Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - TENNESSEE TITANS SELECT CAM WARD #1 OVERALL IN 2025 NFL DRAFT

Starting point is 00:00:00 Cam Ward is a Tennessee Titan and we're celebrating on today's edition of Locked On Titans. 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 Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked On Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, Titans fans. Today's edition of the Locked On Titans podcast is brought to you by LinkedIn

Starting point is 00:00:36 jobs, LinkedIn jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to faster, post your job for free at linkedin.com Slash locked on NFL terms and conditions apply the Tennessee Titans starting quarterback job was open and Cam Ward has filled it after the Tennessee Titans officially select him number one overall. I'm going to get into what this means for the Tennessee Titans as a franchise cam ward as a player what he brings to the table and what the Titans need to do going forward to support Cam Ward with this draft. Before we dive into all of it, do you want to thank you for making the locked on

Starting point is 00:01:13 Titans podcast your first listen each and every day? Remember Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. You're not going to beat that anywhere else. There's a reason this has been the number one Tennessee Titans podcast in the world for six seasons. Make sure that you get subscribed. Stay subscribed.

Starting point is 00:01:33 It's your team every day. Shout out to my every dayers out there. Tune in Monday through Friday. If you aren't an every dayer, you need to be what I'm going to have a ton of draft content throughout the weekend, going live after every single day to break down what comes next, what to look for. But with that being said, we finally know what I have been saying for over a month now. Cam Ward is the Tennessee Titans franchise quarterback. And something that I have continued to say is the pick of Cam Ward means more

Starting point is 00:02:01 than just getting a franchise quarterback. The pick of Cam Ward means more than just getting a franchise quarterback. The pick of Cam Ward means more than any individual draft pick, no matter where the player goes. This has a chance to fundamentally reshape everything we know and think about the Tennessee Titans. If this pick hits, if Cam Ward is the player that we all hope that he is, if Cam Ward can lead the Tennessee Titans to the promised land, it will again fundamentally shift everything we know

Starting point is 00:02:32 and think about the Tennessee Titans. This has the ability to build the Tennessee Titans into a consistent contender. You want to be a team like the Baltimore Ravens. You want to be a team like the Los Angeles Rams. You want to be a team like the Philadelphia Eagles, like the Kansas City Chiefs. You want to be a team like the Los Angeles Rams. You want to be a team like the Philadelphia Eagles, like the Kansas City Chiefs. I know that they've been a little mid lately, but the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise, consistently good, consistently having superstar players, consistently finding value in the draft, consistently building winning programs and sustainability. If you want the Tennessee Titans to get out of where they're at as a team right now and to turn into one of those teams, this move right here has the ability

Starting point is 00:03:09 to be the first step in that journey. Now you could maybe trace it back even further ago. You know, Mike Fable getting fired and Rand Carton getting fired and Mike Borganzi getting hired and Chad Brinker taking four control as Darth Brinker. You know, like there are obviously a lot of steps to get here But this could be the seminal moment of okay We put everything in place and now we fundamentally got our guy what it reminds me of and to draw the parallels It's like the Bengals we saw Zach Taylor come in in his first year. The Bengals were awful They ended up with Joe burrow number one in the draft and And then within a few years, they went to the Super Bowl.

Starting point is 00:03:46 The Tennessee Titans could do something exactly like that. This could be the moment that the primary building block, the most important building block for any franchise, the quarterback is put in place. Now, that's lofty expectations for Cam Ward. And the reality is he's just not playing to be the best version of Cam Ward. Cam Ward is playing really to elevate this franchise. That's what Cam Ward's task is not just be a good quarterback. He has to elevate this franchise in ways that we thought Marcus

Starting point is 00:04:16 Mariota might be able to do that. We thought Jake Locker might be able to do that. I truly and still believe to this day, Vince Young had the ability to do. It's been so long since we truly had that quarterback that was ours. You know, Ryan Tannehill showed up and he was a great stepdad. Like Tannehill was a great stepdad, took care of us, took us in. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. We gave you a family as well. But Ryan Tannehill was never our own. All right. And because

Starting point is 00:04:44 of that, the fan base never truly attached to Tannehill was never our own. All right. And because of that, the fan base never truly attached to Tannehill, no matter how well he played. And some people were still angry that Marcus was gone because he was our guy. You know what I mean? And Cam Ward can now not just be someone who showed up, another bridge quarterback, a veteran, but our guy that we can finally have one, that we can finally build around. Finally, a good quarterback, a great quarterback in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:05:08 Cam Ward can be that. And listen, a lot of folks like to say, Hey, I don't care what the outside world says. Hey, I don't care how much the media talks about the Titans. Hey, I don't care what people think poverty franchise, all that matters is on the field. And look, I'm sorry. At the end of the day, I do not buy that. I watch football and I love football to be entertained, to be happy, to have joy, to enjoy my life, you know, it's great.

Starting point is 00:05:34 So it does suck that no one ever wants to talk about the Titans and cam ward's not even getting any love because he's going to the Tennessee Titans. And every conversation online with fans of other teams, all the Titans are a poverty team. They've never won a Super Bowl. They're, you know, an XFL franchise. All of that stuff that is said and thought about the Titans, not only in the national media, but in the football cognoscenti as a whole. All of that can change with Cam Moore. And this can be a new era of Tennessee Titans football.

Starting point is 00:06:05 I think that we're going to see a lot of change for the Titans here. Cam ward in his quarterback. I think we're getting new jerseys in a couple of years. The new stadium opens in 2027. New general manager, a fresh lease on life for Brian Callahan getting a quarterback that fits the skill set that he wants for his offense. Like it just, it has the ability to become the greatest era, the golden era of Tennessee Titans football.

Starting point is 00:06:33 We've waited 20 years for an era like that. And it's time again. And this again, could be the first step towards that, towards the Tennessee Titans fundamentally changing their status as a franchise. All that media stuff, all the fan hate, all the things that people say, all the things that we know are true. If you are a honest Tennessee Titans fan, then you know the truth. The Titans are a poverty franchise down with the Panthers and the Jags and the Cardinals. The Titans are in that group at the bottom of the NFL and importance and relevancy.

Starting point is 00:07:06 Nobody cares about the Titans. That's the facts. This move right here, this draft pit of Cam Ward and this draft in general has the ability to change all of that. To not only create a consistent winning program in Tennessee led by a great quarterback that people around the league would love to have. Not only that, but it can change the entire vibe

Starting point is 00:07:36 around the franchise and how the Tennessee Titans is a football franchise in the NFL are viewed. It can be that impactful, it can be that important. Simply put, this can be that impactful, it can be that important. Simply put, this can be the most important, single most important roster move the Tennessee Titans have ever made in the history of their franchise. That's how big this could be. Will it be? We can't know. No one can know the future, but by God, I am going to do everything I can to manifest it. Cam Ward, you are a Tennessee Titan. You are the franchise quarterback.

Starting point is 00:08:10 And I could not be more fired up about not only what Cam Ward can be, but what Cam Ward can mean for the Tennessee Titans franchise and their future. With that being said, that's the big picture. Look, let's talk about Cam Ward as a player. What does he bring to the table? What does he do well? What does he need to improve at the NFL level? And what's his role within the Tennessee Titans offense? All of that, plus how the Titans should support Cam Ward

Starting point is 00:08:35 with the rest of the draft coming up on a live reaction of the Locked on Titans podcast. Today's episode is brought to you by LinkedIn jobs as a small business owner. Your work doesn't end when the clock hits five. Your business is always on your mind, which means when it's time to hire, you need a partner that works just as hard as you do. And that's where LinkedIn jobs comes in. When you clock out LinkedIn clocks in.

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Starting point is 00:09:20 And here's a pro tip. Add the hashtag hiring frame to your profile picture to double your reach to qualified candidates. No wonder 72% of small businesses say LinkedIn helps them find high quality hires. Post your job for free at linkedin.com.slash. Lock on NFL. That's linkedin.com.slash. Lock on NFL to post your job for free. Terms and conditions do apply. Titans fans. Let's continue today's edition of the locked on Titans fans, let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast, reacting live to Cam Ward being selected number one overall by the Tennessee Titans.

Starting point is 00:10:13 Again, this has a chance to be the most important moment in the history of the franchise, and I certainly hope that Cam Ward pays that off. But let's kind of zoom in a little bit and talk about cam ward as a player who is Cam ward well number one six foot One and a half inches 219 pounds he's getting ready to turn 23 years old 22.9 years old out of University of Miami

Starting point is 00:10:41 He played at Washington State for two years before that he played an incarnate word Before that cam ward was a zero-star recruit coming out of high school in Texas he was a quarterback in a wing-t offense which I grew up in a wing-t offense it's hard to believe that cam ward as Talented as he is was running with a fullback and two wing backs and nothing but buck sweeps and traps and things like that. Not even, you know, really a passing game to go off of. So no wonder he was a zero-star recruit. But he goes

Starting point is 00:11:14 to incarnate word, a small college, and balls out. And with that he gets an opportunity to go up to the next level. And he goes to Washington State and he balls out. And he wants to go into the draft but he gets an opportunity to go up to the next level. And he goes to Washington state and he balls out. And he wants to go into the draft, but he gets told, Hey, you're a day three pick day two pick, and he says, you know what? I'll bet on myself and I'll prove that I'm better than that. And he goes to Miami, the highest level of college football that he's played out so far and what does he do leads the NCAA and touchdown passes and as a Heisman

Starting point is 00:11:47 finalist, zero star recruit to a Heisman finalist, and then to a number one overall pick. What a journey for cam war. And then you look at cam ward as a player, incredible playmaking talent. I mean, the number one thing that stands out is cam ward's playmaking talent. I mean the number one thing that stands out is Cam Ward's playmaking ability. I've called it generational playmaking ability. Like he's not a generational prospect, that's not what I'm saying, but he has generational playmaking talent. His ability to play with poise, to make clutch moments happen all the time, to elude pressure, to extend plays, to create out of structure.

Starting point is 00:12:27 He could create in structure, but when things break down, there was no one better in college football than Cam Ward at making something happen. And that is the type of talent and playmaking ability that you have to have at quarterback in the NFL nowadays. Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jalen Hertz, Jaden Daniels, like all of the best quarterbacks in the NFL have the ability to create out of structure. And now the Titans have somebody who has a generational knack for doing that. He pairs that with incredible arm talent.

Starting point is 00:13:00 Cam Ward has a laser of an arm. It's not the bazooka that Patrick Mahomes has. I would say Will Levis has a stronger arm than Cam Ward, but it's still going to be an above average arm that can make all the throws all over the field. Not only that, but he can throw with great touch. The way he's able to drop the ball in the bucket, some of those back foot lobs that he has in the red zone just absolutely incredible stuff incredible stuff And the poise again never loses his cool never loses its calm Always level-headed and I saw a cool stat somewhere. I forget it was in an article. I forget who wrote the article my apologies But it said that they have a heartbeat monitor

Starting point is 00:13:48 where they're able to check the heart rate of players at Miami during the games. And in all of the big moments that Kam Ward was in the clutch moments, the end of the game scenarios, his heartbeat was never outrageous. It never moved off what it regularly was. Like that is some science for you there. So if you don't believe me that he's poised from watching the tape,

Starting point is 00:14:10 then believe the science right there. Again, clutch player. How many times throughout Miami season did Ken Ward lead them back to victory? Bring them back from being down the cow game, Virginia Tech, other examples in there all season long. He was clutch and coming up in the biggest moments when the game is on the line. Cam Ward plays his best, no matter what's happened before. That is a high level player. That's what you're looking for. And the character, the hard work type of guy too.

Starting point is 00:14:42 I go back to a story that I believe it was Michael Irvin told where he said, Cam Ward was thrown with his receivers down in southern Florida and one of his receivers was thrown with Lamar Jackson somewhere else in Florida. And he called him and said, if you want the football, you're going to come down here and work with your team. First in last out kind of guy. And what I love to hear was Mike Borganzi and Chad Brinker talked at their pre draft press conference about how cam ward was excellent on the board. Talk about drawing plays and Hey, if the safety does this, Hey, what, what are you reading on this play? What if this coverage comes up with this route concept?

Starting point is 00:15:27 What are you going to do? Hey, you did this in college against this zone. What would you do against this coverage if you could do it again? And Cam Ward aced it. He was excellent on the board. He knows football. And you look at the tape on all the film breakdowns that I put out on the Tic Tac Titans film channel,

Starting point is 00:15:44 I go over it where Cam Ward is sliding protection at the line of scrimmage, audible and changing routes, using hand signals to communicate with the rest of his offense. Whether it be in the community, in the locker room, or on the field, he has incredible character and is a leader. And that is the type of guy when all the stuff I talked about At the beginning of the show about how important this is for the Titans culture and for the franchise moving forward You cannot bet that on someone who doesn't have this level of character and can ward checks that box completely now The reality here is can ward is not a perfect prospect and there's a reason that he wasn't a slam-dunk number one overall pick like You know Peyton Manning Andrew Luck Joe burrow perfect prospect. And there's a reason that he wasn't a slam dunk, number one overall pick, like,

Starting point is 00:16:29 you know, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, Joe Burrow, but there's a reason. He does have some things he needs to clean up. He can be a reckless decision maker because he's such an incredible playmaker. Like he's such a good playmaker that he bets on himself. He says, Hey, I'm going to get out of this. I'm going to find a way to make a play, but you have to fine tune that decision making at the NFL level. He is not going to have as much time in the pocket as he had in college. And he's not going to be as supremely more talented than all the other people

Starting point is 00:16:55 on the field, like he was in college. He is not going to be one of the best athletes at quarterback in the entire NFL from day one. Like he's not going to get away with what he got away with in college. So he's got to fine tune the decision making, also the footwork and the accuracy tied together. His footwork has to just get cleaned up to be more consistent because he's got such great arm talent that he can get lazy with the footwork and just lean on the arm. And when he's throwing deep down the field and especially deep to the outside parts of the field, that really shows up. He really struggles with his accuracy deep and outside.

Starting point is 00:17:30 So the footwork has to get cleaned up for him to clean up that accuracy. His timing. Look, this is for any college quarterback, but getting through your progressions and doing it quick enough to where the holes don't close and the windows don't close too early. That's something that every college quarterback has to get better at. So cam ward is no different. He needs to speed up the clock and still get a little bit better

Starting point is 00:17:51 there and create more consistency. And at the end of the day, something he can't change. He is not an elite size. He's six, one and a half, 219 pounds. He's got nine inch hands. He is not a big quarterback. He's got nine inch hands. He is not a big quarterback. He's not. Is he as small as, you know, Brock Purdy and Kyler Murray and stuff like, no, he's not,

Starting point is 00:18:12 but he's not a big, huge quarterback like Levis was, or like Josh Allen is, guys that are big and bulky and huge. So he needs to stay healthy. He needs to take care of himself and the Titans need to get him a good offensive line. But that's my scouting report on Cam Ward as a player. Now let's talk about how the Titans can support Cam Ward with the rest of the draft and the Titans signed Tyler Lockett. Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook.

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Starting point is 00:20:02 The reason I feel that way is because of all of Cam Ward brings to the table as a player. Although there are some things that need to improve. I am doing so much film content on the Tic Tac Titans channel right now. Cam Ward's scouting report video came out today. Cam Ward's SchemeFit video is going to come out as soon as I'm done with this episode. Make sure that you check those out. I'm going to have film content on the Tic Tac Titans film channel for all of the Tennessee Titans draft picks, just like I did last year. So if you're taking in the Locked on Titans podcast, you got to head to YouTube and check out the Tic Tac Titans YouTube forward. And it started last night before the draft even began with Tyler Lockett being signed by the Tennessee Titans.

Starting point is 00:20:52 And look, Tyler Lockett is not a needle mover. Tyler Lockett is not a difference maker. Tyler Lockett doesn't change how I feel about the team, but it is smart to have a veteran to come into the room and help a young quarterback. The Titans have Van Jefferson. They have Tyler Lockett. They have Calvin Ridley, three veteran receivers that they can count on. And look, Tyler Lockett checks the box of all of the wide receivers or all of the free agents.

Starting point is 00:21:20 The Titans have brought in so far this year, durability, durability. All right, look at Tyler Lockett's career in Seattle. 16, 15, 16, 16, 16, 16, 16, 17, 17 games played. The guy does not miss games. Even though he's an older player, he does not miss games. Last year, he caught 49 passes for 600 yards and two touchdowns. Alright, make no mistake. He has fallen off a cliff from the player that he used to be.

Starting point is 00:21:52 But he can be a reliable option who's really good at getting open in the intermediate area. And I've continued to say, Cam Ward is electric and an assassin in the intermediate areas of the field. So now you have a guy who has specialized his entire career at that, a guy who's going to be durable and be out on the field, whether he's an incredible player or not, the Tennessee Titans need him out on the field. It's a $4 million deal with incentives up to $6 million. It's probably even less than $4 million in actual guarantees. This is a good signing for the Titans to go into the draft and not feel like,

Starting point is 00:22:30 hey, we have to draft a wide receiver. My instant reaction to the signing was, the Titans probably aren't picking a wide receiver at 35. And I still believe that. I believe that this is a move where the Titans are like, look, we're not going gonna take a receiver at 35, but we might take a receiver at 103 We might trade up back into the top 100 and get a receiver in round 3 I think that is more now this doesn't mean that the Titans will not absolutely cannot draft a wide receiver at 23

Starting point is 00:23:02 You know Travis Hunter or Matthew Golden or Tetra Roa, McMillan or a Mecca Bucca fall to 20 to 35. I think the Titans would 100% sprint to the podium and take them. But the point is your free agent signings or insurance so that you don't have to feel like you have to take something. So does Tyler lock it change, you know, move the needle, change the view of the team? No, he does, but it's good debt that gives the Titans a little more

Starting point is 00:23:28 insurance so they don't have to be so desperate at pick 35 and draft for need. So like the signing of Tyler Lockett. I don't love it. I'm not over the moon about it. It's not a big deal, but just a nice solid signing. Okay. Really smart move by the Titans there. But in the draft again, the Titans still do need a wide receiver. I think the Tennessee Titans

Starting point is 00:23:50 seriously need to consider interior offensive line early. Kevin Zeitler is going to be gone after the season. He's on a one year deal. He's 35. Make sure that you don't have to find a starter next year as well. Draft one now. So interior offensive line would be a great way to support Cam Ward. If one of the top tight ends is available to the Titans, that would make sense again, if one of these top talented wide receivers, the Titans need to still get a wide receiver

Starting point is 00:24:15 with one of their top four picks. Like they need to do that. So it's not off the board, but just where they pick wide receiver, I think it's probably changed here. But listen, we can talk about the offensive side of the ball. We got to talk about running back. You need a running back to keep your run game consistent.

Starting point is 00:24:35 And with Tony Pollard getting injured at the end of the year trying to be a bell cow, and Tajay Spears being hit or miss so much last year with injuries, the Titans must get a running back and maybe wide receiver, offensive line seem like they would help the quarterback more, but make no mistake about it. Having a solid run game and a power runner that can take advantage of short yardage and keep drives going and get over the goal line and red zone. That supports a quarterback as well. So, and again, this isn't just about the Titans talk about this in the pre draft press conference. This draft is not just about, hey, support Cam Ward, get everything you can, take eight wide receivers, get,

Starting point is 00:25:11 this is about establishing the foundation of this new era of Tennessee Titans football and the culture of this football team going forward. So, to me, supporting Cam Ward, you want to support Cam Ward as the franchise quarterback for the Tennessee Titans? It's not just about drafting offense. It's about drafting players on this team that can help him elevate the culture. So if they draft an interior defensive lineman, if they draft an edge rusher, who is a guy who can help lift the culture and establish things for the Titans. That is also supporting Cam Ward. Looking ahead, again, we're going to see how the first round plays out here. Picks are happening right now as we speak. But if James Pearce, Devin Ezoraku, Nick Skorton are available at 35,

Starting point is 00:26:03 Edg-Rusher would make sense. If Derek Harmon is available at 35, the interior defensive line man at Oregon, that would make sense. Wide receiver, Ameke Gbuka, Luther Burden, Kyle Williams, Jayden Higgins, all make sense for me at 35 as well. Interior defensive line, Darius Alexander out of Toledo, TJ Sanders out of South Carolina are guys that make sense right there. And

Starting point is 00:26:35 we gotta mention interior offensive line. If Tyler Booker or Donovan Jackson are available, Grey Zebel, I think the Titans would take them as well. So that's what I'm looking for here. Maybe the Titans make a move back into the first round. If they do, I'll go, I'm going live after the first round completes to break down what the Tennessee Titans are looking for the next day. It's going to be a short bonus episode just to get you guys ready for day one so you have something in the morning to get you ready to go, but It's it's time baby the draft has begun cam ward is the Tennessee Titan again live videos every night after the day completes to Go over what the Titans did what they need to do going forward

Starting point is 00:27:18 I'm gonna have one minute instant reaction videos out for every single pick and then of course I'm gonna have film content on the Tic Tac Titans film channel, going over all these draft picks over the next week to 10 days. But with that being said, Cam Ward is a Tennessee Titan. That's going to do it though,

Starting point is 00:27:37 for today's draft instant reaction. I am your host, Tyler Roland. And this was Locked on Titans.

Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - TENNESSEE TITANS SELECT CAM WARD #1 OVERALL IN 2025 NFL DRAFT

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