Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans MUST DRAFT Receivers, Perfect Day 2 Targets & Late Round Risks

Episode Date: April 14, 2023

The Tennessee Titans are in a scary spot with their receiver core and will need to likely add two receivers in the 2023 NFL Draft. Names like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Zay Flowers and Quentin Johnson could be options early. Who fits best between Day 2 players like Johnathan Mingo, Rashee Rice, Josh Downs and more. Finally, what Day 3 risks could the Titans take to find a steal!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.Ultimate Football GMTo download the game just visit Ultimate-GM.com or look it up on the app stores. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo LOCKEDON (ALL CAPS) in the game store.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

The Tennessee Titans must draft two of these wide receivers. I'm going to give you a full breakdown of this year's wide receiver class in the NFL draft 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, a full breakdown of the 2023 NFL Draft wide receiver class is coming on

today's show. I'm going to tell you exactly what round I would take each of these wide receivers, what position they're going to play within the Titans system, and we're going to talk about their entire skill sets. So excited for this episode. Maybe my favorite Locked on Titans 2023 NFL Draft Preview episode of the entire series. As a reminder, I've talked quarterbacks and running backs already. Go check those shows out if you missed them, but we're doing wide receiver today. I 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 long and always for free. Make sure that you get subscribed and stay subscribed

to the Locked on Titans podcast so you don't miss any of the positions that will come here in the near future. We still got to talk offensive line. We still got to talk tight ends and the entire defense. Don't miss out. Do want to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by the ultimate pro football GM app. Ever dreamed of becoming an NFL GM yourself and managing a football franchise

and doing an NFL draft? Then this game is definitely for you to download the game. Just go to ultimate-gm.com or just look it up in the app store on your cell phone. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when you use promo code LOCKEDON in all caps. But we're not going to waste any time here, Titans fans. We got a lot of wide receivers to discuss on today's show. And we are going to start with my number one wide receiver, and it's Jackson Smith Njigba

from Ohio State. Six foot, 196 pounds. So requisite size. He checks that box. He's a guy who played primarily in the slot, but Mike Vrabel said it at Ohio State's Pro Day that he thinks Jackson Smith and Jigba can play on the outside, and that's so, so important because the Titans run so much two tight end sets that most of the time they only have two wide receivers out on the field. We know one will be Traylon Burks. They need to upgrade the other position, and if it was Jackson Smith We know one will be Traylon Burks. They need to upgrade the other position, and if it was Jackson Smith and Jigba with Traylon Burks,

that's a pretty good two-wide receiver group to head into the future with. They will be excellent in the coming years. So love that opportunity for Jackson Smith and Jigba to actually fit within the Titans offense. Obviously, for me, this is the only wide receiver that I would pick at number 11. He is an absolute route technician, plays with great angles with his route running, great pacing, setting up cornerbacks by going at half speed, 75%, and then hitting 100 at the perfect time. He sets up cornerbacks. He's got great body control, great at tracking the ball

over his shoulder downfield. He's got excellent body control, great at tracking the ball over his shoulder downfield. He's got excellent hands. Now, look, when we talk about Jackson Smith and Jigba, he doesn't have elite breakaway speed. He's not a guy who's going to run away from defenders consistently. And you've got to talk about the hamstring injury that basically kept him out of the entire 2022 season. We've been talking about injuries for so long as Titans fans,

and that is a concern. The experience, he's only got one year of elite production, and while Mike Vrabel might have said that at his pro day, he may be a slot-only option, which would really eliminate some value for the Titans if they pick them, but for me, if the Titans take a wide receiver at number 11, I want it to be Jackson, Smith, and Jigba. That's my number one wide receiver. After that, we're looking at a guy like Zay Flowers from Boston College, a much smaller guy, 5'9", 182 pounds. And look, I wouldn't take Zay Flowers at number 11, but I would consider taking Zay Flowers if the Titans trade back.

He's a guy who's probably going to be a slot wide receiver. Maybe he could play some Z and play on the outside as a movement wide receiver, but he's probably going to be in the slot, which again, with the Titans running so many too tight end formations, that does limit the value. A guy like Zay Flowers may have to the Titans unless they see him as a guy who can play on the outside as well. Flowers is incredibly quick. His route pacing

is excellent. He knows exactly how to vary his speed to set up cornerbacks. He tracks the ball well over his shoulder. He's great at adjusting to bad passes and adjusting to make catches when the ball isn't necessarily in the perfect spot. He's an incredibly competitive guy, and he was incredibly productive in college, which I know matters a lot to Mike Vrabel. Now look, Zay Flowers is a smaller guy, five foot nine. Like I said, that's going to be a factor at the next level. He's had some drop issues. He doesn't have the longest arms in the world. So he's not a guy who's going to win contested catch situations with catch radius at all times. He has the tendency to maybe be a little bit of a body

catcher and he doesn't really have any special teams value that he can add at all times. He has the tendency to maybe be a little bit of a body catcher, and he doesn't really have any special teams value that he can add at this time. So that's a concern for me, and that's why if the Titans do, for some reason, trade back, even though I don't want them to, if they do trade back into the back half of the first round or later in the first round, then maybe a guy like Zay Flowers would make some sense. I could be okay with it there.

Another guy who falls in that category of if the Titans trade back, then you could take him in the first round if they trade back and collect more picks. And that's Jordan Addison from USC. 5'11", 173 pounds, so a little bit taller than Zay Flowers, but a little bit skinnier as well. With Jordan Addison, he's a guy who's probably going to play in the slot. Maybe the Titans see him as a Z receiver on the outside. Maybe there's potential there.

But for the most part, you have to be honest and say that he's probably going to be a slot guy. And again, that is going to limit the value that he brings to the Tennessee Titans. So when you look at Jordan Addison, he is incredibly twitchy. I mean, and at 5'11", with that twitch, that's great. He's so quick at running his routes, very crisp in and out of his breaks and his routes, got great yards after catchability as well, and he does have speed, and he provides value as a special teams player

as a punt returner. So you love to see the versatility from Jordan Addison. He's a little bit taller and longer of an athlete than Zay Flowers, and he's a twitchy guy now. Like I said, he's leaner than Zay Flowers though. So he's small, he's slight, he doesn't play with a great deal of strength. He's going to have a hard time dealing with strong cornerbacks at the next level. He's had some drop issues, but he did get better consistently every single year with the drop issues. And I believe his last year in college, it wasn't really a factor

whatsoever. Now, of course, the question is again, same thing with Zay Flowers. And we're going to talk about this a lot throughout this episode. Is he a slot only guy? Is he an option that's only going to be able to play in the slot. That has to factor in, but he's got natural ability. He's an incredible playmaker. So again, if the Titans trade back in the first round, like into, you know, the 20 to 25 range, 20 to 28 range, if they do that and pick up Jordan Addison, I can completely understand why that would be appealing to them. The last guy that I'm going to talk about at wide receiver, and he's kind of at the end of my first tier here, is Quinton Johnston from TCU, 6'2", 210 pounds. So by far the biggest guy that we have talked about so far.

Quinton Johnston is another guy that if the Titans trade back later into the first round, then I'm perfectly okay with them swooping him up. Unlike some of the other guys we've talked about, every guy we've talked about so far, there is no question about the fact that Quentin Johnston can play on the outside. He is going to be an X wide receiver or play Z wide receiver. He did both of those at times in college. So I think that Johnston makes more sense for the Titans personally, because it's been my opinion that the Titans, again, don't play a ton of three wide receiver sets consistently. Maybe that changes with Tim Kelly, and this draft pick will tell us a lot about that, but the Titans typically like to have two

physical wide receivers in their base set. You have Traylon Burks on one side, and I think Quentin Johnston, who could almost be like a Corey Davis replacement. Some people have even compared Quentin Johnston to Corey Davis, so I think the Titans would feel more comfortable with two bigger receivers on the outside, and at 6'2", 210, he's the first wide receiver we've discussed that I think really checks the box for the Titans there. He's a size, speed, strength athlete. He's good at getting in and out of breaks, and he's good at breaking over the middle, which again, in the Titan system with a lot of in-breaking routes, slants, dig routes, curls, some deep patterns as well mixed in, I think Quentin Johnston can do all of those route concepts.

Now, that fits because he doesn't have the most diverse route tree. He's a guy who can really go up and get it at the catch point, but he has had some issues with some focus drops when he shouldn't be dropping the ball. He's a body catcher sometimes and doesn't pluck the ball out of the air with his hands. So when you talk about a limited route tree, you talk about a guy who may not be the most dynamic change of direction type guy,

and then you talk about some of the drop issues, you can see why Quentin Johnston would make more sense for the Titans if they traded back in the draft. So for me, I like Jackson Smith and Jigba at pick number 11. If the Titans trade back in the first round, I would go with Quentin Johnston as the best fit. But Zay Flowers and Jordan Addison, if the Titans see them as people who can play on the outside and in the slot,

they would make some sense as well. But we're going to move to the next tier of wide receivers that I'm interested in for the Titans. Before we get into it, though, I do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by the Ultimate Pro Football GM app. We're talking about the draft. We're talking about drafting players. Well, if you want to run your own professional football franchise and act as the GM, you can do that on the Ultimate Pro Football GM app. Not only can you draft players, but you sign free agents, you cut players, you hire and fire coaches. It's a great way to pass

time. You can do it right on your cell phone. Just look up the Ultimate Football GM app in your game store. It's challenging. It's realistic. You can play offline. You can play online and go through all the ups and downs of a pro football season as you navigate the entire process. It's a really, really fun time. I promise you that. Locked on Titans listeners can get a 100% free boost to their franchise

when you use the promo code LOCKEDON. That's LOCKEDON in all caps in the game store, in the app. Go to ultimate-gm.com or just look it up on your app store. That's ultimate-gm.com. The Ultimate Football GM app. Start your dynasty today. Titans fans, let's continue. Today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast, we are doing a full breakdown of the wide receiver draft class for this year's draft. 26 different prospects we're going to go over.

So let's hit on the gas pedal and get back into the list. Before we do, though, do want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Remember, I am going position by position throughout the draft class. We're going to talk 150 to 180 prospects. We've done quarterback and running back so far. We're doing wide receiver today, but next week we're going to do tight ends.

We're going to do offensive line. We're going to get into the defense as well, all the way leading up to the draft. It's nothing but draft content here on the Locked on Titans podcast. Let's continue. My first receiver in the second tier is Jalen Hyatt. All right, and I know that a lot of you guys

are Tennessee Vols fans, and you're a big fan of Jalen Hyatt, but for me, I would only feel comfortable taking Jalen Hyatt at pick number 41. I would not feel comfortable taking him in the first round. Now, obviously, out of Tennessee, mentioned the Volve connection there, 6'1", 176 pounds.

He played pretty much exclusively in the slot at Tennessee. Maybe because of the deep speed, he kind of reminds me of Deshaun Jackson, almost, is kind of how I see Jalen Hyatt. But he played almost exclusively in the slot. Maybe he can play some Z receiver. And again, if you can only play in the slot, to me, you lose some value to the Titans from what we know Mike Vrabel wants at wide receiver. But look, Hyatt has just unreal straight line speed getting down the field. Again, it reminds me of Deshaun Jackson in a way he attacks the football when he goes to catch it. He's not a guy who waits for it

to come to him. And for a guy who his slender build, that's really important. And with that deep ball speed and the deep ball ability, he's great at tracking the ball over his shoulder. He's a guy who's willing to go out there and block as well. He's willing to put his nose in there and do it. And he's a guy who takes coaching. So he'll be able to get better because one of the knocks on Jalen Hyatt is just the simplified route tree that he ran in college. It was a ton of vertical routes, a ton of quick stuff. It wasn't a real NFL route tree. But if he's able to take coaching and he takes hard coaching, then maybe he has the ability to improve there.

There are doubts about how he can deal with press coverage at the NFL level because in Tennessee's offense, there were so many free releases for him where he didn't have to really battle with press coverage. And his slender size as a player at 176, 6 foot tall, press coverage would probably be difficult for him. So that's something that you're going to have to see him adjust on. We haven't seen a lot of yards after catch ability from Jalen Hyatt yet also. So that's something to watch going forward for the Titans. And that's why I have him at pick number 41. And that's as high as I'd be

willing to go with Hyatt. Another guy that a lot of people like is Josh Downs from North Carolina, but I got to say no to Josh Downs. I'm telling you where I would select these guys. This is the first player that we've come to where I just, I don't want Josh Downs. I don't want the Titans to take him from North Carolina, five foot nine, 174 pounds. Yeah. He's got great agility, incredible quickness. He's got a larger catch radius for a guy, his size than you would expect. He does better in crowded catch situations than maybe you would expect. Uh, but there are some character concerns in there as well. Uh, he obviously doesn't have great size for an NFL player. He's not going to be able to deal with press coverage. He's exclusively a slot wide receiver. And again, Josh Downs to me, he's a better prospect than Kyle Phillips, but the Titans aren't going to

use a pure slot receiver that often. And when they do, I would much rather have it be Kyle Phillips than waste a second round pick on Josh Downs who can only play in the slot for you. When the Titans need a bigger wide receiver who can play as the Z spot, who can play on the outside with Traylon Burkson, two wide receiver sets. So to me, Josh Downs is a good player

and maybe he'll have more value to another team, but he doesn't have enough value to the Titans to make it worth it, in my opinion. A guy I really, really love, though, at pick number 41 is Jonathan Mingo. Now, he's been a late riser in the process, as people kind of catch wind of what kind of guy he is, but from Ole Miss, 6'1", 220 pounds. What does that sound like? Who does that remind you of? Ole Miss, 6'1", 220?

I won't say it. He's an incredibly humble guy. He succeeded a ton on slot fades, which is a huge part of Tim Kelly's offense. So he's a guy who can come in and do that right away. He's versatile. He lined up outside. He lined up in the slot. He can do all that.

He's so good at using his physicality and his size to box people out on in-breaking routes like slants and digs and crossers over the middle. And that's the kind of stuff that the Titans need to get back in their offense ASAP. Those quick hitting in-breaking routes off of play action. They got away from that last year. They can't get away from that just because they lost A.J. Brown.

This is a guy who can run those routes as well. Really coordinated in his breaks. Good at tracking the ball downfield as a deep threat as well. He's got strong hands. This guy is not a body catcher. He's going to pluck the ball out of the air. He created so many explosive plays in college. He had 10 catches where he went for 30 yards or more. He had two catches in 2022 where he went

for 70 yards or more. He's a big physical player who creates explosive catches and it's been a little bit of a slow burn for him. It has. He's not the most twitchy athlete, which doesn't allow him to get a ton of separation, which means he has to be in contested catch situations a lot, but he wins them. He wins them. He's not a sudden athlete, but he can get to top speed if he cranks it up going in vertical routes down the field. He needs a little bit of help with beating press coverage, getting used to that, but he's such a humble, hard worker that I believe that he will be able to do that. He didn't run the most diverse route tree either

while he was in college. But guys, for my money, I'm willing to bet on the worker that he is. He needs to work on his effort when he's blocking. It can wane at times. And he did get a few penalties as well, so that's something that needs to be cleaned up, but this is my number one option for the Titans

in the second round at pick 41, Jonathan Mingo. It may seem high right now based on where he was or where your mock draft simulator has him going, but he is rising quickly, and I think a lot of people who didn't know about Jonathan Mingo are going to be surprised by how high he goes in the draft. The last guy I want to talk about in this section is a guy I would take in the third round, and it's Cedric Tillman out of Tennessee.

6'3", 213 pounds. So again, I love the size. He can play on the outside in the Titans, two wide receiver sets. He's a big, strong guy who can box out cornerbacks to create situations where he can only get to the football. He's a catch giant. He can just jump over top of people and get the ball. He's good against press coverage with his hand fighting and his feet.

That's important. That's something that not a lot of college wide receivers are good at. He's good at tracking the ball downfield. He was used as a deep threat at Tennessee quite often. He can build up to top speed, even if it's not sudden right away. And he's a guy who likes to block and is willing to get in there and dig guys out. So that's important. You may not care about that, but we know that the Titans do care about

that. He has a tendency to take some extra steps in his routes, which doesn't help for him not being such a sudden guy. Again, another Tennessee wide receiver that did not have a very good route tree, not a very diverse route tree, very simple route tree. He doesn't have that elite breakaway speed. He's not really a yards after catch type of guy. He needs to be more consistent in those contested catch situations because he's going to have a lot of them just based on the nature of his game. And he only played on the right side of the formation at Tennessee, which may leave some questions for NFL coaches

about his versatility across the formation. So Cedric Tillman would be an option for me in the third round. There are more third round options and some guys in the fourth round and some late round options that we're going to talk about as well. We got still half of the prospects left to talk about in today's show. So we're going to get into more prospects in just a moment. Titans fans, we are going to continue breaking down this year's wide receiver draft class. We've talked about some of the guys I would take on day one and day two. We're going to continue breaking down guys year's wide receiver draft class. We've talked about some of the guys I would take on day one.

In day two, we're going to continue breaking down guys throughout the rest of the draft. Before we get into it, I 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. Stay subscribed. Throw a thumbs up on the video right now if you're watching

and let me know which wide receivers you think are must draft prospects for the Titans down in the comments. It's part of the Locked On Podcast Network. It's your team every day. And remember, Monday or Sunday night for the YouTubers will be a mock draft Monday. I am finally, I'm finally going to do the trade down in the first round mock draft that you guys have been asking for.

Also, we're going to continue with the Locked on Titans NFL Draft Preview Series. I'm going to get the tight ends offensive line and start on defense next week. A lot going on here and a lot to talk about. We're going to go long tonight or today, whenever you're listening to this. So strap in guys, because we've got a lot more prospects to talk about. Another guy that I would take in the third round for the Titans is Rasheed Rice from SMU. Six foot tall, 204 pounds. He's a guy who's going to play on the outside he is so good at the catch point he just has incredible catch point

ability, he's got great body control he's got great leaping ability he had an incredible 40 inch vertical jump at the combine that just shows, that's how NFL teams use measurements at the combine and at pro days.

They match it up. You see the leaping ability that Rasheed Rice has on tape, and you match that up to the measurements that he gives you in the combine. So when you put those two things together, you're like, okay, the leaping ability is real. Anyway, getting to Rasheed Rice. Back to Rasheed Rice. He's a guy who tracks the ball very well deep. He mixes his speeds within his route so he can confuse cornerbacks.

He's so good at selling vertical routes and then coming back to the football and breaking back down. So you love to see that. He doesn't have elite breakaway speed. He doesn't have great speed coming out of his breaks. He has some focus drops as well, where he kind of just loses his ability to keep paying attention to what he's doing. There are some maturity concerns with Rasheed Rice as well

that hopefully meetings with teams will make them feel better about. And he needs to keep his focus throughout his routes. Again, a lot of with Rasheed Rice, what it comes down to is focusing, staying locked in consistently on what he's supposed to do. But for me, I'm willing to take him in the third round and think that hard coaching can fix that issue for him. So another guy that I'd be willing to take in the third round, but I'm not as high on as maybe Jonathan Mingo or Cedric Tillman or Rasheed Rice is Marvin Mims. Mims, 5'10", 182 pounds, out of Oklahoma. He's a guy who's going to play on the outside as well. He's got great straight line speed. He is a deep ball weapon. Marvin

Mims is a deep ball weapon. Great at tracking the ball. He also gives you some punt return ability, which remember, Mike Vrabel said to Rand Carthon, go get me some returners. So, Marvin Mims is a guy who would check that box. Now, he's a thinly built guy, probably going to struggle against press coverage at the next level. He's not really a guy who wins consistently with contested catch situations. So, that's an option for the Titans, but I'm not as sold on Mims as maybe some other people are. Next guy I want to talk about is Tyler Scott out of Cincinnati. A fourth round option for me. I'd take him in the fourth round.

He's 5'9", 177 pounds. So again, another smaller guy, but he's a guy who I don't think is purely a slot. He's a guy who could play on the outsides. He's got great speed. He creates great separation. He was a gun who can play on the outsides. He's got great speed. He creates great separation. He was a gunner on punt teams, which Mike Vrabel is going to love that. He's a track guy, so he's just got unreal speed and unreal quickness.

He's a little bit of a project, though. He's a little bit of a project. Hasn't had a ton of reps and a ton of experience at wide receiver because he was a running back and an option running back type guy in high school coming into college. So Tyler Scott is a bit of a project, which is why I would only take him as a fourth rounder, but he does have some traits that you could see Tyler Scott bursting on the scene and being an incredible wide receiver at the next level. So I do like me some Tyler Scott, but only in the fourth round. Another guy I'm going to talk about who would probably be a fourth round pick

is Jaden Reed. But I'm just not interested in Jaden Reed for Michigan State. 5'10", 187 pounds. He's a guy who's going to play on the outside. He's got great speed, runs his routes with great tempo. He does have good ball skills as well. Can be a punt returner, so there's special teams value. But doesn't have very good body size. have good ball skills as well. Can be a punt returner, so there's special teams value, but

doesn't have very good body size. Doesn't have very good length on him as well. He's going to struggle against press coverage. He's had some drop issues, and he's consistently had injuries as well. So I'm just not as interested in Jaden Reed as maybe some other people.

A guy I do like, though, is Trey Palmer from Nebraska. I would consider him, in the fourth round, 6'19", so a bigger guy than some of these other options. He can play in the slot or as a Z receiver on the outside. He has track speed. Trey Palmer had the fastest 40 at the combine of any wide receiver. He is going to have gravity and take attention from opposing defenses.

You have no choice but to pay attention to Trey Palmer. So he's one of my favorite guys. He's got good change of direction ability. He can be a devastating returner as well. And some people say that he was limited by the scheme and the offense that he was in at Nebraska. So that's something to take into account. But he has just elite track speed to get down the field.

I think Trey Palmer could be a great fit for the Titans across from a physical player like Traylon Burks. Heading into some of the guys that would be options for the Titans later in the draft. And I'm going to go through these guys a little bit more quick or a little bit quicker than we have some of the previous prospects. You got a guy like A.T. Perry from Wake Forest. He's a totally different receiver than a lot of the guys that we've talked about so far. 6'3", 198 pounds, going to play on the outside. He's got good length.

He runs routes with good pacing for a guy his size. He can track the ball down the field. Really good hands, strong hands to pluck the ball out of the air. He's got a little more yards after catchability than maybe you would expect from a guy that size. Good in the red zone, but he doesn't have elite breakaway speed. Doesn't really play with the strength on the field that you would want from

a guy that size. And he may have some yards after catchability, but he's not really going to be a plus in that area. He's not a guy who blocks as well as you would want from a guy that size. And he doesn't really give you any special teams value. So I'd maybe consider A.T. Perry in the fifth round or later. Tank Dell, Nathaniel Dell is another guy. A lot of you guys have been talking about him in the chat. 5'8", 160 pounds, 65 pounds out of Houston. Look guys, it's a no for me on Tank Dell. He's too small. He reminds me of Tutu Atwell from Louisville. Slot guy only, very sudden, very good speed, yards after catch ability, a punt returner, but he's really small.

He takes hits hard, man, and I just question how he'll be able to stay healthy in the NFL. He doesn't run an expansive route tree, and he's going to struggle against press coverage. To me, he's a gadget player only that I wouldn't take. Really, I just wouldn't take unless you got him as an undrafted free agent. I know some people really like Tank Dell, but that would be a no for me. A fifth round option for the Titans, in my opinion, is Xavier Hutchinson out of Iowa State.

Six foot one, 203 pounds, outside wide receiver. He kind of has everything that you would want from a receiver. You see little bits of it on tape height weight speed he's smooth he's controlled he's willing to block I mean he kind of has a little bit of everything but he just doesn't put it together consistently enough he had a really good 2021 and then just completely fell off the map in 2022 when he got a new offense. So it makes you concerned about why that happened. It's confusing, quite frankly. Same thing with a guy like Kashawn Booty from LSU. 5'11", 195 pounds.

Guy who's probably going to play slot only. He has all the tools. I mean, he really does. Yards after catch ability. But his effort doesn't really like going over the middle. Not a guy who's going out there trying to block. His effort is just a huge concern, and he's another guy who meetings with teams are going to be really important.

Two bigger guys who are just no's for me, Michael Wilson out of Stanford. Just so many injuries. Consistent. He may have a good body. He may be good against press coverage. Maybe smart. Maybe he's a guy who studies a ton. Consistent. He may have a good body. He may be good against press coverage. Maybe smart. Maybe he's a guy who studies a ton.

Good control. Good adjustments. But with how often he's injured and a lack of elite speed, that's just going to be a no for me with how high he'll probably get drafted. Dontavian Wicks, another guy who's going to be a no for me. 6'1", outside receiver from Virginia. Quick feet, agile. He's a competitor as well, but he's thin.

He has drop issues, major drop issues. He's a body catcher. And yeah, again, another guy whose production waned from year to year, and it's just concerning So those are no's for me parker washington Another no for me will probably be a mid-round pick out of penn state Uh a smaller guy five foot nine, but with bigger size at 204 pounds. He's going to be an inside wide receiver Uh, he's agile

He's competitive but size and speed and injury concerns make him a no for me. I do want to go over a guy who I really do like that I would take in the sixth round. And it's Charlie Jones from Purdue. This guy has pure speed. He's a good route runner. He's got good hands. He's good at finding voids in the defense to sit down in. Smart player. He's a hard worker. He can give you a value as a punt returner as well. Look, he's not very strong. He's not a twitchy athlete.

He's not great in traffic or after the catch. But, I mean, he's a guy who late in the draft could give you a lot of value as a burner, as a speed guy, which again, the Titans need speed. So Charlie Jones in like the sixth round would make a lot of sense for me. Another guy I like is Puka Nakua from BYU, six foot one, 201 pounds, good body control, good focus. He's a smart player. He's a tough player. I think he can give you value on special teams, but man, he is just constantly injured. So that's why I say seventh round for Puka Nakua. A guy I really want to take a chance on in the seventh round is Bryce Ford Wheaton. All right. Out of West Virginia. 6'3", 220 pounds.

He is a special athlete, folks. He is long. I put down Skywalker in my notes with the way he's able to go up and get the ball over top of people. Great body control. He even played on punt coverage. So Mike Vrabel has to love that, right?

Now look, he's a lazy route runner. He loses focus and loses confidence, and it leads to drops. He's a bit of a body catcher, and teams are going to have to make sure that his confidence level is high enough to play in the NFL because you can see after drops that he's affected. It leads to more drops. It leads to lazier routes. And that's a concern.

But again, I think with hard coaching, with tough coaching, you could get a superstar out of Bryce Ford Wheaton. You could. I think the traits are there to get a superstar out of him. So for me, talking about a late-round sleeper, a late-round option for the Titans to grab and maybe unearth something special, I think Bryce Ford Wheaton

is that guy in this draft. There are other guys who I wanted to mention, Grant DuBose, Trey Tucker, Matt Landers, but they're just no's for me for different reasons. DuBose doesn't have the speed, the yards after catch, the route tree that I think make him an NFL player. Trey Tucker is just a small player at five foot eight. Doesn't have a big enough catch radius to succeed in the NFL in my opinion. These are undrafted free agent types. Matt Landers from Arkansas. If the Titans don't want to waste a pick on Bryce Ford Wheaton, maybe they go after Matt Landers. Six foot four, 200 pounds. Tall, long, fast, great ball skills, but, man, he's got major maturity concerns,

major character concerns. He went to three different high schools, three different colleges. He's already 24 years old, so he's really going to have to win in meetings to get drafted. So maybe if the Titans like him in meetings, they give him a shot as an undrafted free agent. So maybe if the Titans like him in meetings, they give him a shot as an undrafted free agent.

So again, just to remind you guys of my guys that I like for the Titans, Jackson Smith and Jigba, Jonathan Mingo, Cedric Tillman, Rasheed Rice, Trey Palmer, Charlie Jones, Puka Nakua,

Bryce Ford Wheaton. are my options and I would love for the Titans to come away from this draft with two of them they need two of them but anyway this is going to be the end of a jam packed week ending edition of the Locked on Titans podcast

a full breakdown we talked about 26 prospects. This is the type of in-depth analysis you are going to get from the rest of the Locked on Titans NFL Draft Preview Series. Again, we already did quarterback and running back. Check those out. Monday, I'm doing a mock draft where the Titans trade down in the first round. Then we are going to continue with the tight ends, the offensive line, and the defense

as we get closer to the NFL draft. But that's going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans. Thanks for watching!