, and had a team high 14 pass breakup. So he was absolutely fantastic in his senior season at LSU despite some of the turmoil and injuries that he went through early

on. He finally looked like the cornerback that many expected him to become and then Fulton went into the pre-draft process where he did not disappoint. He measured in at six foot tall, 197 pounds at the combine, 30 and 5 8 inch arms, 9 and 1 eighth inch hands. He ran in the 4 fours in the 40 and was considered by most draft pundits as a mid to late first round pick, maybe an early second round pick at best. But of course, he fell to the Titans at pick 61 in the second round and general manager John Robinson had to be incredibly grateful that he slid. His cornerback was a huge need for the Titans, and one of the reasons that it was such a big need is the Titans lost LaShawn Sims.

They also, of course, lost Logan Ryan to free agency, and one of the reasons that they were looking to make a transition away from those kinds of cornerbacks and especially Logan Ryan at his advanced age and go towards a Christian Fulton is because of what he is able to do in press man coverage and I've talked a lot on this podcast about where the NFL is going because of all the speed because of the prevalence of the passing game the reliance on man coverage has gone through the roof in the NFL. Most teams to combat that speed and combat that passing game have tried to go to a press man style,

and the Titans are looking to do that as well. That leads me into and away from the background portion into the tape portion. We are going to do a little bit of a tape Tuesday here, so step into the film room with me. Let's do a little bit of a tape Tuesday here so step into the film room with me and let's talk about what Christian Fulton does his strengths and weaknesses on the field and how that fits into what the Titans are going to be looking to doing in the upcoming 2020 season well I will go over the pros first let's talk about Fulton's strengths

as a quarterback cornerback he has instincts. He really has a great feel for what the offense is trying to do. He's coached up well. LSU obviously has as close to an NFL program as you can have at the college level, so he is experienced with a lot of different techniques, a lot of different coverage concepts that LSU was doing whether he's going to be pressing on the inside shoulder pressing on the outside shoulder a soft press coverage where you're basically up in the wide receiver's face but you're not actually jamming them with your hands at the line of scrimmage a lot of that is what he was asked to do which makes him as pro ready as you could probably find in college football. So having those natural instincts to go along with all that experience, and it's kind of a catch-22 there.

The experience that he got early on in his career and what he was being taught at LSU helped him gain some of those instincts that he already had from high school. But he just has a great understanding of what the offense is trying to do, how they're trying to attack him, and he can kind of get ready for what is coming next because he has a good understanding of that. Once again, natural instincts just has a good understanding of what offenses are trying to do and how they're trying to attack him. He also is a good ball disruptor. Now, there's two different sides of

this. So he does a good job of breaking towards the ball once the throw comes, especially on routes that are in front of him where he can break downhill or to the outside or the inside. We'll talk a little bit more about how he handles the 50-50 balls down the field. But in terms of ball disruption on your normal situations, he's fantastic at getting his arm up through the arms of the wide receiver. Like I said, natural instincts there. He does a great job of disrupting the ball from the catch point of wide receivers on most of the catch opportunities that wide receivers would have, and I'll expand on that a little bit more in the con section. But we'll get into here what really separates him from other

cornerbacks and that is his mirror ability so you'll hear the term mirror match and basically what that is is imagine a backyard football game where you're playing four on four there's no rush and what you would do is you do a one Mississippi two Mississippi that acts as a pass rush and if the quarterback for the backyard football game hasn't thrown the ball in the amount of time of let's say three to four, maybe five Mississippi, whatever you guys decided to do growing up, well, then it's a sack. Well, basically your coverage philosophy in those situations in backyard football is just match whatever the wide receiver does. Try to stay exactly with them. You're not

playing a certain kind of zone coverage in these situations. You're just trying to man up with the guy and whatever he does, you're doing and you're following him all over the place. Sometimes in man coverage, you're not asked to do that. I know it may be you're just thinking in your head, well, you're just describing man coverage. Well, no, there are nuances to man coverage and techniques that you play. So sometimes in man coverage, you want to give up the inside. So you're not going to mirror match perfectly because you're trying to let the wide receiver take the inside route and keep them from winning on the outside and crossing your face to the sideline.

The opposite of that, you're playing inside technique in your man coverage. So you're trying to give the wide receiver the outside, trying to let them get downfield at times because of the idea of the coverage that you're playing. But I'm not talking about this. I'm talking about pure matching your guy man coverage all over the field, wherever he goes. Think about, let's put it into context.

Like I said, project how he helps the Titans. The Titans like to blitz, and later in the season, they started blitzing more out of man coverage, and that's something that the Baltimore Ravens had great success with last year. It's just an incredible counter to these passing offenses because now you can blitz, get on that quarterback, not allow them to scramble, not allow them to get outside the pocket and make plays, not allow them to scramble, not allow them to get outside the pocket and make plays, not allow them to hit those deep shots, and not allow speedy wide receivers to develop these longer routes, these crossing routes across the field, some of these double moves down the field.

You don't have time for that if you have pressure in your face. So if you can bring a blitz and have people playing perfect mirror match man coverage on the outside, it's hard to counter that, and that's why perfect mirror match man coverage on the outside, it's hard to counter that. And that's why so many defenses in the NFL are going to that, as I mentioned earlier. So that's something that Fulton does very, very well. Another thing that he does is he's great in press coverage, of course, getting your hands on the wide receiver at the line of scrimmage, but he's also good when he doesn't have to press. A soft press, not actually jamming the wide receiver. Yeah, he's up in the

wide receiver's face, but he's not actually planning on getting his hands on him to disrupt him off the line of scrimmage. It's more getting in his face to disrupt timing of certain routes. If he's right there, the wide receiver can't release as well, could disrupt the timing and once again allow the pressure to get there, throw off the rhythm of the offense. So he's fantastic in not only press coverage when he's jamming wide receivers, but also a soft press coverage when he's not necessarily getting his hands on but still required to be in the face of the wide receiver. He also does great, and he wasn't asked to play a ton of zone coverage at LSU. That is not his strength. His strength is in man coverage, mirroring wide receivers, getting up on them at the line of scrimmage, but when he was asked to play zone coverage, and not thinking about cover three where he's got a deep third, and he's backpedaling and trying to stay with a wide receiver who could be running vertically, but when he's asked to play zone coverage in the short or intermediate areas, think in a cover two where the safeties are covering the halves of the field,

the cornerbacks are asked to play from basically, call it a curl flat. He's looking for the curl, the 10-yard curl from the wide receiver he's lined up against, looking for the curl, the 10-yard curl from the wide receiver he's lined up against, but it's also his responsibility to come up in the flat if a tight end or a running back comes to the flat. They're playing cover two there. The safeties have each half of the field. The cornerbacks have the outside, basically 10 yards to the line of scrimmage, and Fulton does a great job of clicking and closing, and that's a scouting term for basically planning your foot. When the cornerback is backpedaling and he makes that decision that he has to come forward, he plants that foot and then darts forward.

That is the click and then the close. So Fulton did a great job with that. His interception in 2019 came off cover too where he was reading his wide receiver 10 yards deep saw the quarterback was about to make a play into the flat and then drove on the ball and was able to get an interception he shows different examples of that throughout the year and the titans do likes to like to mix coverage up here and there and Fulton will allow them to continue to do that because he can play those shorter intermediate zones let's talk a little bit about the cons here, though. So just to get into some things that Fulton will have to improve on

or things that if he can't improve on, the Titans will just have to keep him out of those situations. One that they're not really going to be able to keep him out of. The first two cons that I have, the Titans aren't going to be able to protect him from this, but he is not great at 50-50 contested balls down the field. If he's going up against bigger, taller wide receivers, the 6'4", the 6'5", wide receivers, he's similar to Malcolm Butler in this area. He's not great in contested catch situations. If he's going up against a bigger, more physical wide receiver

down the field, he can get high pointed he can lose the ball a little bit when he's tracking it going back with the wide receiver so that's something he'll have to improve on just his awareness at the catch point and contested catches remember earlier i said he did a great job at ball disruption when he's breaking on the wide receiver in man coverage but if it's just him and a wide receiver chest to chest he's not breaking on the ball he's just right there and the ball's up for grabs he doesn't come down with the ball as much as I'd like and he lets the wide receiver come down with the ball much more than I would like as well so we'd have to improve there he is not a great tackler he doesn't give a lot of

effort he's not a super physical guy when it comes to tackling if he doesn't have to be involved in the tackle he's not going to hustle over and make that play I would expect that the accountability required from the Titans veterans in the secondary may change his attitude there but that's just a wiring thing and he's not an incredibly physical or willing tackler he will do it it's not something that he shies away from but he's certainly not going to get involved if he doesn't have to now in his coverage taking a look at his coverage he's not a perfect corner he wasn't a top 10 pick you know he went 61 overall he has his deficiencies and one thing that I noticed is when he is playing outside technique outside shade on a wide receiver on his outside shoulder towards the out of bounds line basically

he can just allow wide receivers to get an inside break on him too much if you're playing an outside technique and the wide receiver takes an outside step you don't have to adjust too much because you're already on an outside shade but he would tend to try to mirror them too early when they're doing that outside step and he'd take an outside step mirror them too early when they're doing that outside step, and he'd take an outside step with them, and it would just leave him susceptible on short inside breaking routes. Think slants, in-routes, drag routes, things like that. He would leave himself open. Now, I'm not in the room with him to know whether the call on the field is calling him for an outside technique that is forcing his man inside

that's something that we talked about earlier I don't know the play call exactly but it happened over and over and over again when I was watching film so at some point that that's him taking a false step to the outside and he's at he has great recovery speed I forgot to mention that in the pros he just absolutely incredible recovery speed so he can get away with that on a lot of people, but some of the better route runners who identify that on the film and take that extra step outside, giving them enough room to break inside and be open in the NFL. The window to make that throw is even smaller often, but quarterbacks are even better at making the throw and wide receivers are even better at catching it. So he's got to find a way to cut down on the space that he gives

on those shorter intermediate inside breaking routes. And then also talking about him going vertically with wide receivers, we've talked about his press man coverage. We've talked about inside shade, outside shade. We've talked about him playing short to intermediate zone coverage in a cover two or maybe a cover six now let's talk about him as a cover three corner he does a good job like I said the natural instincts all the positives that I talked about are still in effect when he's playing

cover three and basically that would mean he has his third of the field whether it be short or deep that is his responsibility. One thing that he can do is if the wide receiver is running vertically, like they're going to go deep, he can open his hips a little too early. So basically the cornerback will backpedal, backpedal, backpedal, backpedal until he literally can't anymore and the wide receiver has crossed a certain plane. And then the cornerbacks will flip their hips open, and rather than backpedaling, they'll just start running full speed forward with the wide receiver. Now, the timing on when to open your hips, when to open that up and start running, that is one of the more nuanced aspects of cornerback play in the NFL,

and Fulton has a tendency to open up a little too quickly, and on comeback routes on curls and things like that if the wide receiver does a good job of faking that vertical stem Fulton will open a little too early give a little bit too much space to the wide receiver who can be really open on that curl that'll catch so hit a quick hitting routes can give him trouble, but he does have good enough recovery speed that he still is there to make the play and not let things get out of hand. But some of the quicker wide receivers in the NFL, they're going to make him pay if he gives them that much space and opens up his hips that early. So those are the pros and the cons that I've seen. That's how he fits into

what the Titans are doing on defense. So not as extensive of a breakdown as we had on Isaiah Wilson, but as I mentioned earlier, a lot of time and a lot of energy goes into making the film breakdowns. So I am going to give you this audible breakdown on Christian Fulton. And then in tomorrow's show, when we talk about Darrington Evans, I should have another film cut up for you guys to post on Twitter at TicTacTitans. But that is going to do it for our Tape Tuesday segment of our draft deep dive on Christian Fulton. We are going to come back with the sounds of the Titans and the sounds of the night. We're going to hear directly from Christian Fulton once he was drafted,

and then hear from General Manager John Robinson and Head Coach Mike Vrabel about the decision to pick up Fulton. Let's cap off the show by taking in some sounds of the Titans. We're going to hear from Christian Fulton directly and then also hear from General Manager John Robinson and Head Coach Mike Vrabel about selecting him. Just Coach Mike, you know, he has a great style and great sense for having a great defense. I've heard from a lot of people that he's a great defensive line. And the defense is great.

You know, all the way up to the AFC championship. You know, you don't do that without having a good defense. And just adding me to that defense, I want to be a little piece, just to make it to that league, to get that push low pass to the AFC Championship. I feel like I told him, you know, I'm a future child, you know, skill set. And I'm just excited to see where he wants to figure me a part of that group. Just being more mature, holding myself accountable. I know just being around people that have my best interests in mind,

I kind of have a sense of just figuring things out better. I use my resources around me just in the case of decision making, you know, staying like that. And it's made me stronger mentally, you know, I feel like it's definitely, you know, even though it's an outfield issue, it's helped me on the field, you know, so that's why I feel like, you know, my journey is special and it's definitely helped me grow into a better person. And, well, definitely, you see, you know, you go all these years, you know, playing, you're thinking, you know, I had a football, the football is always going to be there for me. You know, I woke up one morning and all of a sudden it wasn't there for me, you know,

and I didn't realize how much it gave it to me until I got the news that I wouldn't be able to play. Even though I was able to practice and everything, you know, putting all that work, you know, you wanted to show on the weekends when you put in the game. So definitely, you know, it made me work, but he wanted to show on the weekends when he put in the game. So definitely, you know, it made me appreciate the game a lot more. Just having, you know, a guy who's confident in his ability, you know, I feel like with my father's career,

I can shut down one side of the field. I feel like I've done that at LSU. Also, I feel like I can move inside, you know, come up in the run or play in the slot Whether that's playing Or even outside Just playing first man

Playing offense So I feel like I can bring all that to the table Now let's hear from General Manager John Robinson And Head Coach Mike Vrabel Yeah, I mean, I think he did it as a freshman And depending upon the formation You can see him play in there a little bit this year But he's got good quickness He's you could see him play in there a little bit this year.

But he's got good quickness. He's got good awareness and instincts in there. He's got some patience, you know, to match routes and no, no wind to trigger and get his hands on the ball. And, and when it just kind of sat there and let the route develop a little bit more and he's got some toughness to him, I think he'll tackle. He's a good tackler, which is important for that position. When you're playing in there close to the kind of sit there and let the route develop a little bit more. He's got some toughness to him. I think he'll tackle. He's a good tackler, which is important for that position when you're playing in there close to the core of the formation. So, like I said, he had a really good understanding of our vision for him

if we were able to select him, and we were fortunate that he was there for us to take. Yeah, it's no different than any other player that had something in college. You talk to the player about it and understand the situation. You talk to sources at LSU who spoke highly of the player. I know a guy that was on the staff that coached him in high school who spoke highly of his character. He sent me a message tonight and said

you've got a great player but you got an even better person. So you know we trust our scouts to get all the information and the background on these players and we talked to him and felt good about what adding him to our to our football team and our community. Come on when you play match coverage TD you'll hear me say this all the time. When you play a match coverage, this is what they do. And most colleges on the outside, you're playing quarters. If you're playing quarters, you're playing – it's the same defense. Like it's cat coverage.

Like I got this cat, you got that cat. So the number one thing is that you don't let your man catch the ball. And so when you start going for a lot of interceptions in match coverage, your eyes tend to go to the quarterback. And when that happens, you tend to lose your guys. So, you know, you have to get interceptions and match coverage from tip balls. And then the interceptions that you do get, you know, usually that's going to be in some zone vision and break defense.

So, you know, we're familiar with the type of defense and the system that they play, which is very similar, you know, with what they're doing with Coach Aranda down there. We've met a bunch and, you know, visited with each other in the past. And so, you know, when you're in match coverage, PBUs and not letting your guy catch the ball is pretty important in John and I's book. Yeah. You know, I mean, I think you have to be able to run at that position. You know, you see Rieger and Ayuk and all these receivers, Ruggs, and, I mean, right on down the list, however many that went.

You know, they can all run. So you're going to have to have guys that can run that can cover them. And that's just the nature of playing the position. I don't know where everybody's going to fit, and nobody does. But certainly like the player, we were able to get him, and we'll start working with him as soon as we possibly can. And that is our deep dive on Christian Fulton. I hope you guys enjoyed our tape talk segment,

a little tape Tuesday for you guys. We also got the sounds of the Titans hearing from Fulton directly, hearing from general manager, John Robinson, hearing from head coach Mike Rabel, really excited to have Christian Fulton on this Titans football team. I think he has immense potential and it's another one of those second-round picks for John Robinson that looks like they could pay off and be an absolute stud. But now that you guys are done with this episode

of the Locked on Titans podcast, check out the Locked on Fantasy Football podcast. Never too early to start getting ready to win your fantasy football leagues. But I am going to be bringing you guys these draft deep dives throughout the rest of the week. We have Darrington Evans. We have Laurel Murchison. We have Cole McDonald.

We have Chris Jackson to talk about. So a lot of different players still to break down. Make sure that you are subscribed to the locked on Titans podcast on whatever platform that you do stream and make sure that you are subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast on whatever platform that you do stream and make sure that you're following me on Twitter at TicTacTitans as well so you can get all of the visual breakdowns that I am putting up to match up with what we talk about on the podcast. But that is going to do it for me today.

Remember, go to BuiltBar.com, use promo code LOCKEDON for $10 off your first order. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.