Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans NFL Draft PERFECT FIT in First Round & Titans Make Coaching Hire on Defense...Maybe??

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland. Titans fans, who is the perfect fit for the Titans at pick number 11? I'll go through some mock drafts and see what the pundits think. Then, the Titans made an important hire over the weekend. Or did they? I'll tell you who it is and why things are still up in the air. All of that and more on today's edition of the Locked On Titans podcast.

Starting point is 00:00:28 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. Titans fans, welcome to the first mock draft Monday of the offseason. I can already hear the YouTube crowd. Wait, it's Sunday night. Just be happy you get the podcast a few hours early. But it is mock draft Monday,

Starting point is 00:01:14 a theme that we're going to have throughout the offseason leading up to the draft in April, taking a look at a bunch of different things. We're going to focus on the first round pick today, but we're going to do mock draft Mondays where you guys send in your mock drafts and I break them down, where we look at seven round mock drafts, three round mock drafts, all different kinds. That is the goal on Mondays to start the week and that's how we will do it today.

Starting point is 00:01:35 But before we get into a couple of mock drafts, do want to let you know that today's Mock Draft Monday is presented by PrizePix. PrizePix is daily fantasy made easy. You pick two to five players and if they score more or less than their PrizePix projection, you can win up to 10 times your money on your entry. First time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That's prizepix.com, promo code LOCKEDON. Thank you guys for making the Locked On Titans podcast your first listen every day,

Starting point is 00:02:07 Monday through Friday. Tennessee Titans content on all platforms all year round and always for free. Make sure that you stay locked in to the Locked On Titans podcast. It's going to be a fantastic offseason. Throw a thumbs up on the video right now as well. The podcast is free. All I ask is for a little bit of a button push in return. But diving into our first mock draft of the day,

Starting point is 00:02:34 and it comes from Daniel Jeremiah from the NFL Network. And obviously, DJ is one of the best draft pundits in the entire NFL cognoscent. I would go as far to say he is the premier draft analyst in the NFL right now. And I got to tell you guys, I'm loving the pick that he has for the Titans at number 11. You see a lot of quarterback go in the first 10 picks. You see a lot of defense. You even see an offensive lineman go at number seven, but at pick 11, the Titans are able to select what I think is the perfect fit for them at number 11, Paris Johnson Jr., the offensive tackle out of Ohio State. The Titans already have an offensive

Starting point is 00:03:22 tackle out of Ohio State, so having a bookend there from my home state university, it makes me feel pretty good. But it's not just bias and homerism. It is a fact that Paris Johnson Jr. would be a perfect fit for the Titans. There is some discussion right now about Peter Skowronski, whether he's a guard, whether he's a tackle. There's no debate about that with Paris Johnson Jr. He is an offensive tackle.

Starting point is 00:03:50 He's 6'4", or 6'6", an absolute monster. He's a guy who is 315 pounds. So he's a big guy, but he could stand to get a little bit bigger. But at 6'6", 315, he has incredible athleticism, size that you want for an offensive tackle. His coordination, his ability to recover if he's not in a great situation or just elite, quite frankly, he's still got a ceiling that he can reach as he gets even better with his technique. He could add some strength as well.

Starting point is 00:04:25 And he did only have one season at left tackle, so there's a lot of room for potential. But the player that he is already is exactly what the Tennessee Titans need, an athletic guy with size that has the ability to move around within the Titans' offensive scheme. I mean, Paris Johnson Jr. is a perfect fit for the Titans, and that's the drum that I'm going to be beating all season. If the Titans want to trade up and get a quarterback, they want to move around, then so be it.

Starting point is 00:04:54 But if they stick and pick at 11, the best option that they could possibly take is Paris Johnson Jr. Not only is he a great prospect, but it's the biggest need that the Titans have right now, in my opinion. So I love seeing Paris Johnson Jr. Not only is he a great prospect, but it's the biggest need that the Titans have right now, in my opinion. So I love seeing Paris Johnson Jr. there as the pick for the Titans. Daniel Jeremiah, I want to give his little way in here. He says, quote, Johnson needs to get stronger and play with better knee bend, but he has ideal size, length, foot quickness. The Titans need to get younger, healthier, and more athletic up front. I think that is spot on analysis from Daniel Jeremiah there. And like I said, Paris Johnson Jr. for me is the Titans perfect fit. So I wanted to start off there. We got some

Starting point is 00:05:39 more mock drafts that we are going to get into though. The next one that I want to get into is actually from The Athletic, and it's from my guy, Dane Brugler. And Brugler does excellent work. If you guys are fans of the beast that he puts out every year, I mean, that is a Bible for me during the draft. But he has the Titans going with a different prospect. In this one, Paris Johnson Jr. goes No. 7 to the Las Vegas Raiders, and Peter Skowronski goes No. 8 to the Atlanta Falcons.

Starting point is 00:06:07 But this was my point all along about the Titans having the No. 11 pick and getting the best draft pick that they could get because even if those top two offensive linemen go, then at No. 11, the Titans are able to select Broderick Jones, the offensive tackle out of Georgia. And this is what Brugler had to say about the selection. Quote, depending on what the Titans do in free agency, this could be a very offensive line-focused draft.

Starting point is 00:06:37 Nine years ago, the franchise used the No. 11 pick on promising left tackle named Taylor LeJuan, who became a pro bowler. With LeJuan looming as a potential offseason cut, history could repeat itself in Land Jones in Tennessee. And look, I like Skowronski and Paris Johnson better. There's no doubt about it. But I am okay with leaving the draft with any of those three offensive tackles,

Starting point is 00:07:02 offensive linemen, and with the amount of quarterbacks and defensive players, that should go in the top 10. It's only logical that one of those offensive tackles is going to be available for the Titans. And Broderick Jones is a huge guy. He's a monster.

Starting point is 00:07:18 Now, he's not the tallest guy in the world at about 6'4", 3'15", but he's big, he's muscular, and he is powerful. He drives people off the line of scrimmage. You want that finisher mentality when you talk about a mean, rough, and tumble offensive tackle. And as a guy who has only made 19 starts, he has tremendous potential to get even better. His technique needs to improve. He could be a little over-aggressive, but that's what you're going to get when you get a guy that plays with that mentality. I think Broderick Jones would still be a very solid pick for the Titans, even if he's number

Starting point is 00:07:54 three on my offensive line ranking. The entire point of getting that top 10, top 11 pick was that you would leave with one of those three offensive tackles. Now, Brugler had two picks in his draft. We're not diving into multi-round mock drafts here, but I do just want to mention his second round pick for the Titans was Jalen Hyatt, the wide receiver out of Tennessee, the deep burner with great size and great length. So if the Titans left the draft with Broderick Jones and Jalen Hyatt, I'm in here for that, Titans fans.

Starting point is 00:08:25 That's what I came for. So love seeing those selections there. We got more mock drafts to get into. And the Titans made a hire this weekend. Or did they? It's still up in the air, and I'll explain why. Before we get into all of that, though, do want to let you know that today's episode

Starting point is 00:08:40 is brought to you by PrizePix. Look, PrizePix is daily fantasy made simple, guys. Here's what happens. They have a projection for every player. Pat Mahomes, 200 passing yards. Jamar Chase, five catches. Derrick Henry, 100 rushing yards. All you do is you pick two to five players. You look at the projection and you say whether your players are going to do more or do less than that projection. It's that easy. And if you get it right, you can get up to 10 times your money on your entry right now. First time users get a 100% instant deposit match up to a hundred dollars.

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Starting point is 00:09:38 code LOCKEDON and check it out today. Titans fans, we are going to continue this mock draft Monday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We just went over two different mock drafts. One had Paris Johnson. One had Broderick Jones. I think Paris Johnson is the perfect fit for the Tennessee Titans, but obviously being at 11 and the way the draft is stacking up,

Starting point is 00:10:15 the Titans should have a good opportunity to get their hands on one of the top three offensive linemen. We're going to go and do some more mock drafts here with you guys. Before we do, I want to thank you again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content on all platforms, all

Starting point is 00:10:33 year round, and always for free. You're not going to be able to beat that, so get your daily Tennessee Titans fix and get subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast. Went over 5,000 subscribers last week. I can't thank you guys enough. Thank you so much.

Starting point is 00:10:47 Let me live my dream every single day. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the support. Throw a thumbs up on the video right now if you would like the selection of Paris Johnson or you would like the selection of Broderick Jones. But we're going to get into some more mock drafts here. We're going to start with one from Pro Football Focus coming from Mike Renner. And it's just a common theme here.

Starting point is 00:11:10 Guys, if you're starting to notice, and it's going to be a common theme throughout, but he has at number 11, the Tennessee Titans going with offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. from Ohio State. Renner said this, quote, the guys that succeed, the guys who are elite tackles in the NFL,

Starting point is 00:11:30 they look like Paris Johnson. They're 6'6". They're 3'10". They have 34-inch arms, and they move like he does. Paris Johnson is the perfect fit for the Titans. There's just no way around it. Now, here's what I do want to focus on here for a moment though. At number 12, Quentin Johnston from TCU goes, who could be the top wide receiver on the board. At number 13, Peter Skowronski from Northwestern goes, and that

Starting point is 00:12:00 could be a great fit for the Titans as well. Not only that, but Michael Mayer, the tight end from Notre Dame, goes at 15. You see a cornerback like Christian Gonzalez go at number 16. Even a guard, an interior offensive lineman like Osiris Torrance from Florida goes at number 21. And we see Anton Harrison, the offensive tackle out of Oklahoma, go at number 21. And we see Anton Harrison, the offensive tackle out of Oklahoma, go at number 27. Here's all I'm saying, guys, is if for some reason, obviously Paris Johnson, the perfect fit for the Titans,

Starting point is 00:12:37 but if for some reason none of the offensive linemen are off the board at pick 11, if it's the top three offensive linemen are off the board at pick 11. If it's the top three offensive linemen are all there because it was four quarterbacks with Young and Levis and Stroud and Anthony Richardson, which in this mock draft, he has a ton of quarterbacks going in the top nine. He has four of them going in the top nine. So when you look at that, you start to think,

Starting point is 00:13:07 if it's all defense, Will Anderson, Brian Bricey, Jalen Carter, Brian Branch even, there's a ton of different guys who Devin Witherspoon is catching the cornerback out of Illinois, Christian Gonzalez. There's a lot of guys right now that are making some hay. And there's a good chance that that top 10 is quarterbacks in defense. Like that is very logical. And you're starting to hear that there may not be a wide receiver taken in the top 20.

Starting point is 00:13:39 A lot of people are saying Jordan Addison is the only true first-round prospect as a wide receiver. The NFL scouting community may not be as high on Quentin Johnston or Jackson Smith and Jigba or Josh Downs or Jalen Hyatt. They may not be as high on these wide receivers as maybe your casual fan is because let's just call it what it is. The casual fan always overrates skilled position players because it's easy to see how good they are. So if the draft were to go that way and it's all quarterbacks and defensive players and the top three offensive linemen are on the board, I don't think that I would be that upset about a potential trade down for the Titans.

Starting point is 00:14:24 be that upset about a potential trade down for the Titans. Let's say they trade down three, four, five spots, something like that, and then they still have the ability to get one of the top three, top four offensive linemen while collecting maybe some additional picks. I think if the board were to fall that way for the Titans, I don't think it would be out of the realm of possibility that they would absolutely consider that. They need to leave the first round with a solid offensive lineman

Starting point is 00:14:51 as things stand now. Obviously, with free agency in a month and a half, that could change. That could change. We're going to go with the punches and roll with the punches here. But, to me, if the board falls that way and the Titans have their pick of offensive linemen, I mean, maybe trade down a couple of spots.

Starting point is 00:15:12 I think the Titans would at least, if you're scared and you're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, no. Take Paris Johnson and ride. I'm with you. I'm going to get in that car. I'm going to buckle my seatbelt. I'm in for the ride. I'll with you. I'm going to get in that car. I'm going to buckle my seatbelt. I'm in for the ride. I'll do the radio and navigate. You drive us home. Okay?

Starting point is 00:15:30 I'm in for that. But, but, I don't think it would be insane if they decided to roll the dice a little bit and say, Hey, we could get Paris Johnson. We could get Skowronski. Or we could roll the dice and drop back a couple of picks and still leave with Broderick Jones, Osiris Torrence,

Starting point is 00:15:49 Peter Skowronski, and pick up some additional picks to help retool this roster and give ourselves some more ammo if we want to move around the board a little bit in the mid-rounds. So, I'm just saying I don't think it's insane. And if the board were to fall that way, whether the Titans stick and pick or decide to trade back a couple of spots,

Starting point is 00:16:07 either way, it would be an excellent outcome for the Titans. The last mock draft that we are going to look at comes from CBS Sports and it is Josh Edwards. And guys, this is why the episode, and if you're looking on YouTube, it says the perfect fit for the Titans in the draft,

Starting point is 00:16:26 it's Paris Johnson Jr. Okay, pick number 11. Edwards has him here as well. Edwards says this, quote, Taylor LeJuan seems to think Tennessee is going to part ways with him this offseason. The move would save them nearly $15 million towards the salary cap, but quality offensive tackles do not come cheap. Even in the

Starting point is 00:16:47 absence of LeJuan, the Titans struggled to defend the corners, so a ready-made replacement is not necessarily on the roster. I don't understand his last sentence. Even in the absence of LeJuan, the Titans struggled to defend. That makes it sound like

Starting point is 00:17:03 the absence of LeJuan would have helped them on the makes it sound like the absence of LeJuan would have helped them on the corners. I don't understand the sentence structure there, but I get what Edwards is trying to say. He's saying the Titans couldn't defend the edges whatsoever and pass protection couldn't set a solid edge in the run game. They need an offensive tack. It's that simple. It's that easy. And in this scenario, I mean, Skowronski's the only guy off the board. All you have left is Broderick Jones. Now I don't feel as comfortable taking that risk. But interesting here, Edwards has Broderick Jones

Starting point is 00:17:35 dropping all the way down to pick number 22. So I find that pretty interesting. And then Jalen Hyatt goes right behind him at pick 23. I think that's a little high there, but we're still in the early phases of the draft process and figuring out kind of where the general consensus is on where these guys are going to go. It's going to be interesting to see play out. All I know for certain is Paris Johnson will be at least the first or the second offensive lineman off the board. And if the Titans were able to get him at pick 11,

Starting point is 00:18:07 I mean, I don't see how you could hate on that. I really don't. But I do want to say, as I mentioned, a lot of wide receivers go in the last 12 picks here. Jalen Hyatt, Jackson Smith, and Jigba. I know he's not a wide receiver, but a guy like Michael Mayer, Josh Downs. There's a lot of wide receivers that go, so that may make it slim pickings

Starting point is 00:18:30 for the Titans in the early second round to get wide receiver. But the reality is, this isn't a great wide receiver draft. So, I think the Titans may need to consider free agency a little more than maybe some people want to hear. But we're going to dive into that with the free agency preview coming shortly. We got a lot more

Starting point is 00:18:49 mock drafts to get into as well, but that's going to do it for our first mock draft Monday of the season. It is obvious to me, Paris Johnson Jr. is the perfect fit for the Titans, but the Titans made a hire over the weekend or did they? We got to talk about that. What happened? Who is it? Why things are so up in the air? Before we get into that though, do want to tell you guys about the official betting sponsor of the Locked On Podcast Network. Very excited to introduce FanDuel.

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Starting point is 00:21:26 We talked about my perfect fit for the Titans at pick number 11. But the Titans made a hire over the weekend. I think it's still up in the air a little bit. We'll dive into it before we do. Thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen. Every day, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round on all platforms and all ways for free.

Starting point is 00:21:47 Make sure you subscribe and stay locked in to the Locked On Titans podcast. But as for your second listen, check out the Locked On NFL podcast. And boy, it's a great day to check out Locked On NFL. You get all your Titans news here with me. Get all your national NFL news with Locked On in under 30 minutes Monday through Friday. Free and available on all platforms. And I actually host the Thursday show of Locked On NFL. So if

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Starting point is 00:22:27 But reports came out from Tom Pelissero from NFL Network that the Titans plan to hire Chris Harris as their defensive pass game coordinator and their cornerbacks coach. defensive pass game coordinator and their cornerbacks coach. However, Harris, who spent the last three seasons with the Washington Commanders, remains in play for defensive coordinator jobs elsewhere. A highly respected assistant. What the heck does that mean? Well, let me break it down to you guys simple.

Starting point is 00:23:02 What the heck does that mean? Well, let me break it down to you guys simple. The Titans are going to hire Chris Harris as their defensive pass game coordinator and cornerback coach if he doesn't get a defensive coordinator job. So basically, the Titans are starting to do this. We saw them do it with Tim Kelly. We saw them do it with Jim Schwartz, who was just hired. If you're a person who wants to get back to a coordinator position

Starting point is 00:23:29 or wants the opportunity to be a coordinator, the Titans will bring you on as a special consultant. The Titans will bring you on as a senior advisor, past game coordinator. They will create a position on the staff for you so that you won't get all the blame of being a coordinator to sully your reputation or your chances, but you can also continue to work behind the scenes

Starting point is 00:23:53 and get credit for things. I love this for the Titans. So let's say that Harris doesn't get a defensive coordinator role in the next few weeks, and he does join the Titans as a defensive pass game coordinator and cornerbacks coach. Guys, look at Washington's pass defense the last few years. They were fourth this past year in pass yards allowed.

Starting point is 00:24:16 The Titans have been abominable. Even when the defense is good, the Titans have given up a ton of passing yards. In 2020, Washington was second in pass yards allowed. I mean, they have been great at pass coverage the last few years. 2021, a little bit of a down year, dealt with some injuries up front. And yes, they do have a very good defensive front that helps that. But the Titans have a very good defensive front,

Starting point is 00:24:41 and they still can't stop the pass. They still give up a ton of pass yards. So it's not like having a great defensive front is all you need to have a good pass defense. That's not how it works. Chris Harris has also developed some really young guys this year for Washington that play pretty well. Benjamin St. Juice, the cornerback.

Starting point is 00:25:02 Cameron Curl and Derek Forrest at safety. He has done a great job with some of the young secondary pieces and elevated their game. So I love the hire by Harris but here's the reality even if Harris is hired as the defensive passing

Starting point is 00:25:20 game coordinator and the cornerbacks coach the odds are he won't be here for long. Look, the Titans are already saying, hey, if you don't get a defensive coordinator position, we'll hire you because the guy is in the running for defensive coordinator positions. I mean, he could not go with the Titans this year if he gets offered one. Now, it looks like he's not expecting that to happen. So he's setting himself up with a backup plan,

Starting point is 00:25:45 and that's the Titans. But either way, you're getting a high-level defensive mind who the rest of the defensive coaching staff can learn from. Even if he's only there for a year, and then he moves on to be a defensive coordinator for another team, the knowledge that the rest of the staff can soak up from him about how to handle cornerbacks and pass game coordination, that's invaluable.

Starting point is 00:26:11 That's invaluable. And let me say this. For the last few years with Mike Vrabel, it has been my opinion that Mike Vrabel is not a good X's and O's coach. He is not a good schematic coach. He's not. He's simply not. Anytime he's had the opportunity to run a defense, the defense has been awful.

Starting point is 00:26:35 Okay? In Houston, in 2020 with the Titans, the defense has been awful when Mike Vrabel, the second half of the Kansas City Chiefs playoff game when he stole play-calling responsibility away from Dean Pease and pissed off the locker room. Mike Vrabel sucks at calling plays. He is awful at it. Terrible at it.

Starting point is 00:26:58 So what does that mean? That means that Mike Vrabel's strengths can only be the strengths that he needs if he has good schematic people around him. He needs intelligent, cutting edge, high level play callers on both sides of the ball. Period. He doesn't need to be involved in the play calling at all it's not his strength

Starting point is 00:27:25 I have made this comparison for a few years now but John Harbaugh from the Ravens was a special teams coordinator he's not a defensive guru he's not an offensive play caller he is a leader of men not only the players but the coaching staff he knows game management

Starting point is 00:27:44 he knows the flow of the game. He knows how to deal with players. He knows how to work with players hands-on. He is a leader of men and a CEO of the football team. But he needs talented play callers, talented, intelligent, high-level staff members around him to do that part and to fill his weakness gap. Okay? So hires like this, the way that they're approaching offensive coordinator, these all give me hope that Mike Vrabel is doing the correct self-scouting on

Starting point is 00:28:21 himself as a head coach. And that's what excites me the most, besides the fact that Chris Harris is a unanimously respected guy in the field. Mike Rabel is growing. He's evolving. He's learning. He's adapting. He's scouting himself and becoming a better football coach. He was already a really good coach.

Starting point is 00:28:42 And now if he understands his weaknesses and what he needs around him, he's going to be even better. Very excited. This offseason is going great for the Titans so far, but that's going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on tight.

Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans NFL Draft PERFECT FIT in First Round & Titans Make Coaching Hire on Defense...Maybe??

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