Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Carnell Tate ALPHA RECEIVER on DAY 1 for Cam Ward & Anthony Hill STARTING Potential

Starting point is 00:00:00 Cornell Tate is the Tennessee Titans number one wide receiver from day one. But I'll tell you which other Titans rookies will make the most immediate impact on today's edition of Locked on Titans. 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. today's show. We are going to rank which Tennessee Titans rookies can make the most immediate impact. Of course, I'm going to have Cornell Tate at number one,

Starting point is 00:00:44 but I think you'll be surprised to see just how high rookie running back. Nick Singleton is on this list. Before we dive into it, do want to thank you for making Locked on Titans, your first listen each and every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. Make sure that you get subscribed,

Starting point is 00:01:04 stay subscribed. It's your team every day. Speaking of every day, shout out to my everydayers out there. Tune in Monday through Friday. Couldn't do it without you guys. If you aren't an everydayer, you need to be one. We need to analyze this roster as the Tennessee Titans start organized team activities with the rookies involved. We got rookie mini camp.

Starting point is 00:01:22 We got mandatory mini camp and training camp. We'll be here before you know it. So make sure that you stay locked in with the number one Tennessee Titans podcast in the world. Lock on Titans. But again, what I want to do is, rank the Titans rookie class in order of who will make the most immediate impact, and there is no doubt in my mind that the rookie that will and needs to make the most

Starting point is 00:01:46 immediate impact is the rookie that the Titans took in the top five of the NFL draft, Carnell Tate at wide receiver. Like Cardinal Tate is going to come in right away and be the Tennessee Titans number one wide receiver. Now the conversation around number one wide receiver, what that means, the way people use it. It can be frustrating, in my opinion. When you hear the term number one wide receiver,

Starting point is 00:02:11 it can mean a couple of different things. I feel like a lot of people what they think of is, like the AJ Brown, T.O. Big physical number, like people call Elykoi Manor wide receiver one just because he's the biggest most physical wide receiver. The way that I see wide receiver one is who is the most productive wide receiver on your team.

Starting point is 00:02:31 Who's going to lead your team in targets? Who's the guy that the defense has to. to game plan for. Who's the guy that you are game planning to get involved? Who is the guy who you want to touch the football the most? That is what a real wide receiver one is. I say it all the time. But just because there are 32 teams in the NFL doesn't mean that there are 32 number one wide receivers. That is not the truth. The Miami Dolphins don't have a number one wide receiver. Malik Washington doesn't get to be called a number one wide receiver because he's the best wide receiver on the worst wide

Starting point is 00:03:03 receiver group that I've ever seen in my entire life, quite honestly. Well, you know, that adding the draft, I like adding Chris Bell. That's a different conversation for another day. But the point is, Cornell Tate does need to be the number one wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans. He needs to come in from day one and fill all those boxes. He does happen to be the big, most physical Titans, starting wide receiver, 6 foot 2, 195 pounds. Like he needs to be that physical threat that the titan.

Starting point is 00:03:33 have on the outside. Not only that, but from a number one wide receiver perspective, he needs to be the guy who gets the ball the most, who gets the most targets, who puts up the most yards, puts up the most catches, scores touchdowns in the red zone. He needs to be the guy that tilts the defense. If you can have everybody worried about Cornell Tate going deep, and that open state things underneath for Wondale Robinson, for Calvin Ridley, for Gunner Helm, for Ellicayomor,

Starting point is 00:03:58 for Chim D.K., that can benefit everybody because of what Carnell Tate's skill set presents. And if he is that guy and if he is that level of player, again, the domino effect opens up everything else for the Tennessee Titans and lifts everybody else up a little bit higher. So Carnell Tate needs to come in from day one and be that guy. And I think that the reason that the Tennessee Titans took him at number four is because Brian Dable believes he can be that guy in that system.

Starting point is 00:04:28 Remember, we talked about the early, Hurt Perkins system. Okay? And the way that it makes it to where route concepts have names more than numbers or individual responsibilities. If there's two wide receivers out to the right and you call coffee, coffee, coffee.

Starting point is 00:04:46 That could be a running back in a tight end, two tight ends, a running back and a wide receiver, a tight end in a wide receiver, two wide receivers. It could be any combination, but if they know coffee, then they know what routes they're going to be responsible for running. Now, oftentimes what happens is the giant's offense would create trips formations where they'd have three to one side,

Starting point is 00:05:10 which means you just have to communicate that route concept to Cornell Tate on the backside is the isolation receiver. And what teams like to do is they like to run cover four. And then a lot of cover four is what they'll do is if there's trips to one side and an isolated receiver on the other side, they're going to run man coverage against that isolated wide receiver. So Carnell Tate is not only going to be a wide receiver one in terms of he's big, physical, the number one guy in that sense that a lot of people think of.

Starting point is 00:05:42 He's going to be the number one wide receiver in the sense of he's going to get the targets. He's going to get the opportunities. He's going to bend the defense. He's the game plan guy. But I also think that in Brian Dable's specific offense, he's going to have more isolation opportunities than you would have maybe in other systems and being able to dominate in those isolation opportunities, win contested catches one-on-one,

Starting point is 00:06:03 get down the field and win vertically in one-on-one coverage, all the stuff that he did at Ohio State. All of those different boxes that you check together, he is going to be the wide receiver one. And let's just talk about the stats, right? I think that Cornell Tate, in his rookie year, needs to be between 700 to 1,000 yards. He needs to catch between 50 to 70 passes.

Starting point is 00:06:28 and he needs to score somewhere between three to eight touchdowns. I mean, if he wants to score 10 touchdowns, I'm not going to be mad at him. But just the general range that I could see Carnell Tate being in personally, I'm thinking probably, you know, 55, 60 catches, 800 to 900 yards, four touchdown catches. I think that would be a phenomenal season for Cornell Tate, and he would be the wide receiver one.

Starting point is 00:06:56 and then you get him a little bit more help. The offense gets better. Cam Ward improves as well. We go into year two of Cornell Tate expecting him to be a thousand-yard-wide receiver. Now, I'm not going to say 1,000 yards out of the gate. I'm just not going to say that. It's about the health of the Titans' offense overall

Starting point is 00:07:16 than it is about Cornell Tate. But I think, again, 50 to 70 catches, 700 to 1,000 yards, three to eight touchdowns. Those are the ranges where Carnell Tate needs to be. If he's on the lower end of those, 50 catches, 700 yards,

Starting point is 00:07:35 three touchdowns. That's still a good season. Is it the elite season? We're all hoping for. Top five pick, dominant right out of the gate type season, no, but we have to be realistic. That is a very, very good rookie year.

Starting point is 00:07:48 So that's kind of the low end of what I'm expecting for Cornell Tate. But make no mistake about it again, he is the number one wide receiver and he should make the biggest impact of the Tennessee Titans draft class out of the gate and if he doesn't, that would be a concern.

Starting point is 00:08:06 If Carnal Tate isn't the most productive, isn't the most impactful, Tennessee Titans rookie, I don't see a path towards being happy with what he did his rookie year. Now, you would immediately say who's number two, who will be

Starting point is 00:08:23 the second most impactful rookie for the Titans immediately, not long term, but immediately. We'll talk long term on tomorrow's show. But you'd think it would be the next first round pick. But I honestly think that the next most impactful rookie for the Titans might be Anthony Hill at lineback. Do want to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by Ruggiat. The NFL draft is here, or was here, I guess is the right way to say that, where preparation meets opportunity, every decision matters, and it's all about being ready when your moment comes. And that same mindset applies off the field too, and that's where Ruggia it comes in.

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Starting point is 00:09:54 Fans, let's continue today's edition of the. Locked on Titans podcast again. We're looking at the immediate impact of the Tennessee Titans rookie class, what the expectations should be for each player, ranking who will make the most impact immediately. We did Carnell Tate at number one. Do want to remind you guys, check out my Cornell Tate film breakdown

Starting point is 00:10:30 on the Tick-Tac Titans YouTube channel right now. The link to see the Tick-Tac Titans YouTube channel is down below in the description, or you can just type in Tick-Tac Titans in YouTube. But you need to pair up the conversations that we have here. on Locked on Titans with the film work that I'm doing over at Tick-Tac Titans, and you're going to be the most informed, most up-to-date, and most entertained Titans fan that you could possibly be.

Starting point is 00:10:53 With that being said, though, again, I think Anthony Hill is number two on my list of most immediate impact by Tennessee Titans rookies. Of course, number one, Cornell Tate, we just talked about why. But Keldrick Folk is going to need some time in my opinion. opinion. So I have Keldrick Falk at three. I still think he's going to make an impact. I still think that Keldrick Fulk is going to be a good player. I think he's going to make plays in year one. But I think that Anthony Hill has a better chance to make a more robust impact immediate.

Starting point is 00:11:30 The reality here is Keldrick Falk, very young player, a lot of potential, really needs to work on his pass rush technique, is going to be asked to do different things at the NFL level. he was a two-gapping defensive lineman at Auburn. He is going to be asked to be a one-gap penetrator who plays the edge on early downs, kicks inside on passing downs. He's going to play inside a lot more often than he did at the college level.

Starting point is 00:11:57 There's just a big learning curve there. And not only that for Keldrick Falk, but remember, if he's going to be a guy who rushes from the interior and plays the edge on early downs, you have Femiola Dejio and Jermaine Johnson. And then on passing downs, Jeffrey Simmons, John Franklin Myers, Solomon Thomas, are all guys who can rush from the interior.

Starting point is 00:12:23 So the reality is, Keldrick Falk has more people in front of him to beat out. He has more people to compete with for playing time. They do more of a rotation on the Titans' defensive line under Robert Sala than they do at a lot of places. So his snaps are going to be limited anyway because of the rotation. and he's got elite guys who are making the most money in the entire team ahead of him at his position.

Starting point is 00:12:49 He is a developing player with a ton of potential, but as a developing young player nonetheless. That's why Keldrick Falk is number three for me. Now, I still think, again, I think Falk is going to make an impact. I'm thinking, you know, three to five tackles for loss, maybe, you know, three to five sacks for Keldrick Falk.

Starting point is 00:13:11 Maybe, you know, 15 to 20. tackles as a rotational defensive lineman. I want to keep the expectations low for Kodrick Folk again for all the reasons that I just said that's why I went with Anthony Hill over Kodrick Fall. I think that Anthony Hill

Starting point is 00:13:26 has a chance to come in and start right away. Now he's going to have to beat out. He's going to have to beat out Cody Barton. I don't think that he's going to be named the starter at, you know, rookie minicamp and a mandatory mini camp with the veterans in the middle of June. That's not going to be the case.

Starting point is 00:13:43 But I think it could be a situation where halfway through training camp, like we saw Cedric Gray last year, James Williams got the opportunity to be the starting linebacker until about halfway through training camp that first or second preseason game, Sadrick Gray took over and never gave it back.

Starting point is 00:14:02 So they're going to have Cody Barton as the starter to start training camp. I really do believe that. And the reality is with Anthony Hill, he's a guy who I think can make more of an immediate impact because it's easier for a linebacker to just play linebacker like you've been playing. His skills, his aggression, his violence, his downhill nature,

Starting point is 00:14:24 all of that is easy to get juice out of the squeeze right away, whereas Keldrick Falk has to work on his pass rush moves and his technique and his hand placement. And there's technique involved with playing linebacker, but it doesn't take a lot of technique for Anthony Hill just a blitz through the A gap and hit a quarterback. You know what I mean? Like that's kind of like running back.

Starting point is 00:14:44 Running back is an easily translatable position because you're just running the football is running the football, man. Some things change, but running the football is running the football. Playing linebackers, playing linebacker. Now, there's more difficulty to play in linebacker than there is transitioning to running back. Make no mistake about that.

Starting point is 00:15:03 The different coverages, the different responsibilities, what the rules are, telling everybody else where to go and where to be. everything is more complex at the NFL level. So being the green dot linebacker who tells your teammates where to line up and makes the adjustments and there's a lot more to it. So I'm not trying to act like it's easy. But I'm just saying I think that Anthony Hill's skill set will allow him to make more

Starting point is 00:15:24 of an immediate impact right away than Keldrick Falk, who needs a little bit more seasoning, has some more people in front of him. The only person in front of Anthony Hill right now is Cody Barton. And Cody Barton as a veteran, they're going to make Anthony Hill beat him. out, this and that, all of that's true. But who's going to be harder to beat out and take snaps from? John Franklin Myers and Jeffrey Simmons or Cody Barton. Let's just be honest about where the roster is at and where the Titans are at right now.

Starting point is 00:15:57 Excuse me. But Cody Barton not only is not as good of a player as John Franklin Myers and Jeffrey Simmons, obviously. but he's not a great fit for Robert Sala scheme. Robert Sala wants downhill physical violent linebackers with athleticism in the length. That's what he wants. Cody Barton, he's an okay athlete. Cody Barton's not a terrible athlete

Starting point is 00:16:24 in terms of his like change direction, dropping back in coverage, smooth movement, this and that. But his overall speed, his overall quickness, his violence, his downhill aggression, all are not good. Some of the worst parts of his game. He is not downhill fast. He is not violent.

Starting point is 00:16:46 He doesn't have a ton of pop and power in his hands. Cody Barton is an instinctive, high IQ linebacker with good feel for zone, good awareness. He is not clunky as a mover. but that's not, again, I don't think he's going to be cut. I could see Cody Barton getting traded, potentially if somebody wanted some veteran linebacker help for cheap

Starting point is 00:17:12 and the Titans feel comfortable with Anthony Hill. But quite honestly, I'd rather keep Cody Barton around as a backup, as a leader, as a mentor, as an old veteran in the locker room who can help all these young guys like Cedric Gray, like Anthony Hill. Like, I would rather just keep Cody Barton around as a backup. But again, when we talk about immediate impact, I could see Anthony Hill starting in week one,

Starting point is 00:17:38 flying downhill, hitting guys, making plays in the run game, getting pressure on the quarterback on blitzes up the middle, aligning all over the formation, mugged in the B gap, mugged in the A gap, at the edge, doing all these exotic things with the front that Robert Sala wants to do. I could see Anthony Hill doing that from day one. I could see Anthony Hill dropping back, getting interception. in week one and making plays.

Starting point is 00:18:03 I think that Anthony Hill has as high a potential as anybody in this draft class. But potential isn't the name of the game right now. We mean immediate impact. And immediately, I think that he's going to be out on the field making more recognizable plays earlier than Keldrick Falk, even if I think that Keldrick Falk might be ranked ahead of him when we talk about long-term potential. Like I think that Anthony Hill, outside of Cornell Tate, is my number two. That's where I'm at with those two guys.

Starting point is 00:18:36 Again, I could be wrong about that. Maybe we are massively underrating the immediate impact that Keldrick Fult can have as a 6-foot-6-275-pound good athlete defensive lineman. Keldrick Fult could, you know, go freak show. You know what I mean? He could turn on Javon Kirst. Not, he doesn't play like Javon Kirst. I'm not saying that they're similar in terms of their skill set per se.

Starting point is 00:19:05 But maybe he just comes out and dominates right away. And there's a chance. I admit, I would even admit, there is a chance that Keldrick Falk could be number one on this list. If Keldrick Fult comes out and dominates on the defensive line, he has a chance to be more impactful than Cornell Tate right away. like just outright dominant but I just I'm not projecting that

Starting point is 00:19:34 I think Keldrick Falk will need some time that's why again Tate Anthony Hill Keldrick Falk my top three let me know your rankings down below of which Titans rookies you think will be most impactful and my next rookie

Starting point is 00:19:50 is Nick Singleton who I think can make impact plays for the Titans offense more immediately than maybe people are thinking And let's cap off today's edition of the Locked-on Titans podcast. Again, we are ranking which Tennessee Titans rookies can make the most immediate impact. I did Cardinal Tate, number one. He's going to be the Titans alpha wide receiver from day one.

Starting point is 00:20:32 I did Anthony Hill number two, Keldrick Falk, number three. But next I have Nick Singleton, the running back out of Penn State. I think that Nick Singleton's immediate impact for the Titans is maybe being underestimated just a little bit because you think, hey, he could be the starting running back in the future. But I think in the immediate Nick Singleton might be more valuable than people realize. Now, before we get into that,

Starting point is 00:20:58 I do want to thank you again for making Locked on Titans your first listen each and every day. Make sure you get subscribe, stay subscribed. Again, stay locked in to the number one Tennessee Titans podcast in the world locked on Titans. But I think Nick Singleton could be the Titans' most explosive running back. We could look up and Nick Singleton

Starting point is 00:21:16 could be the Tennessee Titans starting running back by the end of the season. That's how explosive he is. That's how talented Nick Singleton is. Also, I think part of the conversation is we know Tosier Spears can't be a number one running back at this time. I think part of this conversation also is, we know that Tony Pollard is good but not incredible.

Starting point is 00:21:44 And I don't think that Tony Pollard has, I know that he had the long run against the Browns. I remember. Everyone remembers. But I don't think that Tony Pollard is super explosive at this stage. I think all the workload that he had to take his last year in Dallas with the Titans in year one, with the Titans last year. I think it has sapped a little bit of his explosiveness that he had coming out of college and he had in the prime of his career.

Starting point is 00:22:09 So I think that Nick Singleton is a bigger, more physical back. I think he has the potential to be a more explosive. running back than Tony Pollard as well, and you put that combination together knowing that Tadge Spears isn't going to be the one to take those opportunities away. Again, I think Nick Singleton could be the Titans starting running back

Starting point is 00:22:27 by the end of the year, and he could be a guy who Titans fans are looking at and being like, oh, this is our lead running back. You know, great out of the backfield. Like, I think in the immediate, it may take him some time. Nick Singleton needs to get better at reading his blocks. needs to get better at reading the defense, making decisions,

Starting point is 00:22:50 having proper tempo, not running to the back of his offensive linemen. And that stuff may take time for him to truly improve and learn the system and get good enough to take over. But immediately out of the gate, pass blocking, catching the ball out of the back field, being back there with Chim Dike in the return game, maybe even spelling Chim DK as a kick returner. I think punt returner, you leave Chim DK in at every stretch of the amount.

Starting point is 00:23:15 every turn is really what I was looking for. You leave Chim DK in to be the punt returner. But kickoff return, you can mix Nick Singleton in there to get him the ball in open space, tons of size, tons of speed. Again, feel the same about the passing game. You can get him involved, have him have a couple of carries. I think you look at Nick Singleton, I'm thinking five to 10 touches a game early on,

Starting point is 00:23:41 and then that increases as he does well. so you give the ball to Tony Pollard you know 15 to 20 times Tage Spears 10 to 15 times Nick Singleton 5 to 10 times and then you adjust those as you go on and again I think Nick Singleton's home run ability

Starting point is 00:24:03 his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield his ability to pass block when he's locked in when he wants to be aggressive and physical it just gives him the opportunity to get on the field and I think that Brian Dable wants a physical downhill runner in his system to get the tough yards. And that's not Nick Singleton right now, in my opinion, but his body composition and the way that he plays

Starting point is 00:24:26 gives him the ability to be that. So I think Nick Singleton was, hey, we don't have this kind of guy, we need this kind of guy in my offense. And whenever you have a unique skill set, at a position group, it gives you the opportunity to make an immediate impact.

Starting point is 00:24:46 Now, after that, I go with the offensive linemen. And I'm going to go Pat Coogan at number five. I just think that Pat Coogan against Austin Schloteman, I want Coogan to win that one. Coogan is ready-made. He's out of the box, ready to go.

Starting point is 00:25:05 Just won a national championship, professional, good mindset. Austin Sloatman, I think, has he's the favorite to win that job, but I'm not going to go as far as to say that Pat Coogan can't come back and take that job away from him as he gets into the building and learn things. I think that Coogan

Starting point is 00:25:23 has the best next chance after Singleton to make that immediate impact. But a close number six, a very close number six. Honestly, I have them tied is Fernando Carmona. What we're looking at here is Pat Coogan against Austin Slotman and Fernando Carmona against Jackson Slater. That's what I see the battle as.

Starting point is 00:25:47 Who can win that battle? I think with Jackson Slater being another young player, Jackson Slater earning the starting guard position is just as good for the Titans as Fernando Carmona earning the starting guard position. So there is not going to be a rush to declare either of them the winner. However, Pat Coogan has a lot more upside than Austin Shloat.

Starting point is 00:26:17 Younger, can be on the team longer, cheaper. I think there would be not a rush in a bad way, like the Titans are rushing to do this, and they're going too fast and this and that. But I think there would be more of an appetite, is the word I'll go with. There would be more of an appetite for the Titans to start Pat Coogan,

Starting point is 00:26:41 then there would be to start Fernando Carmona. That's not the way that I would say. There would be more of an appetite to give Pat Coogan the starting center job if it's close then it would be to give it to Fernando Carmona if it's close. Because there isn't as much benefit between Slater or between Schlotman and Coogan

Starting point is 00:27:04 as there is, or flip that. There's more benefit to going with Coogan over Schlotman than there is to go with Fernando over Slater early on. So I think that changes the calculation there now. Number seven on my list is Jared Kanek.

Starting point is 00:27:20 I actually have him over Jackie Marshall. Jared Kanek I think could make a bigger impact on special teams as a special team's coverage guy than Jackie Marshall will in a crowded interior defensive line group.

Starting point is 00:27:35 Again, Solomon Thomas, Jordan Elliot, Keldrick Fault, John Franklin Myers, Jeffrey Simmons. It's just going to be hard in my opinion for Jackie Marshall to make a massive impact. I think Jackie Marshall is the one guy who I would say, if anybody from this draft class wasn't going to make

Starting point is 00:27:51 the team, it's Jared Kenick and Jackie Marshall. But Kenick and his ability to make an impact on special teams like Jared Kenick could be a starter immediately on special teams coverage units. Jackie

Starting point is 00:28:09 Marshall is not going to start immediately. There is no route to that. So this one was easy. Jared Kanek is number 7. Jackie Marshall is number 8. Let me know your ranks of the Tennessee Titans rookies and which one you think is going to have an immediate impact tomorrow's episode.

Starting point is 00:28:26 We're going to look at the long-term impact of the Tennessee Titans rookies. But with that being said, that is going to do it for today's show. I want to remind you, join the Locked on Titans every day or club. Hit the link down below in the description. You're going to get an ad-free version of the podcast in your favorite podcast app. You're going to get added to the Locked on Titans every day or group chat again.

Starting point is 00:28:46 Join the Locked on Titans every day or club. Hit the link down below in the description. That's going to do it for me today though, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.

Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Carnell Tate ALPHA RECEIVER on DAY 1 for Cam Ward & Anthony Hill STARTING Potential

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