Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans PERFECT QB Pick in 2023 NFL Draft & NEVER Draft a QB in the Late Round

Episode Date: April 10, 2023

The Tennessee Titans have been doing their homework on quarterbacks in the NFL Draft so clearly they would take one if the right prospect fell. The right prospect seems to be CJ Stroud who Tyler thinks is the PERFECT fit for the Titans. Also, Tyler dives into the scouting reports of the other top QBs like Bryce Young, Will Levis and Anthony Richardson. Finally, Tyler talks Hendon Hooker and why you NEVER take a QB in the mid to late rounds.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

There is one quarterback prospect who is the perfect fit for the Titans in the NFL draft. I'll tell you who it is and more 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. On today's show, we are starting the 2023 Locked on Titans NFL Draft Preview. Looking at the quarterback position.

I'm going to go through the top quarterbacks in the draft, tell you who the perfect fit for the Titans is, and I'm going to tell you why you should never draft a quarterback in the mid to late rounds. Yes, I'm including Hendon Hooker. So we're going to discuss all that and more before we get into it. Do 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 round and always for free.

You're not going to be able to beat that anywhere else. So make sure that you get subscribed. Stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Throw a thumbs up on the video right now if you're watching on YouTube. It helps out the channel quite a bit. The show is free. All I ask for in return is the press of a button.

I am your host, Tyler Rowland. Nearly 25 years as a Tennessee Titans fanatic, a writer for Sports Illustrated at alltitans.com, and of course, a certified film junkie breaking down the X's and O's with you guys all year long. But we got to dive into these quarterback prospects. And number one for me, the perfect fit for the Titans is CJ Stroud from Ohio State. Look, CJ Stroud, 6'3", 214 pounds.

So he's got the prototypical size that you would want from an NFL quarterback. Not only that, but he is smooth. Whether we're talking about his delivery throwing the football, whether we're talking about his footwork while he's moving around and trying to throw the football, C.J. Stroud is just a smooth operator. Not only that, but he is incredibly accurate. And accuracy is not just getting the ball to the guy. It's ball placement, where you put the ball. And Stroud will put the ball away from defenders,

which maximizes yards after catchability. It helps keep his wide receivers out of compromising situations where they can get hurt, they can take hits. Stroud is able to put the ball in the perfect spot, not just to the right guy, but in the perfect spot for that guy to catch the ball and make a play. He's got an incredibly calm demeanor. He's not one of these guys who is always freaking out and he's high energy, highs and lows. He's calm throughout and that goes a long way with your teammates on the sidelines. Also, he's a guy with really good pre-snap

knowledge. C.J. Stroud is able to dissect a defense before the ball is even snapped. He's somebody who can read what a defense is doing, understand where coverage will dictate for him to throw the ball. He's got all of that. He is a complete package from that perspective. Now, when we talk about some of the knocks on C.J. Stroud, he doesn't have the most live cannon of all time. He doesn't have the arm strength of a Pat Mahomes, a Josh Allen, even a Will Levis or Anthony Richardson. But he is a guy who can throw the ball to all three levels. His arm strength isn't going to be something that's a concern for him going forward.

Now, with that, he has had some ball security issues in the pocket. He's a guy who can get the ball ripped out when he's trying to maneuver in the pocket. And that goes into the other kind of knock on Stroud coming out and it's his mobility within the pocket. He's been so well protected at Ohio State that he hasn't had to maneuver the pocket quite a bit. He hasn't had to make second reaction plays and off schedule plays. Those aren't things that C.J. Stroud has had to do as a necessity throughout his college career because of the protection and the wide receivers that he had at Ohio State. But everyone goes back to that last game against Georgia. And you look at that game against Georgia and C.J. Stroud showcased that maneuverability. He forced about three tackles. He was able to use his legs and pick up yards and get in situations that he needs to be in. And I know a lot of people are going to say, hey, Stroud isn't going to be available for the Titans. But the closer we get to the draft, the more likely it becomes that Bryce Young is the pick at number one, and the Texans, looks like they are considering taking Will Anderson,

the edge rusher, out of Alabama, and not drafting C.J. Stroud. If C.J. Stroud falls to number three, the Titans have to go up and get him. He is the perfect fit for them. He is the perfect fit for the Titans offense. So overall with Stroud, he's got all of the tools that you want from a throwing aspect. He does need a little bit of work on his mobility and second reaction,

but those are things that we have seen him do. We just haven't seen them do it a ton. So it's not like he can't, it's just, will he at the next level? And he won't get the protection in the wide receivers that he had at Ohio State at the next level. So odds are he will have to do that. But that's my perfect fit for the Titans. Outside of that, a guy I'd be very happy with if the Titans ended up with is Bryce Young out of Alabama. Bryce Young, the big knock here, 5'10", 204 pounds at the combine. But most people say he plays football around 190 pounds. He will be the smallest quarterback in the NFL once he gets drafted. And that's something that you can't just gloss over that, act like that's not something that matters.

But from a positive perspective, this guy is a mental genius when it comes to football. We're talking about on the whiteboard diagramming plays. We're talking about reading defenses, reading blitzes, pre-snap intelligence. This guy is the top of the top in this draft. Audibles, calling things at the line of scrimmage. Again, he is a football genius from the mental aspect. When it comes to actually playing ball, incredibly accurate, throws with anticipation, and you would expect all those mental gifts that he has to show up on the field, and they do with his accuracy, his playmaking ability. We got to talk about the playmaking. I mean, this guy is

just an off-schedule, second-reaction maven. Quite frankly, watching him move around the pocket and manipulate defenders, Bryce Young will set up rushers to miss him seconds in advance, thinking, hey, if I move this way, the rusher's going to react this way, and then I'll fool him and do the other thing. He is just an absolute maestro when it comes to playmaking in the pocket when things break down. That's the big difference between him and C.J. Stroud. Now, on the other side of things,

he does have a tendency to hold the ball a little bit too long because he wants to make those plays. And at the NFL level, when you have faster athletes coming after you in the pass rush, you're going to take more hits. And that's where the size comes in. So these things are all full circle. You worry about the size, and because he tries to playmake so much and move around,

you worry about the durability. So that small frame, he doesn't really have the ability to add on a lot of weight to protect himself long term. And when we talk about arm strength, he has just average arm strength. He's not a guy who's going to drive balls in and hammer balls into small windows.

He's a guy who wins on that timing, the anticipation, the accuracy. He's not a guy who's a drive thrower with a live arm. He's going to have an average arm in the NFL at best. So that is a concern. At the end of the day, when you look at Bryce Young, though, he's got elite playmaking ability. He's got elite football character, which is huge. He will be the smallest quarterback in the NFL without really more than average arm. So there is some compensation here and there, but with that character and with that playmaking ability, you could see why he might be the top pick in the NFL draft. So those are the top two quarterbacks in this draft class.

I still think CJ Stroud is the perfect fit for the Titans, but I wouldn't, you know, be upset if the Titans ended up with Bryce Young as well. But with that being said, we're going to move into the next section, and in my opinion, the next tier below of quarterbacks available in this draft who more realistically would be available for the Titans at pick 11. Before we get into it, though, do want to let you guys know that today's episode of the Locked on Titans podcast is brought to you by FanDuel.

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Once again, go to FanDuel.com slash locked on to sign up. FanDuel, an official partner of Major League Baseball. Titans fans, we are going to continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast, breaking down the quarterbacks in this year's draft class. We just talked about my perfect fit for the Titans in CJ Stroud. We talked about Bryce Young, who's also a top quarterback in this draft.

But now I want to go to the next tier, the second tier of quarterbacks, which are more realistic options for the Titans as they sit at pick number 11. Before we get into it, I want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first to 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 and stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast. Throw a thumbs up on the video if you're watching right now. It really helps the channel out. And drop a comment down below and let me know which quarterback you think would be the perfect fit for the Titans in this draft. But continuing forward, we got to talk about who might be the most polarizing prospect of them all in this draft.

And that is Anthony Richardson from Florida. Look, Richardson, we talk about prototypical size with CJ Stroud at 6'3", 214. Anthony Richardson is 30 pounds heavier. And look at the guy. It's all muscle. If you guys aren't watching on YouTube, I got a lot of visual elements I'm going to be going through during the draft season this year. So I hope you guys will check that out.

But Anthony Richardson ain't flabby in any way. This guy is an Adonis out there. He looks like he was carved out of stone. 240, 6'4", with his athleticism. I mean, it's simply unreal. Anthony Richardson, if you guys know about RAS, Relative Athletic Score, it's a charting system that tracks basically every athlete that's gone into the NFL draft since like the 1980s. Anthony Richardson is the first quarterback ever, I think maybe the first player ever, to score a perfect 10. A 10 out of 10. Unreal athlete. I mean, twitchy athlete got rare arm strength, like rare. Top of the top would instantly become one of the best throwers in the NFL in terms of arm strength and driving the ball down the field. Not only that, but with twitchy athleticism, with the arm strength, the guy is

excellent at moving in the pocket. He really does have a great understanding of how to deal with pressure. If you look at some of the, what percent of the pressure a guy took that turned into sacks, so how often he got pressured and how it turned into sacks. Anthony Richardson was one of the lowest

in the college football ranks. I think 10% of the pressures that he got turned into sacks. So he's a guy who has a great ability to avoid sacks. Not only that, but he was the highest rated play action passer in college football last year. Pocket movement, elite athleticism, elite arm strength, avoid sacks, great in play action. I mean, that is a guy who does make sense for the Tennessee Titans. And everyone who knows the guy says he takes hard coaching. He's not a guy who's afraid to be coached.

And that is incredibly, incredibly important. Along with all the throwing ability, he has the ability to be a Josh Allen when it comes to running. A red zone threat, a short yardage threat. He's a tough runner who gets extra yards. So all of that is great, but ball placement needs work. We talked about CJ Stroud. Not only does he throw it to the right guy, but he throws it in a place where his wide receiver can get extra yardage. his wide receiver can be protected. That's not something you see a lot from Anthony Richardson.

He's a guy who throws it to the right guy, but it's not always exactly where you want it to be. Now, he lacks experience. He only started 13 games for Florida in his college career. So you could say that once he got more experience, once he got more reps, once he got more practice, that his ball placement may improve. But maybe it won't. And some of the issues with ball placement come from mechanical consistency,

his footwork, his throwing motion. He shows on tape some flashes of perfection, but it's inconsistent. And that's something, again, with more reps, with more practice, with more opportunity, maybe that's something that he would improve upon. But you're taking a risk there. That is something that is a risk. Now, he's a guy who's had injuries as well. He had a shoulder injury that knocked him out his senior year of high school.

He's had some injury issues while he was at Florida. So that's part of the knock-to that people don't talk about a lot. And we talk about accuracy and hand in hand with that is anticipation. He's a guy who does not anticipate very well. He's got to see it before he throws it. And again, with practice, with reps, maybe that's something that he improves on, but maybe not. So you're betting on all of the physical tools and hoping that you can develop the mental side of things as you get him in your building. He's a guy with elite traits, no doubt about it. He's got elite traits from an athleticism and arm standpoint, but he needs some seasoning to develop consistency.

He is somewhat of a project. So that's kind of the double-edged sword with Anthony Richardson, who I think if the Titans didn't get one of the two guys at the top in Young and Stroud, and they drafted somebody who was a project at number 11, I would be okay with doing Anthony Richardson at 11, but what I wouldn't be okay with is trading up for Anthony Richardson at number three. That's not something that I would be interested in.

Next, we got to talk about a guy who is visiting with the Tennessee Titans today. He is visiting with the Titans today, and it is Will Levis. I personally am a never Levis guy. I'm not a fan of Will Levis. He gives me Carson Wentz vibes, quite frankly, but Levis is 6'3

230 pounds so he does have that prototypical size that you're looking for when you watch him throw it does look like Aaron Rodgers a little bit he's got a quick release a tight release he's got incredible arm strength

I mean this guy throws with insane velocity he really does he's strong in the pocket as well he's not a guy you're going to take down easily. And he is an able runner. He's a guy who can run. He's not the runner of some other guys, but he's tough as well. He's a guy who will stand in there, take shots, make throws. So that has to appeal to NFL decision makers as well, the toughness that you need from your quarterback. But at the end of the day, ball placement isn't there. Anticipation.

He is a guy who has to see it before he throws it. And if he doesn't see it, he will hold on to the ball and take sacks. I talked about Anthony Richardson being a guy who gets a lot of pressure, but it doesn't turn into sacks. Will Levis is a guy who does take sacks because he holds the ball and he can't anticipate

and he doesn't see it. He doesn't go through his progressions quick enough. He gets hesitant. He gets confused by defenses and all that turns into sacks and it turns into irrational decisions that turn into turnovers. He's a guy who turns over the ball and that is a concern. Look, he is a size arm athlete. That package of that size, that athleticism,

that arm strength, it's hard to find. But the mental aspects of the game are simply not there. And with that in mind, you're looking at Richardson and Levis. Both of them have traits. Both of them have athleticism. But for me, I would take Richardson if I'm going to take a project because at least he has more high-end upside, and I think he's a better football player right now than Will Levis if you had to play him. So for me, I like Richardson in this tier a lot more than I like Levis. I want no part of Will Levis whatsoever, even at pick 11, but again, I'm not trading up to number three for either of these guys in this range. We're going to cap off today's show.

I'm going to tell you why you never, never draft a quarterback past round two. Ever. I have data to back it up. We're going to talk about Hendon Hooker as well. Before we get into all of that though, do want to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by the Ultimate Pro Football GM app. Look guys, we're talking about

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way to pass time until the next football season comes around. Locked on Titans listeners can get a 100% free boost to your franchise. All you got to do is download the game in the app store or go to ultimate-gm.com and inside the game store in the app,

use the promo code LOCKEDON in all caps. It's going to give you that 100% free boost to your franchise. So once again, go to ultimate-gm.com or look it up in the app store. That's ultimate-gm.com, the ultimate pro football GM app. Start your dynasty today. Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Once again, it is episode one of our 2023 Locked on Titans NFL Draft Preview. We're starting with the quarterbacks, obviously. We talked CJ Stroud, Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis.

Now I want to get into the rest of the quarterback class, and that is going to start with Hendon Hooker. But before we get into that, I want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. As for your second listen, check out Locked on NFL Scouting with the draft dudes

from free agency to the draft to salary cap management and more. Join NFL experts Kyle Krabs and Joe Marino as they take you through what it's like to build a successful NFL franchise every Monday through Friday. Find Locked On NFL Scouting with the Draft Dudes wherever

you get your podcasts and on YouTube. It's part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. So my point here to cap off the back end of the show is you never, never draft a quarterback in the mid to late rounds. Now, Hendon Hooker may get drafted in the late first round or the early second round. So maybe you exclude him from this discussion. But for me, I have been out on Hendon Hooker the entire draft process.

Number one, did you know that Hendon Hooker is only one week younger than Sam Darnold? Sam Darnold's been in the NFL for like three or four seasons now. Hendon Hooker is his age coming into college off an ACL tear. Now look, Hendon Hooker's 6'3", 217 pounds. A little slim, but he's got good height. He's got a smooth release. He's got great football character. He can play on the move. He's good rollouts,

bootlegs. He can run a little bit too as a scrambler. He is a guy who has all that going for him. But Tennessee's offense was simple. It wasn't an offense that really translates to the pros. He's a guy who didn't go through his

progressions very quickly. He's a guy who struggled to locate blitzers when they were coming at him. He was a guy who didn't go through his progressions very quickly. He's a guy who struggled to locate blitzers when they were coming at him. He was a guy who struggled to maneuver against pressure. He fumbled 39 times in college. 39 fumbles.

That's a concern. Not to mention the injuries. Not to mention the age. He's 25. How much more development is he going to have when he's already 25 years old? Is he going to be able to speed up his progressions? Is he going to be able to locate blitzers better? At 25 years old?

I mean, we're talking about C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson. I mean, these guys are 21 years old. You're talking about a guy four years older who isn't a better prospect and is going to be out. So for me, look, he's got potential to be a game manager. Hendon Hooker's never going to be an elite quarterback in the NFL.

He's never going to be an MVP candidate. He can be a game manager in the NFL. For a developmental guy to be that old and have that ceiling, that's why he's going to be taken in the late first round or early second round. That's why he's not considered one of the top 10 prospects in the draft.

So for those reasons, I'm out. If the ceiling is Ryan Tannehill, I'm out. I'm out on that. But as for the other quarterbacks in this draft, I've had some of you guys mention certain players that you like in late rounds, like a Jake Hainer, a Clayton Toon, an Aiden O'Connell, a Jaron Hall, a Tanner McKee, a Stetson Bennett, a Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a Max Dugan, a Sean Clifford.

I've had all you guys mention those names as, hey, what if we take this guy in the late rounds? What if we take that guy in the late rounds? No. No. And here is the data. Here are the numbers. And I'm going to shove these numbers down everybody's throat

for the next three weeks. In the last 10 years of NFL drafts, so 2013, in the last 10 years of NFL drafts, one player out of 75

drafted in the third round or later at quarterback turned into an NFL starter, and it's Dak Prescott. Maybe you want to throw Brock Purdy in there. We don't know what's going to happen with Brock Purdy. I still think that Kyle Shanahan makes Brock Purdy look a lot better than he actually is. But even if you put Brock Purdy in there,

that's two quarterbacks out of 75 in the last 10 years drafted in the third round or later that ended up being starters. That's a 1% chance that you get a starting quarterback in round three or later. 1%.

I mean, chew on those numbers for a second. You do not. You do not take quarterbacks third round or later. You don't. You do not take quarterbacks third round or later. You don't. Two, and I'm being conservative, two out of 75 turned into starting quarterbacks in the last 10 years.

Flip that to the first and second round, 50% starter hit rate in the first or second round. Four out of eight quarterbacks in the second round turned into starters. Eight out of 16 in the first round turned into starters. Guys, it's simple. You do not draft quarterback after the second round. You don't. The Titans are going to be a statistic when Malik Willis,

Malik Willis isn't turning into a starter in the NFL. That's another third round, late round quarterback that isn't going to make it. One out of 75. So it's cut and dry for me. I don't want any of these guys. Jake Hayner, Clayton Toon, Tanner McKee, Stetson Bennett, Sean Clinton, none of these guys.

Not a chance. I would never, ever. And look, last year I felt differently and I learned my lesson. All right, you can gotcha me on Malik Willis all you want. I said at the time, it's a low risk, high reward pick. So I get it. But at the end of the day, the lesson has been learned. You do not draft quarterback past round two. The numbers, the statistics show

that it's a losing battle. So don't come to me and ask for Clayton Toon or Tanner McKee or Stetson Bennett. And if Hendon Hooker does, for some reason, fall to the third round, I don't want him either. I don't want him anyways. So that is my breakdown of the quarterback class in the 2023 NFL Draft. As we go throughout the next few weeks, I'm going to hit every single position on offense and defense.

So I hope you guys will tune in for all of that. My guess is without some kind of big Titans news, tomorrow we'll get into running backs and have the conversation about whether the Titans need to consider finding a replacement for Derrick Henry. So that's going to do it for me today, though, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titan.