Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Offensive Tackle Targets in 2023 NFL Draft, Scheme Fits on Day 2 and Lack of Depth

Episode Date: April 18, 2023

The Tennessee Titans need to continue to build their offensive line in the 2023 NFL Draft and if they want to draft an offensive tackle they need to do it early. Tyler explains why it is important to get an offensive tackle in the first two rounds and goes over the prospects that fit the scheme the best. Next, Tyler goes over some of the late round options that aren't as appetizing as we have seen in recent years and points out why it is important to strike early at the position.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

If the Tennessee Titans want to draft an offensive tackle in this year's draft, they need to do it early. And I'll tell you exactly which prospects they should be looking at 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.

It is time to get down and dirty. It is time to get physical, physical. It is time to get into the trenches and talk the offensive line. and talk the offensive line. We are continuing the 2023 Locked On Titans NFL Draft Preview Series with the offensive tackles, which is definitely a position the Titans should have their eye on. I'm going to go through all the prospects that make sense for the Titans throughout the entire draft.

We talked about quarterback before. We talked about running back before. We've talked wide receiver and tight end. If you missed any of those episodes, make sure that you go back and check those out. Moving forward, we're going to talk interior offensive line tomorrow. We're going to get into the defensive front seven at the end of the week and round out with the secondary next week

before the draft comes on Thursday, folks. We are so close, so close, eight days away from the NFL draft. Make sure you are caught up on all of the prospects that make sense for the Titans. I've been breaking them down every single day. But we do got to continue today's show. Before we get into it, I want to thank you 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, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, where it's your team every day. And of course, I do want to give a shout out to my everydayers who are tuning in Monday through Friday, Thursday through Sunday on YouTube. Shout out to you guys as well. But diving in, we're going to talk about a prospect that I have probably talked more about than any other prospect in this year's draft. And it is Paris Johnson Jr. from Ohio State.

In my opinion, the ideal fit, the ideal pick for the Titans at number 11 if he is available. Look, Ohio State, 6'6", 313 pounds. He is a literal perfect fit in a zone running scheme. Absolutely perfect for what the Titans do on offense. He's athletic. He's a fluid mover. He's got adequate length and size. He's got great feet, so that allows him to recover

even if he gets beat on the initial move. We talk about a zone run scheme and how he fits into it. Parrish Johnson Jr. is so good at combination blocks where him and another offensive lineman have to do an initial double team before one of them climbs to the second level. He's really good at backside cutoffs on zone runs to the opposite direction. He finishes with aggression and tenacity, and he has outstanding, outstanding football character. This guy was considered the father of the offensive line group at Ohio State. He was the guy that everybody trusted. He is a leader.

He has everything you want from a franchise left tackle. And let me just take this moment. Just take a moment here to explain why I feel so strongly about PJJ or PJ as they call them on the streets. This offensive tackle group is not very good. It's not very deep. This draft in general is not a great draft compared to some

recent drafts in terms of the talent and the depth that is available throughout. So for me, if the Titans are going to attack offensive line or offensive tackle, I should say they need to do it early in the draft. So Paris Johnson Jr.

obviously at the top of that list, but with all the qualities that we talked about, he might not be there. I mean, he's smart. He's coachable. He's a leader. He's durable. The guy does not miss time. Now, look, he is a little susceptible to inside rushes. He can have his hands a little too wide when he sets his hands. He can be a little too upright at times. He needs to learn to make sure to sink in his knees and his hips. But my God, look at the moldable chess piece that you're getting here that you can use with Paris Johnson Jr.

I mean, he's going to be your starting left tackle for the next five to eight years. The Titans cannot pass that up because they signed Andre Dillard to what really is a two-year contract. So I've talked a lot about Paris Johnson Jr. Nothing about my love for him has waned or diminished throughout the process. The next guy that I want to talk about here is Broderick Jones from Georgia. I know some Titans fans are twitching when they see a Georgia offensive tackle,

but look, Broderick Jones is not Isaiah Wilson. All right, we got to get through that. He's 6'5", 311 pounds. He also would fit perfectly in a zone run scheme because he's got incredible agility. Watching him get out on the perimeter, on sweeps and on pulls and things like that, it's just magical, quite frankly.

He plays with violent hands to strike pass rushers. He has great awareness on stunts. He got really good coaching there at Georgia. Great mobility. Again, getting to the second level, getting out on the perimeter. He gets off the line of scrimmage really quick, which is important with those combination blocks, getting up to the second level in the tight system. And the guy only had one penalty and his time is a starter. I mean, that's pretty great. Now, he doesn't have quite the length that you would want from, or that you see from like a Paris Johnson Jr.

He can give up his chest sometimes to powerful pass rushers, and that's part of the length problem. The length problem manifests itself in that way, where he can't get his hands on you quicker than you can get your hands on him if you're a long, powerful pass rusher. So that can be a problem. He has a tendency to kind of lean his upper body forward, which results in some balance issues at times.

So he's got to learn to have more balance. But he's such an athletic guy. He just gets going so quick sometimes and wants to finish people. It can happen. And he's a guy who's really only played left tackle. He's not going to give you much versatility, whereas like Paris Johnson Jr. played some guard as well before transitioning to left tackle. But at the end of the day, I want both of these guys to play tackle for me. So I'm not as concerned about the versatility as maybe some other people would be.

The last guy that I want to mention here is the last guy that I think is worthy of a first round pick. And it's Darnell Wright. Darnell Wright out of Tennessee, 6'5", 333 pounds. He is a thick, powerful, and violent man. Okay? He destroys people. Out on the field, he has got such strong hands. The way he punches pass rushers,

the way he grips pass rushers in the way he grips pass rushers or in the run game when he gets a hold of you, if he gets a hold of you, you're going down. He's a smart guy who maybe doesn't have the mobility of a Broderick Jones or a Paris Johnson Jr., but he's still pretty good at recovering because he's smart and he played left tackle, he played right

tackle, he played a little bit of guard. He's got a lot of positional versatility as well. See, the thing is he is a violent guy, but Darnell Wright has the tendency to maybe get a little bit too violent and then he loses on his technique. He starts to suffer and sacrifice his technique when he tries to play too physical and too violent. He could be a little top heavy as well because he's a waist bender. He's not a guy who bends real well at his knees. He more bends at the waist and that can get you off balance when your upper body is too far over top of your lower body.

He isn't a guy who's really good at getting up to the second level. We talk about combination blocks and getting off the line of scrimmage and getting to the second level. That's not really something that Darnell Wright specializes in. So for me, although I think Darnell Wright is a very good player, I'm not certain that he is a good fit within what the Titans want to do. And I just, I'm not moving Nicholas Petit-Ferrer into guard for Darnell Wright. I would move Andre Dillard into guard for Broderick Jones or Paris Johnson Jr., but I'm not willing to, I guess, take the risk that would be necessary to draft Darnell Wright. If the Titans trade back,

then maybe they consider Darnell Wright, but I just don't think he's a great fit for the Titans, even if I believe that he is a fantastic prospect in general. But those are the only three offensive tackles I would even consider in the first round and would give a passing grade to the Titans for obviously love Paris Johnson Jr. would be okay with Broderick Jones and Darnell Wright. I would have my reservations towards the fit, but if the Titans draft him, then that means they see how he

fits in the system and make me feel a little bit better about that. But we're going to move forward to some guys that I think the Titans should look at in the second round. And again, if you're going to draft an offensive tackle in this draft, you need to draft them early because there's not a lot of great depth in this draft class at offensive tackle. So we're getting to the second round targets for the Titans in just a moment. Before we do, I want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Grand slams, no hitters, and double plays are back.

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FanDuel, an official betting partner of Major League Baseball. Titans fans, we are going to continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We're breaking down the offensive tackle class in this year's draft. We talked about the first round prospects that should be on the Titans radar. We're going to transition into the second round prospects-round prospects that should be on the Titans' radar. We're going to transition into the second-round prospects at offensive tackle that should be on the Titans' radar. Before we continue, though, I want to thank you guys again

for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content on all platforms all year long and always for free. Make sure you get subscribed, stay subscribed. We've done quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end. If you missed any of those, go back and check it out. We're talking offensive tackle today.

Tomorrow will be interior offensive line. And then Friday, we will talk about the interior of the front seven on defense. We'll talk interior defensive line and linebacker as well. We'll finish up with edge rushers and secondary next week. Don't miss any of the prospect breakdowns coming your way. It is the Locked on Titans podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day.

And, of course, shout out to my everydayers. But I do just want to make a little note here. It feels weird that I'm advertising FanDuel and saying they're an official betting partner of Major League Baseball. Let Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame. All right? That's all I got to say about that. We're moving right along.

But look at second-round prospects. The one that pops up is Anton Harrison from Oklahoma. Now, he's 6'4", 315 pounds. I think he's a guy who needs to be in a pass-heavy offense, which means, in my opinion, he's not a great fit for the Titans schematically. He is athletic. He does have quick feet. He actually has pretty good anchor for a guy that has quick feet that doesn't always go together.

He has good length as well. He's only 21 years old, so there's a lot of development that you could potentially do here with Anton Harrison. But he has a habit of overextending his arms, which makes them susceptible to pass rush moves. He has late hands in his punch, which sometimes, like we talked about with Darnell Wright,

or like we talked about with Broderick Jones, if you're late with your hands, or your hands are too wide, then really long, powerful pass rushers at the NFL level will get into your chest before you get into theirs, and it's hard to win once you get in that spot. He doesn't have the requisite power that you would want, and some people see him, as I mentioned a second ago

when we're talking about him being in a pass-heavy scheme. Some people think that he's scheme-specific. He's not a guy who can go to a run-heavy team. So for me, he may be a second round talent, but I'm not super interested. Another guy who will be in the second round, most likely who I think makes more sense for the Titans is Matthew Bergeron from Syracuse, 6'5", 318 pounds. He's another guy who would fit perfectly in a zone run scheme, which, again, I know the Titans got a new offensive coordinator, but based on what we've heard from Mike Vrabel and Tim Kelly throughout the offseason,

they're not throwing the baby out with the bathwater. They're going to keep the general scheme that they run and have Tim Kelly mold that to what he likes. So with that in mind, Bergeron very quick off the line of scrimmage, which again, combination blocks, getting to the second level, that stuff that he's going to be able to do well. He's got really strong hands as well. When he gets his hands on you, he gets a grip on you,

you are under his control. He's a guy who will finish with toughness and tenacity, and he's got great, great experience. 58 starts during his time in college. I mean, that's impressive. Now look, not great movement skills, and he's not great with recovery. I mean, he's quick off the line of scrimmage.

He can get to the second level, but he's not a guy with elite athleticism. If he was, he'd be going higher in the draft. He has a problem dealing with length, like we just talked about. Guys getting into his chest, pushing him back. He doesn't have great anchor. He doesn't have great strength. Remember what I was just saying a second ago

when we were talking about Anton Harrison, who does have quick feet, good mobility, and good anchor as well. It's uncommon. Matthew Bergeron is a guy with athleticism. He can move a little bit. He's not an elite athlete, but he's got some movement to him off the line of scrimmage and things like that. But dealing with length, anchoring against bull rush,

he just doesn't have adequate strength that you would want. And because of that, some people think he might be a guard. So that's something to watch. The Titans need a guard as well. So maybe they're interested, but he's a better fit for me than Anton Harrison, but I'm still not sold. The guy in the second round that makes the most sense for me, for the Titans, and out of these three, I would target is DeJuan Jones from Ohio State, 6'8", 374 pounds. Guys, that is 40 pounds heavier than any offensive lineman we've talked about so far. Darnold Wright was 333.

374. Now some people think that DeJuan Jones is more of a power player or a gap player than he is a zone player because let's just call it what it is. At that size, with that mass, that wingspan, he's an absolute mauler and he is a much smoother

mover for his size than maybe you would expect. He's only 21 years old. He's a former basketball player. So you like, you like the athleticism involved and he was a late transition to be a full-time football player. He thought he was going to be a basketball player. So the mentality and the technique, he has, he has a lot of potential to get even better because he just started focusing on football right before college. So there's a lot to like about DeJuan Jones. But again, we're talking about a guy that big.

He's really tall. He's really big. That leaves you susceptible to smaller rushers, rushers with speed. If he can't get his hands on guys, he had a tendency to struggle. And because of that, he has the tendency to overextend his arms because he knows that he has to get his hands on guys to be able to win. So he doesn't finish quite as aggressively as you would want from a guy his size. And he did have five false start penalties last year

because at his size, when he's dealing with guys with speed, he's trying to get off the line of scrimmage in his pass set as quick as he possibly can. And sometimes he goes a little too quick. He is a guy who at 374, you're going to have to manage his weight. That's going to have to be a big, big concentration point for him throughout his career is keeping his weight at a healthy level to avoid injury and keep that mobility that he needs to be able to win

against some of the quicker guys. So I think in the second round or maybe early in the third round, something like that, the Titans may move around more than we expect. I think DeJuan Jones would make a ton of sense. If the Titans select him, then to me it would tell us a little bit about the direction they want to go in terms of the offense and the scheme. They started incorporating more power runs, more gap runs,

outside of just zone runs. In the last few years with Todd Downing, I would imagine that Mike Vrabel's comments about wanting to be able to beat whichever team they're facing and do whatever they need to beat teams each week, they want to be able to run power, gap, and zone runs within the offense. They want to be able to do all of that. So maybe you want to have a guy who's not purely a zone run blocker and a guy that can do a little bit of everything. And Mike Vrabel, and this may be a John Robinson thing, but I think they truly do want

a big mauling right tackle. I truly do think that's something that they would want if they could just, you know, build their prospect in a lab. So maybe the allure of a guy like DeJuan Jones, who Mike Vrabel will have great intel on because he went to his alma mater, maybe if they get the right answers from a character standpoint and they do want to kind of mold the offense to be a little bit more versatile in the run game,

then maybe DeJuan Jones would make sense for For me personally, with Anton Harrison, Matthew Bergeron, and DeJuan Jones, I'd only really be happy with DeJuan Jones at that point. Again, this offensive tackle class, if you don't get Parrish Johnson Jr. or Broderick Jones early, I just don't see a lot of great options. So with that in mind, we're going to move forward to some of the options the Titans will have later in the draft.

I'm not as enticed by going late for offensive tackle, but hey, I'm not Ray Carton, so maybe they go and do something that I'm not maybe a big fan of. Either way, we're going to keep breaking down these prospects in just a moment. Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We are in the trenches talking about offensive line and specifically offensive tackle. We've gone over my top six offensive tackles.

And I think if the Titans want to draft an offensive tackle, they need to draft one of those six. But the Titans don't always do what I want them to do. So if they look to the late rounds to add an offensive tackle, which let me say this, with signing Andre Dillard, with having Nicholas Petit-Frayer, you, in theory, in theory, have two

starting tackles. If the Titans want to focus on filling out the starting lineup and not take a long-term view of things, which, again, is not what I would do, then they may focus on getting the left guard spot filled

early in the draft. Like, if you have Dillard at left tackle, you have Brewer at center, you have Brunskill at right guard, and you have Nicholas Petit-Ferrer at right tackle, the open spot is left guard. So the Titans could choose to focus on guard

instead of offensive tackle early in the draft to make sure they fill that starting role. Once again, that's not what I would do, but it is possible. And if they do that, if they go guard or interior with their offensive line selection early in the draft, then maybe they do take an offensive tackle later in the draft

to come in and be the third offensive tackle for them. You can say Dylan Radin's all you want, but he's coming off a late season ACL tear and Mike Vrabel truly hates the guy, it appears. So like I've said all season, I'm not factoring in Dylan Radin's to any offensive line conversation. I'm not. For better or for worse, I am not. So if the Titans want to maybe get a swing tackle, that third backup tackle late in the draft, then maybe one of these guys makes sense.

But here's a good time to remind you. Interior offensive line, we are breaking it down tomorrow. I'm going to do the top centers. I'm going to do the top guards. Talk about what is available for the Titans. There are some good options early if they want to go that route. But number one, Tyler Steen from Alabama. I think he's a fourth or fifth round

prospect, six foot six, 321 pounds. He's got a good frame on him. Like his body has a good frame and he's got good motor. He's a good mover. Um, he's not a guy that finishes with power or has a lot of power to him, but I think he could be a guy who could be a great backup tackle in the NFL and potentially be a low-level starter. I would take that in the fifth round with where the Titans are at. Another guy who makes some sense is Nick Saldivari, Old Dominion, 6'6", 318 pounds, similar size as Tyler Steen. He's got really good length.

He's a quick player who can get off the line of scrimmage, and he's got a great mentality. He's a really studied player who was in the film room. He's a guy you can trust to do the right things and know where to go and know where to be, all of that. Now, the problem is, like with Steen, at 6'6", being that tall, but only being like 320, he just doesn't have a lot of raw power,

and he's not a guy who recovers very well in South of Erie. So again, another guy I think is a fifth rounder, maybe sixth rounder, who profiles as a backup offensive tackle in the NFL. And another guy that you have like that, even smaller guy though, is Braden Daniels from Utah. Six foot three and the smallest guy that we've talked about so far at 294 pounds. Look, being that small, that weight,

he's got quick hands, quick feet, good mentality as well, like Sal Tavares. He's a guy who's studied, who's smart. But for a guy that small and that weight, he doesn't have great range to get out on the second level on the perimeter. Obviously doesn't have the requisite strength that you would want from an offensive tackle.

A lot of people think he might be a guard. So, you know, maybe the Titans look for a versatile guy like that. Who could play a little tackle, play a little guard, but they got some of that on the roster already with, um, a guy like Jamarco Jones. So, and again, maybe Jamarco Jones is the starting left guard. That'd be an interesting thing to watch going forward. But Brayden Daniels could be a guy who kind of fills that role. If the Titans want to move on from Jamarco Jones, uh, another guy who I think is more

of a sixth-round prospect. Maybe he goes a little higher because he does have a lot of tools, but Jalen Duncan from Maryland, 6'5", 306 pounds. Like I said, he's got all the athletic tools that you could ever want. He's got a ton of experience. He played a lot at Maryland, but just not great technique. Not a guy who seems to focus on the craft of playing offensive line. He relies on those athletic tools,

and that's simply not enough to get it done. He doesn't have great balance, and he's had a lot of penalties throughout his career. So somebody may take Jalen Duncan as a project because he does have all those tools and the length and the size, but just doesn't seem like a fit for the Titans. Another guy I think I would take in the sixth round is Blake Freeland, BYU, six foot seven, 302 pounds. He's got great length, obviously six foot seven. He's got good feet for a guy his size.

He's got good movement quickness with his feet and he's got a ton of upside. You could pack on weight on him. You could teach him fundamentals, but he's another guy. Doesn't have great balance. Doesn't have great technique. And he tends to miss his target with his hands when he tries to punch and stuff. He just misses. So he needs a lot of technique work.

He needs a lot of development, but there is potential there if you're willing to develop it. Maybe it comes to fruition. He reminds me of a Rain Raymond from Minnesota who went to the Colts. Bernard Raymond. That's what he kind of reminds me of. Not necessarily exactly as a player,

but in terms of an athletic guy with good length, good size that needs some development. But I watched Greg Freeland get absolutely whooped at the Senior Bowl, and I'm sorry. For my money, I'm just going to pass on that. Not interested. A guy in the last round, seventh round, maybe sixth round that could make some sense for the Titans is Asim Richards, North Carolina, 6'4", 309 pounds. He's thick, but he has good length as well. Wait a minute. Never mind.

Moving forward. Got great hands, strong hands to get on people, and he's incredibly durable. The guy does not miss time. Now, he's a tendency to get upright and play high, and when you play high, you're going to lose your balance. You're not going to be able to drive people in the run game. He's slow off the line of scrimmage.

So you're slow off the line of scrimmage and you're coming out too high. Not going to be able to drive people off the ball, which is something he doesn't do. So if you can get that pad level down, if you can get that first step quickness up, maybe you'll have yourself a backup tackle,

maybe a low end starter eventually. You know, these guys, it's not like I am perfect at guessing what these guys are going to be. So maybe it becomes more. But again, looking at these options, Steen and Southavery and Daniels and Duncan and Freeland and Richards and just, these are not great options late in the draft. This is not a very good offensive tackle class. So for me, if the Titans do want to secure an offensive tackle, it needs to be one of those top six that we talked about. Paris Johnson Jr., Broderick Jones, Darnell Wright,

Anton Harrison, Matthew Bergeron, DeJuan Jones. Yeah, I covered Darnell Wright, DeJuan Jones, Matthew Bergeron. Those six are the guys that I would be interested in. I do want to mention here at the end because I know I'm going to get a lot of comments or maybe I should have said this earlier, but you guys have won. The draft community has won. I'm putting Peter Skowronski with the guards. I still think the man could play tackle, but

anyways, I've been beaten down enough by the draft community. You guys win. I put Peter Skowronski with the guards, and we're going to talk about that tomorrow when we go over the interior offensive line. 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.