Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Take FREAK Athletes on Day 3 of 2023 NFL Draft, but there are concerns...

Episode Date: April 29, 2023

The Tennessee Titans finished off the 2023 NFL Draft on Saturday and one thing was a common thread among all their picks: Athleticism. The Titans started with tight end Josh Whyle. Followed that up with offensive lineman Jaelyn Duncan and took wide receiver Colton Dowell to cap the day off. Tyler breaks down all the picks and what didn't happen.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

The Tennessee Titans drafted freak athletes on day three of the NFL draft, but that doesn't mean that every pick is going to be a hit. I'm going to break down all the selections on a bonus 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 looks like, unless the Titans trade back into the draft, that the draft is over for the Titans. We have all six of their selections and they just finished off day three. The Titans picked some freak athletes on the last day of the draft, but that doesn't mean that I'm sold on every pick. We're going to dive into my breakdown on every prospect to talk about what could have been for the Titans as well. Before we get into it, do want to thank you guys for making the Locked On Titans podcast your first listen every day.

Shout out to my everydayers out there listening to the show every single day throughout the week. And if you're new, thank you for joining. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, nearly 25 years as a Tennessee Titans fanatic, a staff writer for Sports Illustrated at AllTitans.com, and a certified film junkie breaking down the X's and O's with you guys all year long. The Locked On Titans podcast is Monday through Friday. It's free on all platforms.

It's all year round. Make sure that you get subscribed and stay subscribed. It's the Locked On Titans podcast, your team every day. But diving into the Titans' first selection of the day, we have Josh Wiley, the tight end out of Cincinnati. They followed that up with pick 186 with Jalen Duncan, the offensive tackle out of Maryland, and then cap things off at 228 with Colton Dowell, the wide receiver out of UT Martin, the local guy who grew up a Tennessee Titans fan and actually gave UT the business at one point in time during the college season.

That was funny to see after the pick as well. So all three of those selections and the point that I continue to make is these guys are supreme athletes. Josh Wiley, 8.98 RAS score. He's 6'6", 240 pounds with great speed. Jalen Duncan, I will admit to you, if you saw my instant reaction to the pick, I am not a huge fan of Jalen Duncan, but he did have a 9.01 RAS score, which is relative athletic score. And it kind of combines all their measurements and all their stats from the combine to kind of get a composite score.

And he had a 9.01. Colton Dow had a 9.78 RAS score. So all of these guys have really, really high athletic ability and athletic traits. And clearly with Rancar Thon taking a focus on analytics, that is something that the Titans were trying to go after in the late rounds. Rancar Thon said last night, he said it before, that the late rounds are for the scouts. It's when the scouts really get to make their picks of guys that they're convinced on. And obviously, there are a lot of scouts that Rancar Thon is working with

that care more about athletic ability than anything else. So three freak athletes for the Titans to start off the draft. But I want to dive into these prospects a little bit more individually, talk about who could have been there. So at 147, everybody was convinced that the Titans were going to take a wide receiver, right? The Titans had to take a wide receiver at 147. They could have had A.T. Perry.

They could have had Dontavian Wicks. They could have had Kushan Butte. A lot of different guys. Excuse me. But no, they go for a different type of pass-catching weapon with tight end Josh Weil. And look, I love the Josh Weil pick. Josh Weil is a guy I've been talking about on the show

throughout the pre-draft process. That's a really good late-round fit for the Titans. He reminds me a little bit of Austin Hooper. He's a little more athletic than Austin Hooper, maybe not quite as physical, but within the Titans system, I think that's the role that Josh Weill can play. He can be, so you have Trevin Wesko as your Jeff Swain. You have Chica Conquo as Chica Conquo. And then you have Josh Weill, who's now the new Austin Hooper. He made Bruce Feldman's freak list in this year's draft, one of the athletic freaks in the draft.

So I really like the pick of Josh Weil. He had a 4.69 40-yard dash, 240 pounds, 6'6", 16 reps on the bench press at 225 pounds. I mean, that's impressive. He's a skilled pass catcher. He's going to go up and get it. He can be a red zone threat for the Titans and go jump over top of linebackers and safeties to make plays.

He's split out wide. He can play in line. He improved as a blocker every year throughout college, and he's got some technique work, of course, as a lot of tight ends do, but overall, really do like the pick of Josh Weill. He may not be the best tracking passes downfield. He doesn't play with great strength right now. He needs to add some mass. He's not great at finishing over the middle in traffic. He can do those one-on-one situations where he jumps over guys, but he's

not like making a bunch of combat catches over the middle of the field. He's not really a run after catch threat as well. And a lot of that contributes to why he was picked where he was at 147. But overall, the Titans didn't add a wide receiver with this pick, but I love the pass catcher that they added in Josh Weill. I think he can fill that Austin Hooper role in something that I've been talking about throughout the draft process. The Titans play a ton of two tight end sets, a ton of two tight end sets. So when you play that many tight end set two tight end sets

you're going to have Chigga Conquo out there you need another tight end that can grow with Chigga Conquo and I think that guy can be Josh Wiley so I love the pick of Josh Wiley from Cincinnati for the Titans in the fifth round one of the picks that that I really liked out of this day three process probably my favorite one one of my favorite picks overall in the entire draft as well. But with that in mind, we're going to move forward. The Titans made two other picks on the day. One of them being Jalen Duncan from Maryland. And if you watch my instant reaction, then you already know

I am not a fan of the Jalen Duncan pick. We're going to get into that in just a moment. Before we do, I want to let you know that this bonus episode of the Locked on Titans podcast is brought to you by the Ultimate Pro Football GM app. If you want to run your own football franchise, that means drafting players, signing players, cutting players, hiring and firing coaches,

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breaking down day three of the NFL draft for the Tennessee Titans. Three picks. We just talked about Josh Wiley from Cincinnati, the 6'6 tight end that I think can replace Austin Hooper. One-on-one in the red zone, does a great job of going up and getting the ball. Good athleticism, size, speed, combination.

Improved as a blocker as well. I really like the pick of Josh Wiley. But now we got to get into the second pick that the Titans made on day three, and it's offensive tackle Jalen Duncan, who, as I mentioned just a second ago, I am not a huge fan of. I'm going to get into why before I do want to thank you guys

again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Shout out to my everydayers out there tuning in Monday through Friday to the show. If you guys aren't an everydayer, you got to get like them. Make sure you're getting all of that free content that I'm bringing Monday through Friday

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I don't ask for any money. All I ask for is the press of a button in return. But tomorrow's show or Monday morning, if you're a commuter, you are going to be hearing a full breakdown of the draft class. I'm going to do all of my draft grades for every pick

and my overall draft grade as well on tomorrow's show live on Sunday night. So make sure that you don't miss that here on the Locked on Titans podcast. But Jalen Duncan, 6'5", 306-pound offensive tackle out of Maryland. I'll do the positives first, and I'll be kind, but he's got great athleticism. He fits in the Titans system because of his ability to get up to the second level, He fits in the Titan system because of his ability to get up to the second level, use his mobility.

He's got literally all the athletic traits that you could ever want from an offensive tackle. He may not be the strongest guy, but if he worked a little harder, he might be able to add some strength and add some weight. The athleticism, the feet, the quickness, his ability to get back and meet pass rushers. I saw a lot of people using the term typewriter feet

when they talked about Jalen Duncan with the way he's able to chop his feet and meet edge rushers before they're able to run the loop and bend to get to the quarterback. So he's really quick in his pass set getting backwards. I mean, he's got good

fluidity, good athleticism, good movement skills. Again, running the ball, he can get off of combination blocks, get up to the second level to fit linebackers. He can do all of that. But, but,

ask yourself why a guy with all that athletic ability and all that experience as well, he played a ton of football at Maryland in the Big Ten. Why would a guy like that fall to pick 186? Well, folks, I'm here to tell you. A guy doesn't play with effort out on the field. He's not a finisher. You talk about playing through the whistle.

That is not something that you're going to get from Jalen Duncan. He's not a guy who is serious about football, at least where he should be with the athletic gifts that he has. Todd McShay mentioned after the pick that he's a guy you got to figure out if he loves football or not. Dane Brugler in The Beast put that an NFL scout says you basically got to keep him motivated

because he's not very motivated himself. He's not a hard worker. Not a guy with a lot of motor. Not a finisher out on the field. Doesn't play with a nasty streak. Just kind of goes through the motions at times out on the field, doesn't play with a nasty streak, just kind of goes through the motions at times out on the field. From the combine to the pro day, he gained 13 pounds,

which it wasn't seen as a positive thing. It was seen as a negative thing and a self-discipline issue that he was just training for the combine and kind of let it go a little bit between the pro day. You talk about on the field, Jalen Duncan had 20 penalties over the last two years. He's undisciplined, lacks focus, gave up seven sacks, 17 pressures, and six of his seven sacks came against the best teams that he played all year

when he played Ohio State, when he played Michigan, when he played Iowa. The best teams in the Big Ten. That's when he did his worst work. So when he played actual guys that are going to be in the NFL, he looked his worst. He's been training with Peter Skowronski, and I know that he's been working with Duke Mannyweather.

So maybe if he takes football serious and he really cares, then maybe the Titans are able to unearth a gem here. I'm willing to be wrong on this one, guys. If the Titans are able to get him right, they could have a stud on their hands who fits perfectly in their system. They could. I accept it. I do. But you guys come here and you want my opinion a lot of the times. I try to educate in terms of give information, tell you guys about the scouting reports,

the measurements. I try to give all the information I can while also having my opinion mixed in. And there is no way that I could come on here and look the camera straight on and look at you guys and tell you that I believe that Jalen Duncan will make the roster. I just don't believe in his football character. I'm not saying he's a bad guy or a bad person at all, but when it comes to football character, being a good teammate, working hard, playing through the whistle, finishing, having motor, all the stuff that Mike Vrabel talks about literally all the time, the guy displays none of it in college.

So if the Titans are going to flip some switch on the guy and he's going to turn into a good teammate who tries hard, then cool. But right now I see a guy that has some of the concerns of an Isaiah Wilson, not the off-field concerns, but more the work ethic on the field concerns. Football character. Again, I'm not talking about him off the field. Football character.

He's got all the football character concerns of Isaiah Wilson with a similar scouting report to what you got from Dennis Daly in terms of, oh, he has some athleticism to him. Dennis Daly, better run blocker out of college. But nonetheless, you know, I want to come on here and be positive. And I tried. He's got insane athleticism, 9.01 RAS score. He may kick into guard, which would make his athleticism even more important. But again, penalties, work ethic, motor, production, performance against the best.

I was taken aback by the pick of Jalen Duncan. Now let me say this to cap it off. I'll go positive, negative, sandwich, positive. If they can flip that switch. Like I said, he's been training with Duke Mannyweather, who's one of the best offensive line trainers in the entire industry. Probably the best. He's been working with Peter Skowronski already in the offseason

in the same program. And Mike Vrabel might be able to light a fire under his butt. Because all of the athletic raw tools are there. They are. But is he going to take football serious? If he does, and the Titans get the best out of Jalen Duncan, they could have a starter.

He could be a starting NFL offensive lineman. He's got the athletic ability to do it. But, man, they skipped over Luke Whipler. They skipped over any wide receiver that you could ever be interested in in the whole world. Skipped over all of them. Skipped over defense.

This is the first draft since the NFL went to seven rounds in 1994 that the Titans went all one side of the ball in the draft. The Titans went all offense in the draft and didn't take a wide receiver until the seventh round. It's crazy. Speaking of that, it's time to get into that pick. Let's talk about Colton Dow.

I'm disappointed that the Titans waited to pick a wide receiver until the seventh round, but for a seventh round wide receiver, I do like to pick a Colton Dow. So I guess we'll get into all of that in just a moment. Before we get into it, do want to let you guys know about the best tasting protein bars in the galaxy from our friends over at Built Bar.

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of the 2023 NFL Draft for the Titans. Talked about the pick of Josh Wiley from Cincinnati, the 6'6 tight end. Really like that pick. Really like what he can add to the Titans. Talked about the pick of Josh Wiley from Cincinnati, the 6'6 tight end. Really like that pick. Really like what he can add to the offense. It's essentially an Austin Hooper replacement with room to grow. Talked about the pick of Jalen Duncan. A lot of on-field concerns about his football character,

but all the athletic tools in the world, not really high on that pick. But hey, an athletic freak nonetheless. Now I want to talk about Colton Dowell. The Titans finally pick a wide receiver in the seventh round, and it's Colton Dowell. Before we get into it, I want to thank you guys again 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. Shout out to my everydayers out there tuning into the show five days a week. Love you guys. If you're new, join in again Monday through Friday. Daily Tennessee Titans content all year long. You're not going to want to miss it.

Get subscribed. Stay subscribed to the Locked On Titans podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network where it's your team every day. But talking about Colton Dowell, the Titans' seventh round pick out of the University of Tennessee, Martin. Okay?

The UTM Skyhawks, baby. Colton Dowell. He's 6'2", 212 pounds, but I tried to tell you guys, the Titans are not into all these small wide receivers like Tank Dell and Josh Downs. It's just not what they want, okay? Colton Dow, 6'2", 212 pounds.

He's got a 4.55 40-yard dash, so size, speed. He's the all-time leading receiver in terms of receiving yardage at UT Martin. So incredibly productive. Went over 1,000 yards and got all-conference in his last season. He's tall. He's explosive, man. We talk about his RAS rating. I just mentioned that to you guys.

He's got an incredible broad jump, an incredible vertical jump. So he's a really explosive guy. He may not have deep speed, like long speed, but he's quick and explosive. He's a good leaper. He can go up and get the ball over top of people. He's willing to be physical with the catch point.

He is a downfield vertical threat, okay? And he's a tough guy as well. Not to mention, he is going to be a dog on special teams. And you guys are all going to roll your eyes about special teams. But when you're getting drafted in the fifth or sixth or seventh round in the NFL draft, you better be ready to play special teams. And that's exactly what Colton Dowell is going to be. Okay?

Think of a more explosive, a more naturally explosive Nick Westbrook Akine. And again, you're all going to roll your eyes at that, and I'm not going to tell you not to. I'm not going to tell you not to. But that's basically what you're looking at there. That's where you're at in terms of the type of player that Colton Dow can be a more explosive Nick Westbrook Akina. And maybe that turns into, you know, he's wide receiver too, baby. But again, guys, I hate to do the pat myself

on the back thing because you guys hate it, but when NWI got brought back and I was frustrated, when Chris Moore got signed as a wide receiver and I was frustrated, a lot of people online told me that I was overreacting, that I was freaking out. We still have the draft. We still have this. We still have that.

Guys, get ready for NWI and Chris Moore to be wide receiver two and three. Mike Vrabel just does not value the position. This is what I was worried about. And it's come home to roost. We can talk. Hey, they finally drafted a wide receiver, all right?

They finally did it. Great. Great. But this doesn't even, I mean, does it even matter? You know, I struggle with it. I mean does it even matter I you know I struggle with it I struggle with it so in terms of who's available for undrafted free agency the draft is still going on I think there's about 15 to 20 picks left so some of these guys that

I'm mentioning right now could go off the board but I like Ivan Pace linebacker out of Cincinnati Lonnie Phel, the edge guy out of Kansas. Eli Ricks, the cornerback out of Alabama. Ronnie Hooker, the safety out of Ohio State. Bryce Ford Wheaton, the wide receiver out of West Virginia. I'm just begging to give him a chance. If they're going to bring in Jalen Duncan,

give Bryce Ford Wheaton a chance. My Lord. Andre Carter, the thin but talented outside linebacker out of Army, could be a good option for the Titans in undrafted free agency. Jason Kirkland, the offensive tackle out of Washington, could make a lot of sense. Tyrus Wheat, the edge guy out of Mississippi State. Muhammad Diabedi, the linebacker out of Utah,

I liked throughout the process. McClendon Curtis, an interior offensive lineman out of Chattanooga. Dante Damas, Jr., wide receiver out of Maryland. I mean, they're getting everybody out of Maryland, I guess. But those are some options that the Titans could look at in undrafted free agency. Little spoiler, little sneak peek. I'm going to be doing grades

for the entire draft, every pick, and then my overall grade for the draft on tomorrow's show. At the end of the day, though, I'll give you this tease, this spoiler for tomorrow's grades and overall conversation. This team is riding

the fence right now. And I don't like it. If you're going to trade up for a quarterback that needs some development, and you're going to trade for a running back, or you're going to trade for a running back,

or you're going to trade up for a quarterback and then pick a running back with valuable top 100 selections, and then you're going to neglect the wide receiver position entirely. You're going to draft a project offensive tackle in the sixth round, if you make the picks that the Titans made in this draft, you're not going for it this year. You're not doing all that you can to win in 2023. If you're going to keep Ryan Tannehill,

and you're going to keep Derrick Henry, and you're going to keep Kevin Byard on the high-priced contracts that they're on, you're going to keep those players around, then you better go for it one last time. Last dance. Last year on contract for Tannehill. Last year on contract for Derrick Henry. Last super, super tough year to get off of Kevin Byard's contract.

If you're going to go one more year with those guys, contract for Derrick Henry. Last super, super tough year to get off of Kevin Byard's contract. If you're going to go one more year with those guys, then you got to do everything you can in the draft to give them a chance and draft players who can actually help them in a significant way this year. Don't take trade up for a quarterback in round two that if you keep Tannehill is not going to play. Don't take a running back. The Titans needed a running back. But don't take a running back with your third round pick. Wait until later.

The Titans are drafting as if they're a team that's rebuilding. But when you look at the roster, it's a team that looks like they're trying to get the last bit of juice out of these veteran players. So to me, the Titans look like they're in an identity crisis right now. They don't want to fully embrace a rebuild with young players and trade their star players for draft capital next year because it would upset the fan base.

But they also aren't spending the money in free agency and using their draft picks in a way that could actually bolster Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry and help them go for it one last time. The Titans are riding the fence right now, and that's the worst thing that you can do in the NFL is not commit properly to a direction. The Titans are riding the fence.

They're having an identity crisis right now. They're doing draft picks and free agent signings like they're trying to protect the future. But then you look at their roster and what they're paying some of these veterans, and it looks like they're trying to win. They can't have their cake and eat it too. And all I would tell you is

that's what I got out of this draft. That's what I got out of this draft class for the Titans. They don't know what they want to do. To me, I think Rand Carthon is smart and knows that this team needs to rebuild immediately. But Mike Vrabel is too stubborn and wants to try to win as many games as possible.

And it's just a clash of direction. And I'm worried. I'm worried, guys. That's all I can say. But with that in mind, that's going to do it for my day three recap. That's going to do it for the 2023 NFL Draft. Again, guys, I'm going to be back with you tomorrow

doing a full recap of the entire NFL Draft for the Titans. I'm going to give a grade to every single pick they made. I'm going to give an overall grade, talk about where they go from here throughout this week. I'm going to be doing deep dives on every single pick the Titans made. I'm going to be talking about free agents that are still available for the Titans to address positions

of need, what they still need, what positions. We're going to be getting into OTAs. We're going to be getting into mini camp and training camps right around the corner. Monday through Friday, every single day of the week, I put out a Locked on Titans podcast on every podcast platform all year long and always for free.

Make sure that you guys get subscribed. Stay subscribed. Shout out to my everydayers out there tuning in every single day of the week. And welcome to anybody that's new. This is the place for you, your team, every day. That's going to do it for me today, though, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and

this was Locked on Titans.