Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans TRADING UP to Third Pick, Anthony Richardson Risk Factor & Levin/Wesco Signings

Episode Date: April 4, 2023

The Tennessee Titans were recently named as a team that could be trading up to the third pick in the draft. This does make some sense, but it could also be more about playing defense than anything else. Next, the Titans most realistic target could be Anthony Richardson from Florida, but it would not be without risk to go get him at three considering what we know. Finally, the Titans made two signings in Corey Levin and Trevon Wesco. Both can be valuable role players even if they aren't all stars for the Titans.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!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

Wait, are the Titans about to trade all the way up to pick number three? We're going to discuss that 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, I am back.

Back home from vacation and ready to discuss all of the news that the Tennessee Titans have given us. First, according to Daniel Jeremiah, the Titans are one of the teams that could be looking at a move up to get into the top three in the draft. We're going to discuss that rumor, that report. Then, who would the Titans be going after? We're going to talk about which prospects could make sense at number three. And then, the Titans made two signings.

They added a name at offensive line, a name we know, in Corey Levin. And then added a tight end, finally, in Trevin Wesko. So we're going to discuss both of those signings as well. Good to be back, Titans fans. Thank you so much 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. Stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast. Thank you all so much for tuning in. Let's dive right into this Daniel Jeremiah, again, rumor, report, whatever you want to consider it. Basically, Daniel Jeremiah works on the Move the Sticks podcast. And he said that people around the league, people around the league, say keep an eye out for the Titans

to be the team that makes the move up to pick number three with the Arizona Cardinals. So right now, conventional wisdom is that we'll see a quarterback go off the board number one. I wouldn't even call that conventional wisdom. That is just a fact. We will see a quarterback go off the board at number one to Carolina. And then at number two, we have Houston.

Most people at this time expect them to take a quarterback as well, which would mean that the number three slot has a ton of value because in my opinion, and it seems like that's starting to be the general opinion in the draft community as well, is that Anthony Richardson could be that third quarterback and that there could be three quarterbacks that go one, two, three

with maybe Will Levis sticking around. Maybe he goes in that three spot, but we've seen some things recently reported about Will Levis where maybe he goes a little bit later in the first round, but those top three picks could very well be quarterbacks. And look, you can have your own opinion as to which quarterback you want, which quarterback you would accept, which quarterback you don't want, but there's been a lot of smoke, a lot of smoke around the Titans and quarterbacks this all season. It's not just the draft either. I mean, during the early all season, we heard the Titans be connected to Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers,

Derek Carr, Tannehill Trades, things like that. And maybe that was more smoke than real fire. But there is no denying that the Titans have paid a lot of attention to the quarterbacks in this draft. They have met with the top quarterbacks in this draft. They were at Anthony Richardson's pro day just yesterday. So they're meeting with Richardson. They're meeting with the quarterbacks.

There is smoke there. Maybe there is some fire. So that leads us to the question of, of course, there's the question of, would you want the Titans to make a move up to three? And for me, it's all about the right prospect. If for some reason the right guy is there, then you pounce. But regardless of what guy you want, the next question really becomes, how much would it cost the Titans? And I saw a few trade packages floating around that would suggest pick number 11, pick number 72, the Titans third round pick,

and then a first round pick in 2024 and 2025. And I got to tell you guys, no way. No, there is one condition in which I would do that. And it's if the right guy was there, but just generally speaking, going from 11 to 3 with what the expectation is of who will be available, there is no way I'm paying 11.72

and a first in 2024 and 2025 to make that jump. I'm just simply not doing it. Now, I do want to say, Daniel Jeremiah was asked by Taylor LeJuan about this report or this rumor of him saying this on his podcast. And Daniel Jeremiah clarified a little bit. He said, all I said was the Titans were doing their homework,

doing their due diligence. And look, I agree. They need to do their homework. They need to do their due diligence. And look, I agree. They need to do their homework. They need to do their due diligence. You need to be ready if the right situation presents itself and you want to make that move. So it makes sense to do that groundwork now to make it easier to pull off when it happens,

when the draft is here. Also, worth mentioning here, Arizona's new general manager is Monty Austin for it, who was with the Titans before. So the relationships between the scouting departments will already exist that could grease the skids to make this happen. But I said this when we talked about the number one overall pick trade rumors, and I'm going to repeat it now.

To me, I think what's most likely happening here is the Titans are trying to push up that price on the Indianapolis Colts. And why wouldn't the Cardinals want that? You call Monty, hey, I don't really think we're going to make the move, but I might slide out some information that we might make the move. Not only does that help the Cardinals, because now that's giving them, you know, a leverage piece. Hey, the Titans are trying. You're going to have to give us a better offer.

But the team that could be most directly impacted by that leverage is the Colts, who is the Titans' division rival. So it makes sense for the Titans to be involved in these rumors. It makes sense for multiple reasons. The Titans' own interest and the Titans playing a little defense. With the Arizona connection, Imani Austin Ford, it makes it realistic enough that it could help both teams get what they want even if the Titans don't make that move. But if the Titans do make that move, if they really trade up to number three,

who would they be going after? I'm going to talk about two options that they could have, and one of them much more realistic at number three than the other. But before we get into that, I do want to let you know that today's show is brought to you by Bilt Bar, the best tasting protein bars in the galaxy. You get the best of both worlds by Bilt Bar, the best tasting protein bars in the galaxy. You get the best of both worlds with Bilt Bar. It's a protein bar,

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Built Bars. Titans fans, let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We just talked about the Daniel Jeremiah rumor report saying that the Titans are one of the teams to watch to make that move up to pick number three where the Arizona Cardinals currently reside and that the Titans would be looking for a quarterback. We got to talk about who that quarterback could be.

Before we get into it, I want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content on all platforms, all year round, and always for free. Make sure you stay locked in to the Locked on Titans podcast. Get subscribed. Stay subscribed. get subscribed, stay subscribed. So, look.

If things go the way that we expect, like we talked about before, and CJ Stroud and Bryce Young go 1-2, and the Titans trade up for No. 3, that means that they're going for Anthony Richardson. Now, we saw Rancar Thon execute this kind of move when he was a part of San Francisco's front office and they traded up for Trey Lance. Another guy who

had incredible physical tools but needed a little seasoning. Okay, so we've seen Rancar Thon be involved in a decision like this before. So, if the Titans, I'm just going to lay it out here now, my opinion on the matter. If the Titans trade up to

number three to get Anthony Richardson, I'm not going to be able to go on and be hype. I'm just not. I just, he could be great. Okay. I'm not going to sit here and tell you I've gotten every quarterback evaluation coming out of college right in my entire career. I'm not going to pretend to say that. I get things wrong. I evaluate prospects incorrectly. They turn out to be better players or worse players than I think. So I could just blatantly be wrong about Anthony Richardson and he could turn into a freak who changes the franchise forever. He has that ability. Now what I will say is at least, at least they're taking a chance on a guy who has that ability. Now what I will say is, at least, at least, they're taking a chance on a guy who has that ability. I'm a never-Levis guy.

So anybody but Will Levis. So at least Richardson does have the potential to do that. But if they trade up two first-round picks in the future and the third-round pick this year to get a quarterback who can't play this year and needs to sit behind Tannehill, I just, I can't be down with that. Last year when Malik was taken, I said, hey, this is a great pick.

Not because I know that Malik is going to be awesome, but because it's a low-, pick number 86, whatever, and a nine-man draft class, whatever, and high reward. Maybe he pans out because he does have the tools. Well, the risk is a lot, a lot, a lot higher when you're trading two first-round picks in the future and your third- round pick this year

to go get a guy who I would say, I don't want to say similar to Malik Willis, but similar enough in the way of Anthony Richardson shouldn't be a starter next year. Okay? He needs a little seasoning to him. And to trade that much for that, that's scary to me.

I think you only make a trade like that if you're getting a day one starter that allows you to cut bait with Ryan Tannehill and save $18 million. Okay? That's the only reason you would do that. So, if the Titans stick and pick at number 11

and they take Anthony Richardson, I could get on board. I could talk myself into it. But trading all of that to go up to number three, I just don't know if I could come on here and tell you guys it was a good, smart decision. I just don't know. I just don't know.

So stick and pick at 11. Sure. Trade all that up to number three. Oh, man. That is risky. Now, at the end of the day, it comes down to what you think about Richardson. I think there are a few things that need to be discussed. Number one, like we said, unreal athleticism.

His relative athletic score, which is kind of a composite score of all the athletic testing and all the measurements. And what it does is it ranks prospects in all those categories. It gives them a score and ranks them against every other prospect that's gone through those tests and done those measurements in draft history. Well, Anthony Richardson got a 10 out of 10 in relative athletic score. I've never seen that before in my entire life.

It's like seeing a player be rated 100 on Madden. It just doesn't happen. Everybody stops at 99. So the athleticism is truly historical. Okay? He was setting records at the combine in the athletic testing. So there is that. So I get it.

He was the top rated. I believe this is the way that it was presented. He was the top rated Division I quarterback in play action passing last year per pro football focus. He's great in play action. That's going to speak to the Titans. Off the charts athleticism, like historic incredible athleticism

and great in play action. Mike Vrabel's drooling. But on the other side, Florida's system was boom or bust. They tried to take a lot of shots. And the talent around him at times wasn't great.

He had a lot of pressure on him a lot of the time. So he has his flaws. But I see the upside. And I see how someone could be excited about what he could bring. Obviously, if you're in the comments right now and you're like, he's awful, he's terrible, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Look, you're going to think the way you think,

but I don't think those words and using that is the best way to do this analysis. Tell me the cons of how he plays. Tell me the pros. And let's figure out what the right thing is. So knowing all of that, like I said before, if they jump up to three and get them, I'm probably going to be a little worried.

If they sit at 11 and get them, then sure. Okay. I can talk myself into it. I don't think he'll be there at 11 either way, but I would be okay with that. Here's the real scenario where I would say trade with that. Here's the real scenario where I would say trade it all. Do it. There are some that think

and I saw a report while I was on vacation saying that some people in the front office in Carolina prefer Bryce Young. They think he's more pro ready. They think he's more mature, more equipped to be the face of a franchise. I've also seen some buzz that the Texans may not draft a quarterback.

That the Texans may choose to go defense with their first pick. I don't believe that, but let's just say for a second that it happened. If Bryce Young goes number one, and the Texans go defense, I am paying that price to go get C.J. Stroud. Stroud would be a perfect fit in the Titans system. He's ready to go right now.

You can cut or trade Ryan Tannehill immediately and save money. And I know that Stroud doesn't have the off-the-charts historic athleticism of a Richardson, but Stroud showed in that game against Georgia that he has the mobility and the athleticism to compete with the top quarterbacks in the NFL. He's not going to be a non-mobile statue back there. So while we talked about Richardson so much, because that's the realistic outcome here,

I don't think Stroud will be available at No. 3, but my God if he is. And maybe that's why the Titans are doing this due diligence. Because if Stroud is there, they'll do it. They'll go for it right away. But either way, the Titans are definitely doing their homework. They're definitely sniffing around quarterbacks in a major way. And we had to discuss all of these reports and rumors that come along with that. So with that being said, we're going to move forward. Talk about the two signings that the Titans made while I was gone.

Corey Levin, Trevin Wesko. We'll discuss all that in just a moment. Before we do, I want to let you know about the Locked On NFL Scouting with the Draft Dudes podcast 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 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 thanks for making Locked On Titans your first listen every day. But make sure to make your second listen, Locked On Titans podcast. Again, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, nearly 25 years as a Tennessee Titans fanatic,

Again, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, nearly 25 years as a Tennessee Titans fanatic, staff writer over for Sports Illustrated, covering the Titans at alltitans.com. Thanks for tuning in, making the Locked on Titans podcast your first to listen every day. Thank you all so much for the well wishes while I was on vacation. I had an absolutely fantastic time. The voice is probably at 75, 80% efficiency. Should be back up to 100 tomorrow. Not really something that affects the show.

Thank God for that. Tried to make sure I didn't get too wild because I need to be able to speak when I get back. But either way, we got two signings by the Titans over the weekend that we need to discuss. One, a familiar face in Corey Levin, and then a new name in Trevin Wesko. So let's talk about Wesko first. Number one, though, for both of these,

I love both these signings. No, they aren't all-stars. They aren't top-of-the-market options, but an NFL team isn't built with all all-stars. You're not going to have all-stars on every spot of the depth chart at every position. You need role players who a lot of casual fans have never heard of. I mean, there are all kinds of Super Bowl teams built with those kind of players. You have to have those role-playing guys. And that's what Wesco is. And I think Levin has a chance to even

be a starter for the Titans. So with Trevin Wesco, he's been in the NFL for four years. He's played 54 games. During that time, he's had eight catches for 113 yards. Make no mistake, Wesco is not a pass catcher, but what he can be is a better Jeff Swaim. That's what you're doing here. You are upgrading the Jeff Swaim role because Wesco is a far, far better blocker than Jeff Swaim. I think most of us are like, okay, you need to have that third tight end that is a blocking tight end. You need to have that. Need to have that. But Jeff Swaim far too often last year and the year before just didn't get it done from a blocking standpoint either. We can all complain about Jeff Swaim as a pass catcher, but where Jeff Swaim really didn't do his job was in blocking. That was what he was supposed to be able to execute

and he wasn't able to do it. So if you're a blocking tight end that can't catch and can't block, what are we doing here? So that's why the Titans have gone out and gotten Wesco and Wesco can block. I know that pro football focus numbers are not everything. The tape is a part of it. The numbers are part of it, all that. But just for reference, Wesco was the 7th best run blocking tight end in the NFL last year. Minimum of 100 snaps.

With a 68.5 run blocking grade. For reference, Jeff Swaim was 29th with a 62. So big difference there. Top 10 blocking tight end in the run game in Wesco. Not only that, but in the passing game, the 11th best pass blocking tight end in the NFL last year with a 78.0 grade. Zero pressures. Zero sacks allowed. For comparison, Jeff Swain, the 51st best pass blocking tight end,

gave up eight pressures and two sacks. So, Wesco is just an improved, upgraded version of Jeff Swain. That's what it is. And the Titans needed that. I talked about it on multiple shows over last week. That the Titans needed two tight ends.

They needed to get a cheap veteran who could be the third tight end, the blocking tight end role. And then they need to go draft one of these awesome tight ends in the draft. So, right there, you finally have a spot filled in that had to be filled. Moving on to Corey Levin. Alright, so with Levin, Levin has played in 45 games

in his career, all with the Titans. He started three games at the end of 2022. And he played pretty solidly. He only gave up one sack in those three starts, and it was the last game against Jacksonville. So Levin has been one of those guys that is on the borderline. He's a role player, solid depth player,

at his best, At his best, he plays starter, low level, starter level football. So I think that it's pretty obvious that you're going to have Aaron Brewer and Corey Levin battling it out for the starting center position. The Titans still need to add another guard, another interior guy in there. Maybe they get a guy who needs to play at center, and they move things around in a way to where Levin is playing at left guard. He played a little

bit of guard at times last year. I believe it was mostly right guard, but still, nonetheless, maybe. But I think what we're seeing is we're going to see Levin, we're going to see Brewer battle it out for the center position. Now, that gives the Titans the ability. Dillard at left tackle.

NPF at right tackle. And I still think the Titans could go out and get a right tackle in the draft and then move Brunskill to left guard. NPF to right guard. Maybe NPF to left guard. Keep Brunskill at right guard. I don't think NPF is a guard, maybe NPF to left guard, keep Brunskill at right guard. I don't think NPF is a left side player. In his career in college,

I think he was much better on the right hand side. And some guys are just better on certain sides. But what it does is, it allows the Titans to feel okay about the center position so that they can really attack a guard spot. If a center falls in their lap, then sure. Nothing that the Titans have done this all season should stop them from making the picks that they think they should with the best player that is there. You don't not take

Joe Tippman or John Michael Schmitz because you brought back Corey Levin and Aaron Brewer. But either way, at least the Titans have two guys who can compete, who you can at least put out there to start. And it gives them a little more wiggle room and what they can look for. So I love bringing back Levin. That was my expectation all offseason is the Titans would bring him back. He loves Tennessee.

It makes a lot of sense. And I love the pick of Trevin Wesko. No, he's not a starter. No, he's not some great all-star player who's going to change the Titans offense. But he's a needed role player at a depth position that has let the Titans down over the last few years. So with that in mind, that's going to do it for me today, folks. I'm going to be back with you guys tomorrow to break down all of the latest in the Tennessee Titans community.

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 Titans. you