Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans SHOULD Pick a Guard in the First, Mid-Round Options and Steals at Center

Episode Date: April 20, 2023

The Tennessee Titans have a big question to answer at pick 11 if the board falls a certain way. Would they draft a guard in the first round? Tyler believes they absolutely should if it is Peter Skoronski. Next, go over the mid-round options at guard if the Titans decide to wait to add depth. Finally, Tyler breaks down the center class and which prospects are the best scheme fit in Tennessee.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

Should the Tennessee Titans draft a guard with their first-round pick? Absolutely. I'll tell you who matches up for the Titans and break down the rest of the interior offensive line class 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. We're breaking down the interior offensive line class in the draft on today's show. We're going to talk about the guard prospects. We're going to talk about the center prospects as well. Before we get into it, do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by HelloFresh. Skip trips to the grocery store and count on HelloFresh to make your home cooking easy, fun, and affordable. That's why it's America's number one meal kit.

Go to HelloFresh.com slash NFL60. Use code NFL60 for 60% off plus free shipping. Once again, thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content on all platforms all year long and always for free. Make sure that you get subscribed and stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast where it's your team every day.

Shout out to my everydayers as well who are tuning into the show Monday through Friday. Big credit to you guys. Thank you all so much for the support. Remember, this is one of the installments in the 2023 Locked on Titans NFL draft preview. We've gone through quarterbacks. We've gone through running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and offensive tackles. We're going to hit on the defense early in the week next week. Plus, I have my annual Tyler Rowland mock draft special that I'm going to be putting out as a bonus episode on the podcast feed and on YouTube. I'm going to have

a full draft preview for you guys on Thursday, Full recaps, instant recaps of every pick, every move the Titans make throughout draft weekend. It is the best time to get subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast. But with that being said, we got to talk about who could be that pick at number 11 for the Titans. It's a guy I felt comfortable with throughout the entire draft process. And I know picking a guard in the first round, some people may, you know,

not be happy with that positional value. But for me, you cannot miss on this prospect. And it's Peter Skowronski from Northwestern. No, I would not pick him over Paris Johnson Jr. But my God, what a consolation prize. Skowronski's 6'4", 313 pounds. He's a thick body. He's a powerful man. He's got quick feet to go with it. He's got such a strong punch in his hands, whether it be driving people in the run game, whether it be knocking pass rushers off balance when they come his direction. He's got elite football character. I

mean, this is a guy that you can count on when you lay your head down at night, that he is not going to embarrass your franchise or hurt your team. He's got good balance as well. And look, we all know about the short arms thing. We've talked at length, no pun intended, about the length of his arms. And look, I think you should give the guy a shot at offensive tackle. But if the Titans see him as purely a guard, I'm fine with that as well because I've talked about how this isn't a great draft class overall. There's not a lot of great top talent at the top. You're getting a pure first-round talent in Skowronski.

And for me, with the uncertainty in this draft, that's something that I'm willing to bank on. So the short arms are going to limit him in certain ways. If guys get into his chest before he can get hands on them, that can hurt him. That can upset him. So all of his downfalls come from the short arms, but he's a fantastic football player and I'm willing to bet on him being an elite starter for the next 10 years at guard. Outside of that, you have Osiris Torrence from Florida. Now, I don't see Torrence as a great fit for the Titans if they keep the same scheme that they've run the last few years

with outside zone being the primary weapon because Torrence is more of a power or a gap run style player. At 6'5", 330 pounds, He's thick, great wingspan. We talked about Skowronski with short arms. Torrance has a great wingspan. He's a strong guy. He'll drive you. He'll finish you after the play is over.

I mean, this guy is a menace out there, but he's not going to do as well in space. He's not going to be as good when you get him on the move. He's not a guy who does well breaking down at the second level and taking on linebackers. And those are all things that you are asked to do snap after snap in the Titans offense. So I think Torrance is a good prospect, but I just don't think he fits the Titans current system as well as some other options do. Another guy who I like, but Torrance and Skowronski are probably first round options. For me, you get into the second round, pick number 41 for the Titans. I look at a guy like

Steve Avila from TCU, six foot three, 332 pounds. He's another guy who's incredibly thick. He's got such a strong punch with his hands. Absolutely impressive. He's a versatile guy who's played at center and guard as well. So that could have some great value to the Titans. He's mobile enough to play in a zone run scheme. That's maybe not the highlight of his skill set is his mobility, but he's mobile enough to be able to fit in that scheme that the Titans run. Now, he doesn't do as good of a job. We talk about movement skills. He doesn't do as good of a job adjusting when linebackers are coming on blitzes or there's a stunt or recovering after he gets beat with his hands and his feet. Those are things that need to improve. But for my money, what he gives you with the thickness, the punch, the versatility, enough mobility to get the job done. I like Steve Avila as an option for the

Titans in the second round. The last guy that I want to mention as a second round pick, he could also potentially slide into the third, but I think he'll end up being a second round. The last guy that I want to mention as a second round pick, he could also potentially slide into the third, but I think he'll end up being a second round pick late in the second round, is Cody Mock out of North Dakota State. Now I know offensive linemen, North Dakota State, some Titans fans are getting some PTSD there. I understand why with Dylan Radins,

but Mock is six foot five, 302 pounds, and he has the athleticism to fit perfectly within the Titans' zone run scheme. He's a great athlete. He's a hard worker. He's incredibly competitive. His work ethic is top-notch. The dude grew up on a farm. He wants to go back to the farm when he's done playing football. He's got that for you. He's going to continue to work. Now, look, he's got shorter arms for a prospect,

which is why most people see him at guard even though he was a tackle in college. He's got a little bit of a slim lower body. This guy has added like 80 pounds since he got out of high school. So naturally his body is not as thick and as wide as some of the other guys that we've talked about before him, like in Avila or Torrance. So he's always going to have that slender lower body. He is an aggressive player who wants to drive you into the dirt, but sometimes he has the tendency to get a little bit too overaggressive, and it messes with his balance. His technique goes out the window, and that's when he's going to lose.

So he's got to clean that up. He is going to be 24 years old when the draft takes place, which is an older prospect. Probably not going to be able to put too much more mass on him, too much more weight on him. Can he clean up some of his technique issues when he's this old into his progression? That's something the teams are going to worry about, and that's why he's probably going to slide to the end of the second round, maybe early third round. But if the Titans were to move back in the second round, I think Cody Mott can make a

ton of sense for the Titans. We're going to move into some of the mid-round options at guard. And then at the end of the show, we're going to talk about the center class and go over some options for the Titans there. Before we get into it, though, do want to tell you guys that today's episode is brought to you by Built Bars. And look, there's something really exciting coming to Built.com on April 22nd. That's tomorrow when most of you listen to this.

I don't have all the details yet, but the excitement is real, and it's something that you won't want to miss. If you know how Built works, they have the most incredible protein bars in the world, the Built bars, and they do amazing flavor drops with unreal flavors

in limited quantities for a limited time. So mark your calendars. Head to Bilt.com on Saturday, April 22nd, to be one of the first to discover what all the hype is about. I can't wait to see what this new flavor is. Make sure that you use promo code LOCKED15, and you're going to get 15% off your order at Bilt.com. Titans fans, let's continue today's breakdown of the interior offensive line class in the 2023 NFL draft.

Again, this is one of the installments. We've talked the quarterback class, the running back class. We've gone over 26 wide receivers, went over multiple tight ends, talked offensive tackles earlier this week, interior offensive line today. Next week, we're going to hit on the defense at the beginning of the week before we go into a full draft preview on Wednesday and Thursday, along with my bonus

episode of my first round mock draft, which I've been doing for quite a few years now, and people definitely seem to enjoy it. So 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, shout out to my everydayers tuning into the show every single opportunity

that they have. But diving back into this class, the next guy that I want to talk about is Chandler Zavala. So Zavala comes out of NC State, 6'3", 316 pounds, and he's another guy who would fit very, very well in the Titans' zone run scheme. You've got to make sure that these guys fit schematically with what the Titans do. And Zavala has great size, great strength, and good movement.

I mean, all of that together, that's a great option for the Titans. I'm thinking fourth round for Zavala. Listen, he's not the longest guy in terms of arms. He's got to learn how to sustain blocks and keep his hands on guys to drive him back. He's had some injury concerns. He's been able to play through a lot of them. And he, like Mach, we just talked about, is going to be 24 years old this season. So you're not really going to be able to put a lot more mass on him.

How much more can you develop the guy when he's that old? How can you teach an old dog new tricks, right? Keeps coming up over and over and over again. But with that size and strength and movement ability combination, I think if the Titans move some picks around, they collect some more picks. Zavala in the fourth round or fifth round could make a lot of sense.

Another guy who's, I wouldn't say similar because they have different skill sets, but in terms of where they could be drafted, I think Anthony Bradford from LSU could make a lot of sense. And I know Bradford has met with the Titans. He's six foot four, 332 pounds. Bradford is a wide man with a ton of mass on him. He is a thick bodied guy. You know what I mean? I've said that a lot in this episode, but it's true. He simply is. He's quick off the line of scrimmage, which

is very important within the Titan system, and he is a finisher. He wants to drive his man into the dirt. Now, there are some technique issues with Bradford. His hand placement and keeping it tight, keeping it inside. When he gets a little off balance,

he tends to lose his technique. So he is a bit of a project in that way because he needs fundamental refinement. He's a younger prospect compared to some of these guys that we've talked about. But with that size, his burst off the line of scrimmage, his mentality,

you could bring that guy in and develop him into a starter potentially. So Anthony Bradford, fourth, fifth round, could make some sense for the Titans. Another guy who I like as well in a similar range, fifth round, maybe even sixth round, but I'm thinking fourth to fifth round, is Emil Ekayor. Ekayor? I think that's right.

I think that's right. Alabama. I practiced this so many times before the show, and then I get on here and I kind of get frazzled when I look at the name. But Emil Ekior from Alabama, 6'2", 314 pounds. He's a little smaller height-wise than some of the guys that we've talked about, but he's got good mass. He's a thick-bodied guy, again, checks that box.

He's got long arms, though, even though he's one of the shorter guards that we've talked about. He has great balance. He's strong. He'll finish you and he's been incredibly durable as well. The guy does not miss time. He can be a little impatient with his hands. He tends to fire them too quickly. And when you fire your hands too quickly as an offensive lineman, and you don't get to where to the defender's chest right away, because you're firing too soon, then your arms get overextended. When your arms get overextended, you have the tendency to lean forward and try to get your hands on the guy.

So when that happens, he can have some balance issues. But those are rare, quite honestly. He tends to keep his good balance. It's just when he's impatient with his hands, his arms get overextended. Then they can lead to some issues where he's leaning over and you never want to see that. So, uh, Ekior is going to be a guy who, again, late

rounds, fourth, maybe fifth, sixth round. If the Titans want to go that route, he can make a lot of sense. Another guy is Nick Broker from, uh, Ole Miss. Six foot four, 305 pounds. He's a, this is Broker is the Miss, 6'4", 305 pounds. Broker is the type of guy that doesn't have maybe the natural gifts that you would want from a higher selected prospect.

He's got shorter arms. He's not an explosive athlete with a lot of power to him. Not great athleticism and agility and movement, but he's smart. He's a technician. If you don't win with natural ability, then you have to win with your technique. And that's something that Broker's been doing. Now the question becomes, there's a certain threshold where you have to have some natural talent and ability to be able to succeed at a high level in the NFL. Can you purely win off technique?

I think in the NFL compared to other sports, you do have the ability to be a good player without some of the natural talent that some of the guys selected before you would have. So Broker is incredibly smart. Again, he's a technician. He's got great, excellent football character. And although he doesn't have all of the natural ability or, you know, the size and the speed

and all that that you would want from a guy, typically he might be able to carve out a role in the NFL with that technique, with that character, with that intelligence. So I think Broker could make some sense for the Titans later in the draft. We're talking fifth or sixth round here for Broker. Another guy I want to mention, the last guard, well, not the last guard that I want to mention, but you'll understand what I mean in a second, is McClendon Curtis out of Chattanooga, 6'5", 324 pounds. So this guy is huge.

This is one of the biggest guys that we've talked about so far at guard. He's a guy who fits better in a power scheme, in my opinion, than a zone scheme, which the Titans run. But this late in the draft, you're just taking a chance and seeing if you can develop a guy. He's incredibly wide, like I just said, with his measurements. He's huge. He's got an insane wingspan as well, really long arms.

With that size, he's able to anchor. And what does anchor mean? Imagine taking a bull rush. Okay. You're taking a bull rush. A guy is coming at you full speed, trying to push you in the chest. You got to center your gravity, get bend in your knees and take that on and be able to anchor yourself on the ground so that you don't get driven backwards. Well, McClendon Curtis does that very, very well. and he's got great character. I was reading up on his background.

He bounced around a ton when he was a kid. He even lived in a shelter for a little bit of time, but it's turned him into a fantastic person who's driven, who works hard. I think McLennan Curtis could make a lot of sense for the Titans late in the draft. Now, he doesn't have good grip when he gets his hands on you or they have a tendency to slide off.

And he played at Chattanooga. So the competition factor definitely matters. But that's why he's going to go late in the draft. So he could be for an option for the Titans late. The last guy I want to mention is a guy I think would have gone way higher in the draft if not for an ACL injury that happened prior to the combine. And it's Andrew Voorhees at the combine, I believe. Yeah, it happened prior to the combine. And it's Andrew Voorhees or at the combine, I believe. Yeah, it happened during positional drills.

Andrew Voorhees, USC, 6'6", 3'10". He's a wide guy, very powerful. He's also agile for a guy his size. Really good fundamentals with his hand work. He's got great awareness on twists and stunts and picking up blitzes. He has a tendency to give up his chest a little bit with wide hands at times. He could be a little bit late getting to his landmarks

because he needs to keep his feet moving. And obviously, he's had some injury concerns. So Voorhees may not go into the sixth, seventh round, but he would have gone a lot higher, probably fourth, third round, something like that, if he wouldn't have torn his ACL. So maybe a team takes a chance on him a little earlier than that, just because they're banking on who he's going to be when he gets back from the ACL tear. But that is my preview of the guards in this draft class. We're going to move forward, talk about the centers that are available for the Titans as well.

Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We've talked about all the guards in the class that I wanted to get on. Now I want to talk about the centers that could be options for the Titans as well. Before we get into it, of course, 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 all year round on all platforms and all ways for free. Get subscribed.

Stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast. Again, defensive draft breakdowns coming at the beginning of the week next week. Doing draft previews. I'm going to have instant analysis going live on Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday after the draft. I'm all over it. You guys aren't going to want to miss the coverage that I'm bringing to you for draft weekend. But with that being

said, we're going to move into these centers. Got to start with my guy, a guy I've been talking about all draft season, and it's John Michael Schmidt. Center, Minnesota, 6'3", 301 pounds. He's got a nice frame

in terms of his chest, his upper body, pounds. He's got a nice frame in terms of you know, like his chest, his upper body, how wide his lower body is. Great strength as well. He has a great grip. Once John Michael Schmitz gets his hands on you,

you're done. Alright? And not only that, but we talk about scheme fit, fitting into the Titan system. This guy is so good at sealing backside defensive tackles, at reaching play side defensive tackles as a part of combination blocks, getting to the second level. He's a guy who finishes guys once he gets his hands on them. He's a good character player as well.

He's going to be great in the building. He's going to be a leader. That's important. He doesn't have the best length in terms of how long his arms are. He's got to continue to work on maintaining balance. He can be a little late to pick up stunts. And he's another guy who's 24 years old. But to me, while some people see the age as a detriment to John Michael Schmitz,

to me, the age is a great thing for the Titans because the Titans need somebody who can come in right away and play. And I think if the Titans drafted John Michael Schmitz in the second round, that he would immediately become their starting center. I'm not fooling around with Corey Levin or Aaron Brewer. Give me a break. John Michael Schmitz. And you don't pass on a starting center for the next five to eight years

because of Aaron Brewer or Corey Levin. Take the man if he's there. The next guy that I wanted to talk about is Joe Tippman. Joe Tippman out of Wisconsin, 6'6", for a center. That's pretty tall, 313 pounds. For a guy that tall and that big, he's really fluid in his movements. He's rangy. He can get out on pools.

He can get to the second level. His first step is incredibly quick. He's got good length, obviously, 6'6", the wingspan to match. He's a calming presence in the locker room, considered a leader at Wisconsin. And he's a versatile guy who could play at guard as well, which, again, the Titans could choose to have him play left guard and let Aaron Brewer or Corey Levin, who I think are only centers,

play those positions. Some people question whether he's too tall to play center because his pad level can stay a little high. And against guys who are at the nose tackle position driving you backwards, that could be an issue. When his pad level gets high, he tends to lose his balance a little bit and he's had a lot of shoulder injuries.

A shoulder injury on both sides. That's definitely something that's going to need to be checked out at the next level. But the next guy that I want to talk about here is Ricky Stromberg from Arkansas. Six foot three, 306 pounds. He's strong. Now, this guy is a nasty, nasty physical finisher, man.

I mean, whoo! That's got to resonate to people when you watch his tape. It has to. He's got good enough movement skills. He's not like a tremendous mover by any chance. He's got good enough movement skills to make it to the next level. And he is a tough man. He's not like a tremendous mover by any chance, but he's got good enough movement skills to make it at the next level, and he is a tough man. He's just a tough dude who doesn't miss games,

who wants to be out there with his teammates, and I think, again, that's something that will resonate to Mike Vrabel and the Tennessee Titans. Now, he's a guy who leans. He leans forward. He overextends. He loses his balance, and it's because the timing of his punch is a little off.

We talked about that earlier. I forget exactly which prospect that we were talking about with the timing on the punch and how it can lead to balance issues and overextending the arms. But you see that with Ricky Stromberg as well. So that's something. That is a technique thing that would need to be cleaned up. But I think it could be Stromberg should be there. End of the second, third, fourth round, somewhere in

those mid rounds. The next guy that I want to mention here is Luke Whipler from Ohio State, six foot two, 303 pounds. He is freaky athletic for a center. He's quick, so good at combination blocks, getting on a double team. Climbing to the second level. Stuff that you actually do within the Titans offensive scheme. He's got great vision as well. Picking up blitzers. Picking up stunts.

Seeing where guys are flowing to and meeting them at the spot. That's all super important. He's been incredibly durable during his time at Ohio State as well. Look, with Whipler, not great arm length, okay? He doesn't have great anchor. He's a smaller prospect at center. He doesn't really drive guys off the ball. He's more of a positional blocker.

But I think in the third, fourth round, he could be a great prospect for the Titans to come in and be their center of the future, battle it out with Aaron Brewer and Corey Levin and see what happens. I like Luke Whipler in the third or fourth round as an option for the Titans. The next guy that I want to mention

here is Alex Forsythe. Out of Oregon. 6'3", 303 pounds. He's got quick feet. He is a technician. Really good at resetting his hands. We talk about punch timing throughout the show. He's really good with the timing of his punches.

He finds good angles to be able to drive guys in the run game. He's got a lean lower body though. We talked about that when we talked about Cody Mock. So you're not going to get a lot of drive. You're not going to get a lot of power out of him in the run game. His punch doesn't stop people dead in its tracks Like some other guys do like we talked about with Osiris Torrance and his punch This is the opposite of that. He had like five false start penalties

Last year, which is insane and he's had a ton of injuries as well So that's why I think Forsyth could be an option for the Titans in the fifth or the sixth round and then the last guy that I want to mention is a guy that I've been high on, and he's working his way up the board, according to the media, and it's Juice Scruggs from Penn State. 6'3", 300 pounds.

He's got good length, big hands, snatch up, good anchor, and for a guy that size, only 300 pounds, it's not often that you see a guy do well anchoring when they're that size. He's great against stunts and twists. He's a guy who's really good because of his athleticism, really good at climbing to the second level, executing combo blocks. Now look, in pass protection, he can have a little bit of a

wide base with his feet and it can lead him to struggling with recovering because when your feet are that wide, pulling them back inside, getting them back out, moving them around, it's tough to recover when you get beat sometimes. Again, a smaller guy, he's not going to drive guys off the ball, but with his hands, he's able to really sustain blocks. He did have a back injury, though, in a car accident in 2019 where he was thrown out of the car he uh had an issue with his l3 in his spine and he had to wear a back brace the next year now that hasn't really

popped up in the last few years but it's definitely something that medical teams around the NFL are going to be wanting to check out so juice scrubs is my final center that I wanted to discuss here it is not a very good interior offensive line group this year. There aren't a lot of prospects that I'm comfortable with, but anybody that we've talked about so far this episode, I think it'd make a lot of sense for the Titans. But that's going to do it for me today, folks. That's going to do it for this week of the Locked on Titans podcast.

We've gone over every position on the offensive line, on the offense in general. Make sure that you go back and check out any of the previous positions if you missed them. 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. Thank you.