Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans MUST BUILD AROUND Cam Ward, Can't Pass Day 2 Talent & Reliable Depth on Day 3

Episode Date: March 16, 2025

The Tennessee Titans look to be taking Cam Ward at #1 overall in the NFL Draft and if they do so, they must build around Cam Ward on offense. This means there are certain talents they simply can't pass on for a trade down in the second round and Luther Burden is one of those talents. We also need to see some future starters added in the middle rounds and the Titans have some clear positions to get a head start on. Finally, adding reliable players to create depth at positions that may not be an incredible need should still be on the menu on Day 3 of the draft. Subscribe to the TicTacTitans Film Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@TicTacTitans TicTacTitans Merchandise: https://dixons-dream.square.site/shop/tictactitans-gear/C3AAPNWXSXA6SBYG3USV2I7R?page=1&limit=30&sort_by=category_order&sort_order=asc Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitans Follow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPod Subscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitans/videos Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBAfor $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. 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)

The Tennessee Titans must build around Cam Ward, and that means there are some prospects in the second round that they can't pass on. I'll show you on today's Mock Draft Monday edition of Locked on Titan. 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 edition of the Locked On Titans podcast is brought to you by FanDuel.

Right now, new customers can get $200 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. It is a mock draft Monday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. I'm going to do a seven round mock draft and show you what a can't pass moment in the second round would look like. Before we get into all of 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. You're not going to beat that anywhere else. Make sure that you get subscribed. Stay subscribed. It's your team every day. Speaking of every day, shout out to my every dayers out there. Tune it in Monday through Friday. Couldn't do it without you guys.

If you aren't an every dayer, you need to be one because there's breaking news all the time right now. Also the draft is right around the corner and I go over 200 prospects in detail every single draft season Plus we're having mock draft mondays all the time just like today So make sure that you get subscribed stay subscribed. It's your team Every day before we dive into the mock draft. I do want to mention the tennessee titans cut chidobe Awuzie, cornerback who they signed last year. It didn't work out. He only played eight games for the Titans.

There were injuries. It's curious. The Titans are only going to save $2 million by cutting him, but they're going to save $12 million in cash saved, which is important for going out and getting other players in free agency. It's not about the cap space. It's about the actual dollars that you have to pay in one year contracts to get players to come to your team. So this is going to save the Titans quite a bit of money. It also saves them cap space next year as well, of course, because Ousier's dead cap all sinks into this year. So they're only going to save about $2 million on the cap, but they're clearing out a bad contract and a bad decision that they made last year. Jarvis Brownlee Jr. now steps up as the starting cornerback.

But we'll talk more about that and other free agent targets the Tennessee Titans should still have during the second wave of free agency, how much cap space they have. I'm going to go over all of that stuff in the next couple of episodes. So again, make sure that you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day, but Cam Ward, number one overall, no doubt about it. And it got even more clear this weekend. So we've heard it from some Titans places that people are feeling convinced that Cam Ward is number one overall.

Obviously they signed Brandon Allen as their backup quarterback, a guy who's got 18 appearances in his entire career. He's 33 years old, Brandon Allen, and shout out to Corey Curtis for pointing this out. Brandon Allen has less career passing yards than Will Levis had last season. So keep that in mind here. He has a pure backup, which makes it seem like the Titans are absolutely going after Cam Ward. But on the giant side of things, Jordan Renan, the ESPN reporter for the New York Giants, he said over the weekend

that the Giants plans to trade to number one overall quote, appear dead. Guys, all the signs are pointing here and there are some of you are kicking and screaming right now. Look, I preferred a trade down. I preferred Abdul Carter. Those were my preferences. But as I have said throughout the process, if the Tennessee Titans decide, hey, one of these quarterbacks is our franchise quarterback, the

future of our team, and we're taking them number one overall, that's the conviction that I want to see from the Tennessee Titans. And it's obvious that that is where they are going. So I'm not going to wait and go kicking and screaming to get on board. Cam Ward is a quarterback of the future and I am supporting him until he's not anymore from here on out. It is the Cam Ward train. We're in here.

All right, we're in here. That's the reality. He is going to be your franchise quarterback and we all need to just get on board and support him. So how do you do that? How do you build around them? Well, when you take Kim ward number one overall, you obviously can't trade back and get more picks, which would immediately lead any immediately lead anyone to think, well, then they need

to trade down with pick number 35 in the second round. Well, listen, there are some can't pass prospects at the top of the second round for the Tennessee Titans that I know that a trade down would get them more picks, but at some point you just can't pass on certain guys. And I think especially you look at wide receiver with the talent on the defensive line, the talent on the edge, the lack of top tier or the lack of depth at offensive tackle. Meaning that a lot of people are going to take offensive tackle early because there aren't a lot of great depth options after you get through the first five or six with that in mind, the interior offensive line, there are some good options that could go early and because this isn't a great draft, you can take non-premium positions higher.

Like tight end, like running back, like interior offensive line. You could take a guard number 11, if it's a bad draft class, like the Titans did with Peter Skronsky. See what I mean? You could take a guard number five overall, if you're Jacksonville and get Will Campbell, because this draft class isn't that great. So with that in mind, you take him ward number one overall, and there could be certain positions that although they're premium positions, they slide down the board.

Like wide receiver, Teta Rho and Macmillan could go later than people expect. Matthew golden people are saying, some people are saying he's the number one wide receiver maybe, but he could go lower than it. I'm thinking like, what was it? 2000 and 2003 where you had Jackson Smith and Jigba, Quentin Johnston, Zay Flowers go in like the early twenties. I think it could be like that potentially. And if that happens and a guy like a Mecca Bucca or a guy like Luther Burden, who you look around some mock drafts from some reputable names in the industry. And Luther Burden is not always in the first round of these mock drafts. Slot wide receiver.

Maybe even could play on the outside. Like Jordan Addison, a lot of people said he would just be in the slot, but he's found a way to play a little bit on the outside. Devante Smith, same thing. A guy like Luther Burden, I think is a camp pass prospect. If he's available at number 35 for the Tennessee Titans to be able to pair Luther Burden or a guy like a Mecca Bucca to pair a guy like that with cam ward for the next five to six years and immediately give him that target cam ward is a guy who's going to be able to create out

of structure. He's going to extend plays. He's going to create scramble drills and sandlot opportunities. You want a player that can constantly get open. And when they get their hands on the ball, start making people miss and create even more advantage out of the opportunity that was created by the quarterback and his playmaking and Luther Burden is that guy. So in this draft, I took cam ward number one overall, and then Luther

Burden was available at number 35. I could have gone with Walter Nolan out of Ole Miss, the interior defensive lineman or Nick scouted the edge rusher out of Texas a and M Demetrius night at linebacker, uh, Prince,, Prince Umami Ellen out of Ole Miss, which was a serious consideration for me. And I went back and forth with Umami Ellen, but I thought it was a bit too high. Trey Harris and Alec Aylmaner were available, but I think the talent of Luther Burden, who probably goes in the first round, but I don't think it would be crazy if he fell to the early second round with, again, non-premium positions, maybe going a little bit higher this year.

But the point that I'm making with all of this is you have Cam Ward. And while it would be nice to trade down in the second round and get some more picks in the top 100, no doubt about it. That would be nice. The reality is you have to support Cam Ward. You have to give him an opportunity to succeed. And when you look at this wide receiver group with Calvin Ridley and the ghost of Traylon Burks, and then what Van Jefferson, Bryce Oliver, is Colton Dowell coming back, Jaquan Jackson, like the point I'm making here is there's no way that Cam Ward is going to

be supported properly with that cast of characters and if you don't Take lose the burden. There's a chance you're going to get a guy who's not ready to contribute right away like luther burden is Yards after catch monster separation explosive deep ball tracking pair luther burden with cam ward and let's ride going to day four day three Today's episode is brought to you by Monarch Money. Ever check your bank account and wonder where did all my money go between dining out, online shopping and entertainment? It's easy to lose track. That's where Monarch Money comes in.

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Again, that's Fandool.com, America's continue today's mock draft Monday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We talked about taking Cam Ward number one overall building around Cam Ward and giving him some help with Luther Burden at number 35. But with that, now the Tennessee Titans don't have another pick until day three of the draft. It would be pick number 103. Now that the compensatory draft picks are finally in the calculus, we know exactly where the Tennessee Titans are picking.

So now we have six picks on day three. I'll say this in a future mock draft Monday, what I'm going to do is I'm going to use these six day three picks and I'm going to use a couple of them and I'm going to move back up into the seventies or eighties and additional top 100 picks. So it would be, you know, 1.1, 235, 382, 4103. And, you know, between 120, 141, 167, 178, I'm going to use a couple of those picks and, uh, and get us back into the top 100 for a pick and a later one. But I didn't do that here. I just stayed where the Titans are at. They want to build around cam ward.

They had to take Luther burden. You couldn't pass on the opportunity to pair that kind of talent in the slot. And then potentially taken over for Calvin Ridley in a couple of years, is the Z wide receiver couldn't pass on that. So where do you, where do you go from here? Well, fourth round pick number one Oh three. I was looking at a couple of options. You have Harold fan and jr.

The tight end from Bowling Green. I think if the Titans get like a really good opportunity, like a Mason Taylor out of LSU, a Colston Loveland potentially and the Titans get an opportunity to get a decent tight end. I think they might go ahead and strike take talent in this draft class take talent. So I was thinking that Gunnar Helm was an option. And I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Let's, let's, let's go to the defensive side of the ball. Maybe Barrett Carter out of Clemson, the linebacker, Baron Sorrell, the edge rusher out of Texas. But ultimately I went to another Texas defender because the Tennessee Titans brought in Xavier Woods, Amani Hookers on the last year of his contract. I think there's a good chance that the Tennessee Titans will need two safeties next year. I went with Andrew Mokuba, the safety out of Texas, 22 years old, 5'11", 186 pounds.

Look, he needs to shore up his tackling. He needs to take better angles. He needs to make sure that he's a better tackler from the safety position. He needs to be better with his run fits. Overall, it needs to be better in run defense, but he is a willing player in run defense and his ball production, the ability to get interceptions and disrupt the ball, his quick trigger when he's a single high safety coming downhill on those dig routes and those post routes I mean he could play that back end center fielder and if you play him in dime packages early in his rookie season where he's the back deep center fielder and then Xavier Woods and a money hooker can be more of like your curl flat guys or your hook defenders

over the middle and a buzz coverage like sink into the middle of the field as a robber as well. You can use Xavier Woods and Imani Hooker in those sorts of roles where they're even man coverage on tight ends and running backs and then you have Andrew Mokuba who could play back in your center field and then next year after Imani Hooker leaves or after Xavier Woods is gone. Now you have a starting safety for the next four years. That is a perfect outcome. I think in this draft with what the Titans have done, they need to look to the future. Like what are we going to need next year?

That's what the Titans should be drafting for. What do we need next year? And while you could go with some other options I think Andrew mccubber right there for a round for pick 103 would be a great fit and then you go to pick 120 still in the fourth round the Titans second fourth round pick and I was looking at edge rusher at this point the Titans absolutely need an edge rusher and guys like David Walker who is a smaller player from a small school but very productive only six foot on the defensive line though I don't think that's what the Titans are looking for. They want big power edges

It appears Antoine Powell Ryland out of Virginia Tech. I'm very interested in him I would love if the Titans came away with him on day three quite honestly I think he's ready made to come in right away and contribute to a pass rush Honestly, I think he's ready made to come in right away and contribute to a pass rush. Um, maybe not the most athletically explosive guy, but a polished guy, Baron Sorrell again from Texas. I was considering him 17 picks ago, looking at it now, but instead I go with one of my favorite players in the draft. And it's Femi Oladejo, the edge rusher out of UCLA, only 21 years old, still

only 21 years old in still only 21 years old. In a bad draft class, I'm going to prioritize some younger guys. Might as well go for potential because if all of these guys, even the older guys aren't that great, I might as well take a younger prospect who I can develop, who maybe end up being better. And Oladayjo is a, can be a big power edge with a little bit more weight on him. And Oladizio is a, can be a big power edge with a little bit more weight on him. Six foot three, 260 pounds, 33 and a half inch arm. So length, bolt.

All right. He's long. He has a sturdy frame. He's explosive as well. He's got great potential. He could be a gap shooter and he started as an off-ball linebacker. He's only been an edge for one year. Sound like Abdul Carter, right?

But because of his history as an off-ball linebacker. He's only been an edge for one year. Sound like Abdul Carter, right? But because of his history as an off-ball linebacker, not only does he have potential to grow rapidly as an edge rusher because he wasn't playing that originally, but also he's got some versatility in a skill set where he can drop back into coverage because he was an off-ball linebacker, which is helpful when the Titans run those zone blitzes that they run, where they bring a safety or a cornerback or a linebacker off one side and drop an edge rusher into coverage on the other side. With Denaard Wilson doing that stuff, that sort of versatility should be prioritized. So the pass rush potential to polish up a guy like Femi Oladejo, look, he doesn't have a ton of moves. He really needs to clean up his technique, but that length, that size, that sturdy of a frame, that sort of potential, that explosive athletic ability, we will coach him up.

Give me that guy. I picked 120 in the draft. Yes, not a question about it. And then we go to pick number 141. And again, build around cam ward. We get cam ward, a great young receiver, but then we have to go to the defensive side of the ball for a couple of picks. All right. We go with Macuba.

We go with Ola Dejo. We hit safety. We hit edge. Now it's time to get back to the trenches. Now it's time to get back to the offensive line. time to get back to the trenches. Now it's time to get back to the offensive line. And I went at pick number 141 fifth round with a guy that I really, really want the Titans to pull the trigger on in the draft. And it's Emery Jones Jr. The offensive lineman out of LSU. Now he was an offensive tackle, right tackle

for LSU. I think he should play Garth. The Titans want big powerful players. Emory Jones is six foot five, 315 pounds, 34 and three quarter inch arms. He has great length, great size, and he's only 21 years old. He can get bigger. He can get stronger. Look, he has all the potential in the world. The technique is just bad. And the Titans have Bill Callahan. So let's bring in Emory Jones as a big, powerful, strong guard. Kevin Zeitler is 35 on a one year contract. You're going to have to replace Kevin Zeitler next year.

He's a one-year hole filler. So get his replacement. Now let him learn how to be a pro from Kevin Zeitler. Let him learn how to be a pro from Lloyd Cushinberry. That's what they need to do. Imagine a right side of 65320, Emery Jones and 65340 JC Latham. Bullies. Get Emery Jones. Get your long-term solution at right guard. Let Bill Callahan coach him up. Let Kevin Zeitler mentor him. Perfect. Her fake man, like the Titans get Emery Jones. Look, and I know there are risks.

All right. Raw technique. I don't know about, you know, character and stuff like that. So, but I'm all in, I'm all in on Emery Jones. Let's, let's get this young guy in here and let's coach them up. Like that's the type of talent and youth that I'm taking a chance on with my day three picks in the NFL draft. But let's round this thing out. We got three more picks and we got some great reliable depth coming at the end of the draft. I'm going to be back.

Titans fans. Let's cap off today's edition of the locked on Titans podcast. It is a mock draft Monday and I can already hear the YouTube. It's Sunday night. Shut up. Shut up. You're lucky you get, get it early. All right. But anyway, all jokes aside, we've got to finish out this mock draft Monday. We've made five picks so far.

I am overly excited about the way that this mock draft turned out before we cap it off, do want to thank you again for making Locked on Titan your first listen for your second listen, check out Locked on NFL. Obviously a busy time in the NFL. I host the Locked on NFL show for the Locked on Podcast Network. So I would appreciate your support and you can get caught up on all the NFL news that happened for over the weekend. But with that being said, we move to pick 167.

We're still in the fifth round. To this point, we have Cam Ward pick 1.1. We have Luther Burden pick 2.35. We have Andrew Maccuba, the safety out of Texas, round four, pick 103. Then we went with Femi Oladejo, the edge rusher, round four, pick 120. And Emery Jones, LSU, the interior offensive lineman round five pick 141 round five pick 167 I went with a pick that you're probably going to hear in every mock draft I do and it's ollie gordon I won ollie gordon out of Oklahoma state six foot 200 pounds power back

great in pass protection capable of catching the ball out of the backfield Maybe doesn't have high-end explosiveness Maybe not the best wiggle in the world obviously was a more highly regarded prospect last year's draft cycle. Maybe should have Came out. I don't know his year if that was possible for him. I don't think it was actually I think it was soft but anyways Ollie Gordon would be a perfect fit with Tajay Spears and Tony Pollard. He would be a perfect part of that committee. He would be a power back that can fall forward. He could be short yardage, he could be goal line.

He's good enough in pass protection to be out there as a third down back as well. So teams can't know if the Titans are running up the gut or if they're throwing, he'd be so perfect and a read option with Cam Ward and short yardage. Um, but Tony Pollard and Tasha Spears are both good running backs. Tony Pollard is going to fall apart. If Tasha Spears gets hurt again, Tasha Spears can't handle a lead back roll because he'll get hurt. Um, and neither of them are very good in short yardage power situation.

So Ollie Gordon would be absolutely fantastic. I'm going to keep counting the table for that as a day three fit for the Titans. We moved around six pick one 78. I went with Deontay Thompson, the wide receiver out of Tennessee, six foot five, ran a four three at the combine. Look right now, what I'm looking for from Deontay Thompson is be a special teamer. You're six foot five, you're big, you're fast, run down the field and hit somebody. Like that's what I need from you right now.

But what the Titans really need is speed. And if they could have some size to go along with that, that would be great because they don't have either right now, but what the titans really need is speed and if they could have some size to go along with that, that would be great because they don't have either right now. Traylen burks, whatever, again the ghost. I'm not talking about Traylen burks. He is not a factor here. So you have Van Jefferson at the end of his career, not a speed demon. Calvin Ridley has speed for sure, but he's not overly big and physical. And then Jaquan Jackson, small, quick, more than fast. Bryce Oliver, pedestrian size. He's like six foot, not a speed demon.

You know what I mean? Like the Titans just don't have a ton of talent at wide receiver right now. So if you can get a guy who's six foot five with speed, who can help on special teams right away, and maybe you could throw into some packages and maybe you could develop, I think HEN wide receiver twice is a great move and getting a hometown guy from Tennessee to come in and fill a depth role. I absolutely love that. I love that.

And then finally, last pick in the draft, sixth round pick one 88, the Titans. Remember they, uh, gave Kenneth Murray and a seventh to the Cowboys to move up to the sixth round. Masterful move by Mike Portgonsi. Get rid of a bad contract, get rid of a bad player and move up from the seventh to the sixth. Love that. And now you might be able to package one of these sixth round picks with one of your fourth

round picks and move up into the third round. Just masterful stuff, really. But with the last pick in the draft, I'm going to go with a player who's already had a visit with the Titans. Probably going to be what happens every year with these mock drafts is I get a couple of guys in the late rounds that I just love and I get them every time. Josh Wiley was one of those guys. Sugar Conquo was one of those guys as well. Um, but anyways, cam Jackson, defensive lineman out of Florida.

He's a big run stuffing nose tackle, six foot six, 328 pounds. He would be a perfect backup. The Tevandre sweat and quite frankly, sweat is quick enough and athletic enough to play the three technique, the Jeffrey Simmons position. And then you could have cam Jackson in Tavondre Sweat's position. If you were in like heavy run scenarios, or you just wanted to get Jeffrey Simmons off the field for a blow for a little bit, imagine trying to run the ball on Tavondre Sweat at three tech and Cam Jackson, six, six, three 28 at nose tackle. Like imagine trying to

do that. You're not going to get very far. And I think the Titans are trying to get bigger on the defensive line. They want bigger edge rushers. They want bigger interior offensive linemen. They just want to be bigger. Again, Emory Jones, bigger on the offensive line. We just want to get bigger. So I love this hall. I can't lie to you.

I was almost in tears with emotions with how happy I am about this hall. Cam Ward, number one overall pair him with Luther Burden at pick number 35 Andrew, Maccuba, the safety Femiola Dejo, the edge rusher, Emory Jones at guard. Ollie Gordon is the third running back. Deontay Thornton Jr. Did I say Thompson? I did write down Thompson. Deontay Thornton Jr.

Dante Thornton Jr. Sorry, I'm all over the map with my bad notes. I write like a doctor. Cam Jackson in the interior defensive line. We hit wide receiver twice. We'll get safety. We get guard, we get edge, we get running back. We get interior defensive line and a great interior defensive line class.

Like that's how you support your young quarterback. That's how you support the defense build for the future. Absolutely love what we did here. Let me know your grade for my mock draft down below in the comments or hit me up on Twitter at tic tac titans, but with that being said again tomorrow, we're going to look at the salary cap Also look at some free agent options tomorrow wednesday Not certain what order i'm going to do the episodes in if there's more tennessee titans news that pops up we'll be all over that as well, but

It's going to be a crazy all season and we're already halfway through it, but that's going to do it for me today. Folks, as always, I am your host Tyler Rowland and this was Locked on Titan.