Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans 2024 Mock Draft: Levis or '24 QBs, Edge or OL, WR Options After Harrison Jr.

Episode Date: May 7, 2023

The 2023 NFL Draft is now over, but it is a perfect time to take a look ahead to the 2024 NFL Draft. Should the Titans pass on Drake Maye or Caleb Williams to go with Will Levis? Tyler says no, but points out why it is so important to play Levis in 2023. Next, if the two quarterbacks and Marvin Harrison Jr. are not on the board, should the Titans go edge or offensive tackle? Finally, if the Titans fall back further than top five, what wide receiver could be a smart pick?Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitans/videosSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. BetterHelp connects you with a licensed therapist who can take you on that journey of self-discovery from wherever you are.  Visit BetterHelp.com/lockedon today to get 10% off your first month.Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Should the Tennessee Titans pass on a quarterback next year and roll with Will Levis? We're going to discuss that as we go through some way too early 2024 NFL mock drafts on today's edition of the Locked On Titans podcast. Let's get it. You are Locked On Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, Titans fans. On today's edition, we are going to break down some way too early 2024 NFL mock drafts,

talk about some choices that the Titans will have to make, including should they pass on a quarterback next year if they get the right pick and go with Will Levis? I do not think that they should do that. I'll explain why as we go through them before we get into it. Do want to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content on all platforms all year, and always for free.

Make sure that you get subscribed. Stay subscribed to the Locked On Titans podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, where it's your team every day. A shout-out to my everydayers tuning into the show Monday through Friday. Got a lot of great stuff coming up for you this week. Going to do a deep dive into Will Levis, his film, his background, talk about all the other prospects that the Titans drafted as well and get you guys ready for the mini camps and the training camps and the OTAs. It'll be coming up here soon

for the Titans. With that being said, let's dive right into the first mock draft that we're going to take a look at. It comes from Pro Football Network and it comes from Ian Cummings. And this is where I want to have the question. So, in this mock draft, number one, the Arizona Cardinals take Marvin Harrison Jr. Okay, that makes sense. They're going to go with Kyler Murray. They get him a great weapon.

They'll probably move on from DeAndre Hopkins. Two, the Washington Commanders jump in and take Caleb Williams. It would be a shock to me if the Cardinals didn't come out of pick number one to let somebody come get Caleb Williams. But either way, pick number two, Washington Commanders, Caleb Williams. Pick number three, Indianapolis Colts take Kool-Aid McKinstry, the cornerback out of Alabama. And then the Titans sit at pick number four.

All right, and this is where the crossroads comes in. If the Titans are sitting here at pick number four, and they have the ability to add a top-tier player on defense, to add a top-tier offensive on defense, to add a top-tier offensive lineman. Would they do that? Or, at pick number four, would they take Drake May? Would they take Bo Nix?

Would they take Michael Penix Jr.? There are some other options that may rise up the board between now and then, but specifically, let's talk about Drake May from North Carolina. I mean, he went 342 for 517 for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions last year. Would the Titans really pass on Drake May to help Will Levis? See, guys, this is why I released an episode last week saying

the Titans need to play Will Levis right now. Immediately. Don't play this game with Ryan Tannehill and act like you're going to make one last charge to be competitive with all the veterans. It's not going to go well. The Titans aren't going to do anything of note with Tannehill

and Henry and Byard and all those guys this year. It's just not going to happen. The Titans aren't going to do anything of note with Tannehill and Henry and Byard and all those guys this year. It's just not going to happen. The roster isn't good enough. So that's why you need to go with Will Levis. Figure out what you have in him so that if you get in this position next year where you can take a Drake May in the top four,

you make the right decision. Because to me, you take Drake May right there. I don't care about Will Levis. And this comes back to the fact that I wasn't that high on Will Levis coming into the NFL draft this year. So I'm not passing on a guy like Drake May, who has elite superstar potential, to continue to roll with Will Levis unless Will Levis shows me something special in his rookie season. So you need to play Will Levis now so that if you are faced with this decision next year, you can make it with all the right information. Just like whether they liked it or not, what happened with Malik Willis?

You saw what you saw from him last year, whether it liked it or not what happened with Malik Willis you saw what you saw from him last year whether it be fair or not it was enough for Mike Vrabel to say no we're going with a new guy we're going to take a new young quarterback so apply the same philosophy see what you have in Will Levis and if it's not good this year then you can't pass up on a Drake May type guy in the top four of the draft. And the Titans get a top four pick. I don't see how they could pass on May if he fell to him there. Unless, again, Will Levis does something special this season, which is why you need to get that information.

But in this mock draft, Ian Cummings has the Titans going with Olu Fushanu, the offensive lineman out of Penn State offensive tackle. And look, Fashanu is going to be a fantastic prospect. Like, I really do believe that he's deserving of the top four pick. But to me, if the Titans were to pass on Drake May to roll with Will Levis and go with Fashanu instead, I think that could be a disaster waiting to happen, man.

That could be something you look back at 10 years and say, what a failure. As for Cummings, he says, the Titans came away from the 2023 NFL draft with a QB and now focus shifts to ensuring they're protected. Fashanu is a blue chip offensive tackle prospect who would have decisively been OT1 in the 2023 class. I agree. His combined mobility, strength, and leverage overwhelm opponents, and Peter Skowronski can slide to guard alongside Fashanu.

I agree with all of that. I really do. I think Drake May would probably be gone before pick four, so I get it. But, man, that's a crossroads moment that I think the Titans cannot pass on Drake May or Caleb Williams for Will Levis, again, unless he shows you something this year, and you're only going to know that if you play him. So, got to keep that in mind, but we're going to move forward.

We got five more mock drafts on tap that we are going to take a look at. Before we get into it, do want to let you guys know about the best tasting protein bars best tasting protein bars of all time from our friends over at Built Bar. You get the best of both worlds with Built Bars. You get all the taste benefits of a candy bar. They have great flavors. They're covered in 100% real chocolate.

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I mean, they have something for everybody. So whether it be your local Walmart, whether it be your local Sam's Club, whether it be Built.com, go check out Built Bars, the best tasting protein bars of all time. You can thank me later. Titans fans, we are going to continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. It's kind of our last Mock Draft Monday of the year. You know, we always have Mock Draft Monday for the few months leading up to

the draft. The draft goes by. You kind of miss Mock Draft Monday a little bit. So one last time. One last time here with a Mock Draft Monday looking at way too early 2024 Mock Drafts. We just talked about our first Mock Draft from Pro Football Network where the Titans pass on quarterback Drake May

and go with Olu Fashanu, the offensive lineman, out of Penn State. And I just don't think the Titans can afford to do that unless we get something really special from Will Levis in his rookie season. So I don't think you can pass on one of these talented quarterbacks in the 2024 draft if you get a top five pick. But moving forward, we're going to look at some other options

that the Titans have here. And if Marvin Harrison Jr., who I know a lot of Titans fans are high on now thinking that the Titans will roll with Levis. Yeah, Marvin Harrison Jr. would be the ideal pick. But going through these mock drafts, I think it's pretty obvious that if the Titans don't have a top three pick, they probably are out of the Marvin Harrison Jr. running

because the reality is, and I know we're pretty far out and a lot of things will change, but just the way that it looks right now, Caleb Williams, Drake May, probably going in the top three, and then Marvin Harrison. Those are probably going to be the top three players in the draft. So if the Titans want one of those guys, they're going to have to make a trade up.

They're going to have to be so terrible that they're in that bottom three. And that's really the thing that we don't know, we can't know, is how bad the Titans are going to be. The roster doesn't look great. Wide receiver is a disaster. If they make a couple trades, things could get really dark really quick. So we just don't know how good or bad the Titans are going to be. But let's say that they're not bad enough to be in those top three spots

and they can't get a quarterback, Drake May or Caleb Williams, and they can't get Marvin Harrison Jr. Let's just say that can't happen. Well, let's look at some mock drafts with some other scenarios here. Number one, I want to look at Todd McShay from ESPN. And in his mock draft,

he has the Titans with the fourth pick, which is where they just were. And with that pick, with the quarterbacks, Drake May, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Caleb Williams off the board, which makes sense, he has the Titans going with edge rusher Dallas Turner from Alabama. Dallas Turner, 6'4", 240 pounds, freak athlete, great edge rusher.

He's going to be a really high pick next year. edge rusher. He's going to be a really high pick next year. And McShay says, quote, Turner is going to take over this Crimson Tide defense next season after Anderson graduated to the NFL. He's undersized at 240 pounds, but he's quick and bendy off the edge. Turner had 12.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss over the last two seasons, despite starting only 12 of the 28 games he appeared in. And he has at least 25 pressures in each of those years. Tennessee brought in Arden Key, but Harold Landry's coming off an ACL tear and Danico Autry is playing on the final year of his contract. End quote. I think McShay makes a ton of sense there when he talks about the Titans' edge rusher position.

That's something that I was a little more worried about this year than maybe some other people were. But for me, I think edge rusher is such an important position that I don't know. Basically, what it comes down to is I don't think that Rashad Weaver is ever going to become like a bona fide starter, difference maker player. He could be a role player, add depth on the D-line and outside linebacker with some positional versatility. But I don't think Weaver's ever going to be a certified starter in the NFL.

And Arden Key, if you look at what he's done the last two years and how he got his career back on track, it's been as a role player who can come in and give max effort all the time. So to me, if you slid Rashad Weaver into the Danico Autry role next season, not this year coming up, but the year after that, Danico will probably move on. It's the last year of his contract. Slide Weaver into that role.

Now you have Key and Landry on the outside. And again, I don't want Key as a starter. I think he's best when he comes off the bench. You could give maximum effort all the time. I think if you added a dynamite top five edge rusher, to me, Harold Landry has always been a number two rusher. He has been a top tier number two rusher. But he's not the dominant guy that Max Crosby and Miles Garrett and TJ Watt and guys like that off the edge. He's not that. So if you got a guy like that

and you let Landry be the versatile number two outside rusher with Weaver and Simmons and Tertt on the inside and maybe some more depth added in next year's draft in the mid-rounds, that's still a great pass rush front. So, look, I'm on board with a Dallas Turner pick

if that's the way that it goes. Okay? But the question does become, if the quarterbacks and Marvin Harrison Jr. are gone and you have the choice between Dallas Turner and an offensive tackle, what do you do? Well, in this mock draft that we're looking at next from Dane Brugler from The Athletic, the Titans have the fifth pick.

Fashanu, May, Harrison, Williams, they're all gone, which would be a bummer if the Titans got a top five pick and those four guys were all gone. But they go Dallas Turner here, and Brugler says, quote, when scouting Anderson and other Alabama defenders, it was impossible to overlook number 15 flying off the edge and making plays. number 15 flying off the edge and making plays. Throw on the Texas A&M tape from last season and watch Turner go to work. So Turner would definitely be

worth a pick there. That's who Dane Brugler has him or has the Titans selecting. Also another guy who has the Titans going with Dallas Turner is Matt Holder from Bleacher Report. He went into detail here. He has the Titans, or my apologies here, it's Ryan Wilson from CBS, and this is why I put this together,

so my apologies for the confusion here, but Ryan Turner from CBS has the Titans, Ryan Wilson from CBS, Dallas Titans, Ryan Wilson from CBS, Dallas Turner, Ryan Wilson. See, it's all going together now. He has the Titans at pick number five as well with Drake May and Fashanu and Marvin Harrison and Caleb Williams off the board.

But instead of going with Dallas Turner, he has the Titans going with Joe Ault, the offensive tackle from Notre Dame. And here's what he has to say about this pick. The NFL puts a premium on offensive tackles, and Fashanu and Alt likely would have been the first two offensive tackles off the board had they been in the 2023 class.

So, Dane Brugler, Todd McShay have the Titans going with Dallas Turner, but here Ryan Wilson has the Titans going with Joe Ault, and that brings us to the decision. If you had Marvin Harrison, Drake May, Caleb Williams, and Olufeshanu off the board, would you go Joe Ault at offensive tackle or Dallas Turner at edge rusher? Let me know down below.

For me though, guys, I'm going with Joe Alt. I'm going with Olu Fashanu if I have that option as well. Stack the offensive line. You have Skowronski and then you add Alt or Fashanu. I mean,

we have totally fixed the offensive line. I mean, the offensive line has been totally revamped. And you guys know, since we've been talking about it since free agency, I'm not a believer that Andre Dillard is a long-term answer at left half. So, for me, that's not really something that I'm like, oh, well, they signed Andre. No, I don't care. So, I think those are interesting picks.

Dane Brugler, Dallas Turner, Todd McShay, Dallas Turner, Ed Rusher from Alabama, but then Ryan Wilson with Joe Ault, the offensive tackle out of Notre Dame. And I think for me, I would be going with the offensive tackle out of Notre Dame, Joe Ault. If I had that choice, that's what I would be looking at. But with that in mind, we're going to move forward, look at a couple more mock drafts that have the Titans going in a similar direction

as what we just talked about. But before we get into that, I do want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content on all platforms all year long and always for free. Make sure you get subscribed and stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast platforms, all year long, and always for free. Make sure you get subscribed and stay subscribed to the Locked On Titans podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network,

where it's your team every day. Titans fans, let's cap off this last mock draft Monday of the year for the Titans. We've talked about what they would do if they could get their hands on one of the top quarterbacks in next year's draft. It's my opinion that they shouldn't pass on them for Will Levis. We talked about what the Titans would do if the two quarterbacks and Marvin Harrison Jr. were off the board. Would you go offensive tackle or would you go edge rusher?

For me, I'm going offensive tackle. And now I want to dive into what if the Titans get a little bit of a later pick and they don't have any of these options available to them or at least most of the options that we're talking about at the top of the draft. Before we get into it, just want to give a shout out to my everydayers out there them or at least most of the options that we're talking about at the top of the draft. Before we get into it, just want to give a shout out to my everydayers out there listening to the podcast Monday through Friday every single week.

You guys are the lifeblood of the show. If you're not an everydayer, you need to get like the everydayers. Let me know down below if you are an everydayer. I definitely do appreciate when you guys throw it in the comments or tag me on Twitter and let me know. Love that stuff. So thank you all so much. But with that in mind, this next mock draft that we're going to look at here comes from, and I teased it earlier when I misread my notes, but it's Matt Holder from Bleacher Report. And he has the Titans picking number eight. Every other mock draft that we go through here

has the Titans picking in the top five. But here, Holder has the Titans picking number eight, which I think is much more in line with where they'll realistically be in this draft. I don't think the Titans get a top five draft pick. I think Mike Vrabel is too good of a coach. And I think the Titans have walked the tightrope in a sense to where they haven't devoted themselves to youth enough to be bad, but they

haven't made the team good enough to be good. So they're probably going to be 8-15 somewhere. I think that's much more realistic. Well, pick number one, Caleb Williams. Pick number two, Marvin Harrison Jr. Actually, they're projecting the Cardinals have both the top two picks in the draft. That would be nuts. Drake May goes three to Tampa Bay. Joe Ault goes four to the Colts.

Quinn Ewers from Texas goes five to the Commanders. Olu Fashanu goes six to the Packers. Kool-Aid McKinstry, the cornerback from Alabama, goes seven to the Raiders. And then the Titans sit at number eight. Now, they could go Joe Ault here. That would be an option. They could go Brock Bowers, Jared Verse, the defensive lineman.

That could make some sense. But I just want to discuss what Holder has the Titans doing. And I don't think it would be nuts. But it's drafting wide receiver, Emeka Egbuka from Ohio State. The other wide receiver from Ohio State. And I just want to give Holder the floor here. Here's what Holder said about the Titans and about the pick.

Quote, The Tennessee Titans found their replacement for Ryan Tannehill in the second round of last year's draft and former Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. But with how the Titans roster is constructed, Levis will be in dire need of some offensive weapons. Any line.

Wide receiver will be one of Tennessee's top needs as 2022 first round pick Traylon Burks headlines the position group, followed by Nick Westbrook, Akina, and Kyle Phillips. That puts Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Abuka in play, especially given the Buckeyes' connection between him and head coach Mike Frabel. As the No. 2 option behind Harrison Jr.,

Abuka put up impressive numbers on his own last season, pulling in 74 passes for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns. He can also make plays with the ball in his hands, adding 11 carries for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Bringing in the Ohio State product will give Levis a solid pass group of pass catchers with Burks, Abuka, Outwide, and Chigaconquo, who showed promise at the end of last season at tight end. Oconquo ended his rookie year with eight starts, 32 catches,

450 yards for each course. I'm on board with it, guys. The Titans have to get some wide receiver help. They The Titans have to get some wide receiver help. They just simply have to get some wide receiver help. And I think Ibuka could be worth the pick. Udins could be worth the pick. There are a couple wide receivers that are going to be available in the first round next year

that I think could make a lot of sense for the Titans. Especially, especially if they drop back into that 10 to 15, 10-18 range, which I expect them to be in. So that would make sense. The last mock draft that I wanted to talk about here comes from the 33rd team, and it has the Titans going with a player that we've talked about before, and it's Olufeshanu from Penn State.

The 33rd team has the Titans picking at number five. And they said in 2023, the Titans picked a guard and a quarterback in the first two rounds of the draft. In 2024, they will address the tackle position. Fashanu decided to stay in school this year. Perhaps could have been a first-round pick. He should go in the top 10 in 2024 and will be asked to protect Will Levis. And I agree 100%.

Fashanu probably would have been the number one offensive tackle in this draft class had he declared himself eligible. So again, if the Titans get a top five pick and they don't have the ability to get their hands on one of the top two quarterbacks or Marvin Harrison Jr., if they come away with Ula Fashanu or Joe Ault or Dallas Turner, really, I'm going to be happy.

Can't be mad about that. Add at premium positions. But at the end of the day, let me know down below who you would like the Titans to draft if they can't get the top two quarterbacks or Marvin Harrison Jr. What options would you want for the Titans there? That's going to do it for me today, folks. Our last

mock draft Monday of the year. Oh. But a great run. That's going to do it for me today, folks. Our last mock draft Monday of the year. Oh. But a great run. That's going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this is Locked on Titans. you