Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - TITANS SQUAD SHOW: Titans NEED TO DRAFT a WR early + Carnell Tate, Denzel Boston, and other options

Episode Date: March 31, 2026

The Tennessee Titans are officially on the clock with the No. 4 overall pick, and the debate in Nashville is heating up. Much of the draft discourse has centered on the transcendent talent of Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love or a blue-chip EDGE rusher to pair with Jeffery Simmons. However, with an urgent need for a true WR1 to elevate Cam Ward, should General Manager Mike Borgonzi look at a playmaker instead? Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! TurboTaxThis year you’re getting a major upgrade — Intuit TurboTax now has in-person locations nationwide. Visit http://TurboTax.com/local to book your appointment today. Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast. Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply. Robinhood You’re no longer just a spectator. Play by play. You decide. Trade Every Play with Robinhood. Now available across the U.S. Download the Robinhood app now to begin. Futures and cleared swaps trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Event contracts are offered by Robinhood Derivatives, LLC., a registered futures commission merchant and swap firm. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. During the tournament FanDuel is offering $300 back in Bonus Bets every day for ten days. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game. 5-Hour ENERGY Have your cake & drink it too. Birthday cake-flavor is back, no fork needed. Vanilla-y cakey flavor, caffeinated kick, and no sugar. It's party time. Order Now at 5-hourENERGY.com or Amazon. Home Chef For a limited time, Home Chef is offering my listeners 50% off your first box, free shipping, and free dessert for life. Go to http://HomeChef.com/LOCKEDON. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I'm Julian Menonstone. The Titans have a lot of needs, but how early should they take a receiver? We'll talk about that sense of urgency next here in the Titan Squad show. I'm Tyler Rowland and did the Titans general manager tip the pick at the owners meetings? Not so fast. And I'm Brad Hopkins. It's time for the Titans to roll out the big guns. Titan up. It's the Titans squad. Everything Tennessee Titans every week. covering all the big hits and game-changing plays from the heart of Music City, the way only the locked-on podcast network can.

Squad up, the Titan Squad Show starts now. And welcome to the Titans Squad Show. As you heard off the top, I'm Julia Minneso, and that's Tyler Rowland, and that's the much buffer Brad Hopkins over there. Man, my girl watches this show, man. Chill. Chill. I just left the gym.

I just left for a walk, guys. I'm sorry. I didn't have a chance to... shower up and get changed. So you don't be in my office right now anyway. Well, we are going to talk about a lot of the Titan strengths and maybe weaknesses coming up here on the Titan squad show today. We're going to talk about John Franklin Myers, his impact on the defense. And do the Titans really need to add another pass rusher, how comfortable we are with that and the offensive line, the sense of urgency there after

Mike Borganzi's comments here at the league meetings this week. We're also going to talk about the need for wide receiver as well. But I wanted to start with some of Mike Borgonzi's comments, fellas here. He spoke to reporters in Arizona at the league meetings and said one of the big things was they still want to take the best player available at number four overall. What did you make of those comments? And does that glean any insight to who the Titans may be taken here in the first round coming up at the end of April? I got to tell you, I think it's kind of funny how people weaponize that comment. They're like, Oh, best player available.

They said they're going to take that means that means that he's talking about my guy. He's talking about Jeremiah. He's talking about David Bailey. He's talking about Rue of Maine. Whoever you like and want the Titans to pick at number four, you're going to use that comment as your weapon in battle to say that he's talking about your guy. So I find it ironic that that happens.

You know, everybody, the majority of people want Jeremiah Love. So most of what you see out there is, oh, he's talking about Jeremiah Love. He's saying premium position value. It doesn't matter. he's taking the best player. It's got to be Jeremiah Love. And I just, I want to at least acknowledge that there's a world where Jeremiah Love is not the top player on their board, where maybe David Bailey,

who's that perfect wide nine edge with speed and power coming off that Robert Salah likes and would typically draft, like, maybe he's their best player. Ruben Bain was a dominant defensive force. Maybe he's their best player on their board. So we don't know what the Titans board is. No one actually knows you can hear reports and rumors and all of that. but using my poor Gonzi's comment right there to be like, oh, we know for sure who they're picking now

because I don't care who you like or who you think it was about. You don't know that. He played it perfectly. Smokescreen season, say nothing while saying something. That's exactly what he did. So I think that first and foremost, before we talk about what that could mean, we don't actually know what they didn't actually tip the pick.

He's not that dumb. So let's just run through the list of consensus top tens and see if we all agree. Jeremiah Love, Fernando Mendoza, Arville Reese, Caleb Downs, David Bailey, Francis Manoa, Sonny Stiles, Carnell Tate, Rubin Bain Jr., and Jordan Tyson. Will we not agree that those are consensus top 10 picks, right? Some of the friends guys, you know, but yeah, yeah. You can go through that list and start checking on players that you know we're not even going to take a flyer on. I mean, at this point, we're not going to take Francis Mianua.

You know, he's a tackle. I mean, we need some help, I think, but they're not going to do him. Fernando Mendoza off the radar. You know, Caleb Downs, I mean, great pick. David Bailey, we can go down the list, right? To me, there's only a handful of guys that will be classified or qualified to say best available, especially at number four, because we don't have to have all 10 of those. We just have to have four of them, right? So with that thinking, come on, man, he didn't say it, but I think that maybe for those of us that are now warming up to the fact that they would take a running back and not necessarily an edge rusher, which I think most people were wanting to in the very early on of this process, we're warning to their dress. Because I know that in my mock

dress, I had David Bailey come into us at him before, period point blank. And I finally warmed up to it, Brad. I finally came over to your side where I'm like, you know what, they're probably going to take David Bailey. And now you're leaving me to go to Love Island. Yeah. See, that's what happened. Well, what happened was I was thinking that we need to start addressing need first, right? But then you start thinking about the availability of arguably the best, if not one of the best players, regardless of position in the draft. And if he's available at number four, because we know the Las Vegas Raiders aren't taking a running back.

We know that the Jets aren't taking a running back because of their love for Reese Hall. Arizona has bigger fish to fry than trying to take a running back. They signed Tyler Arjeure. They brought back James Connor. So, you know, they're probably out of the running back conversation, which leaves Jeremiah loved to sit at number four. And I think that that's kind of what he's saying. It's like, don't be shocked when we bring in the successor to all the great running backs that we've had in this program.

He didn't tip his hand per se, but to me, he kind of stated the obvious. Behoff, you mentioned tip his hand. Did maybe Mike Berganzi tip his hand that they're not trading down now? Now, see, that's another thing. And so, you know, you guys know, no, I'm on series on Sunday mornings. And Bill Lekis and I, we've been doing our mock drafts since February, right? and I told he said I have a trade this week in my mock draft and I said if you have somebody jumping the Titans if you have Arizona trading would say the commanders to take Jeremiah

love at number three I'm going to punch you right in the face I told him but the thing is he did have a trade this week and it was the commanders trading with us so this is the thing what I trade possibly getting Jeremiah love for getting whichever edge rusher is available who we want to have who, you know, in the very beginning of this conversation I was having, plus maybe next year having two second round picks, you know what I'm saying? Because of you trading down to seven from four and then having some more draft equity, that might be palatable. You know what I mean? I might take the edge rusher that Tyler and I were talking about getting in the very beginning, you know, David Bailey, a Ruben Bain, whatever that kind, whoever that guy is that's available,

they hadn't been taken already. And then having a really good draft situation early down, early, early draft next year, that might make moving on from Jeremiah Love okay. That's about the only way that I would say that I would support it. Tyler, you also had a trade back in one of your episodes. Yes. Julian, you're 100% right. I can't believe you're about to throw me up with the softball. I got a trust in it there.

But my mock draft I did this week as well, Brad, had a trade down. I'll be honest with you. I think there's a chance the Titans could trade down and get Jeremiah Love because I think the commanders could come up for Sunny Sond. styles, the linebacker. I think that there's some connective tissue there and their GM was talking about sunny styles. So I think that there's even a chance the Titans could fall back and yeah, I'd love one of the edge rushers, Rubin Bain or David Bailey, but I'd also, after a trade back, be comfortable with Jeremiah Love. I'd be comfortable with Mansour Delane. I'd be comfortable with

Carnell Tate. I'm not somebody who would take Carnell Tate at four, but if the Titans were to trade back and get Carnell Tate, that would be a godsend, you know, that eliminates so much risk. So I think there's a lot of options there. I think that's truly onto something. It's just about whether Washington is willing to make a move up when they don't have a lot of draft capital. But I kind of think they might be willing to do it if they just accept their fate and know that they're plugging holes and they get Brandon Iuke to help it wide receiver. They could do a lot with that. So I think it's on the table and that would make a lot of sense. Tyler, you mentioned Carnel Tate, and I think the interesting thing about the receiver position is is one of need for the Titans.

Obviously, they are going to have some young players with Chimre D.K., Alec Iommanner. You got Calvin Ridley on a restructure deal, and of course you signed Wondell Robinson, but this team is still in need of a number one target weapon for Cam Ward. Are we overlooking the receiver position just because the heat around the Jeremiah Love Talk is obviously increasing, and Edge has been the talk from the beginning. are we overlooking the receivers in this draft potentially that early? I mean, I don't think so. I think that wide receiver is a need, but at number four, I just don't think that there's a wide receiver that can fit that bill. So if they trade back, you know, they brought Mackay Lemon in,

they brought Casey Conception in for 30 visits. You know, if they trade back a little bit, if they move back at all and get additional draft capital, all bets are off at that point. Like if they took, you know, if they trade back to 10 or 11 and took a Casey Conception or Mackay Lemon or took Jordan Tyson there or something like that, again, if they trade back to six or seven or eight and take Cornell Tate, I can't be mad about that. At four, it's a bit too risky.

But again, the calculation isn't just the player. That's why you can take a wide receiver or something like that a little earlier than I think maybe they should go because it's not just the player that you're getting. It's player plus additional. draft capital from a move back. And that changes the risk factor. That changes the calculation a bit. So, yeah, if they move back whatsoever, different players make a lot of sense, honestly, because that wide receiver plus draft capital, let's do it. Who would you rather, Julian? Wondale Robinson that slot or Mackay Lemon?

Probably Wondale Robinson just because of the familiarity with Brian Davel, vet, been in the league before. So yeah, I guess that's, yeah, still relatively young. Yeah. Why would you, why would you waste the number four pick on sure, arguably the best slot receiver available? I mean, I think you'd have to look to Cornell, maybe Jordan, you know, as far as the sea of the egg, but somebody that's inside, the guy that has punt returnability, you know, the shifty kind of guy. You know, I mean, not to do the burner that's going to take the field vertically. Just somebody that, you know, I just wouldn't want to put that against, you know, if I was Mackay, I'd be like, man, you know, they already stacked where I'm at, you know what I mean? So I'd have to fight my way to get

into it. And then it has that expectation, yada, yada, yada. So I just, at this point, I wouldn't be an advocate for grabbing a receiver at number four. Maybe if, like, Tyler's talking about you move down, you know, to, you know, I don't know, maybe, I wouldn't say outside of the top 10, because the only ways I'm moving outside of the top 10 is if I got two first next year. You know what I mean? My own and yours, you know what I would entertain that idea. But I think that they're more pressing needs than receiver in the first round. Not saying that receiver does need to be addressed, just not with the fourth pick. Yeah. And there are, as we've talked about on this show multiple times, there are value pickset receiver, second round if you wanted to take it at 35 or at 66 overall.

You can find some of that. I mean, Bhop, we just did a mock draft this past Friday where you had Denzel Boston at 35 in that spot. Chris Bell, somebody like him, Jacoby Lane. Those have all fallen in mock drafts and kind of that second or third round area where the Titans could certainly address those needs. Let me ask you this, guys. Do you think that Edge, if Mike Borgonzi thinks that one of the Edge guys is their best player available, knowing that you only have, you have Germain Johnson there and then, of course, the interior guys, JFM and Jeff Simmons, does that shoot up your radar even more so than a Jeremiah love just because of the sense of who you have on that side of the ball and knowing that Robert Sala is a defensive first coach.

Honestly, I think most of that conversation is financial. It's the best edge rushers in the NFL make $30 to $40 million. So if you get a David Bailey and he gives you, you know, 12 to 14 sacks a year, that's worth about $35 million. And his rookie contract, he's going to get about $8, 9 million. per year. So now, you know, that's a big time discount. We're talking about, you know, $26 million a year discount. If Jeremiah Love is really, really good, the best running backs in the NFL get about $15 million a year. Well, he's going to be making

$8, $9 million out of the gate and have the most guaranteed money on his contract of any running back in the NFL the moment he's drafted because of the way rookie deals. So you're getting a not as good discount there. So what's it really worth? Now, you could say, I don't think David Bailey's going to be a 14, 12 sack guy a year. I don't believe that. If you want to say you don't believe in the player, then you don't believe in the player. But if I just told you that Jeremiah Love became one of the top five running backs in the NFL

and David Bailey had 12 to 14 sacks a season, you would be getting a way bigger discount on David Bailey's production than the discount that you get for having a running back. So that is an essential part to the conversation. that just most people don't want to talk about because you're talking about money and cap percentage and what the contract looks like after the first four years and there's so many variables for that to actually matter. But I think that's the edge versus Jeremiah Love conversation

is do you want a 50 cent discount on an Apple or a $10 discount on a stake? You know, what's more valuable? What's the better value on that? Apples are still good. The best Apple is great, you know what I mean? But it's about how much value you're getting on a contract and that's why the edge

conversation can't go away and won't go away because Mike Borganzi came from a franchise where they didn't spend on running back very much. Now they just did with Ken Walker, but like the money and when people say positional value, it's really about the money that you get. And I think that's a big part

of this calculus at the end of the day. It goes more than just the player's talents. Yeah, to Tyler's point, unlike JFM's contract, which is three years, they only brought Germain on for a year. So that says that that's a temporary. That's not the crown. You know what I'm saying?

That thing's in there just to keep the nerves from getting affected until they actually get the crown in there, right? Using that analogy, because my wife just had a kind of crown. And our temporary fell out while we're eating. So that's just a filler, in essence. Now, Jermaine Johnson could go in there and have a hell of a year and be afforded another opportunity to extend. that contract, right? But I think I think that that contract itself right now says, hey, look,

we're going to address Edge with a young player that we feel is affordable for us, and hopefully we can get some good minutes out of that cat. You know what I mean? If we draft someone in the first or second round at Edge and they outperform Jermaine Johnson, yay us, you know what I mean? Then what we've spent on Jermaine isn't going to cost us a whole bunch, and then we can just go ahead and keep riding out with what we've got to this point. Maybe if you want to offer another club-friendly deal to Jermaine next year to back up said edge rusher. That could be in play as well. But I think that like you said, Tyler, the numbers, the money is probably the motivator

in what they can actually get in a guy that's going to be faced with the rookie cap for the next four years, you know, versus what they've addressed so far in free agency at that position. Julian, I don't know if you want to save it for the JFM Big Jeff conversation because that's the line adjacent. but I think the Jermaine Johnson, Femio, Peking, at Edge, informs a lot of why I think Edge is their preference right now.

I think they take David Bailey over Jeremiah Love. I do. Like, that's what I believe. If I'm wrong, I'll be wrong. But I think with those players on the board, they take David Bailey. And a big part of that conversation isn't just the money that we just talked about.

But also what they have on the depth chart right now, and I think a fundamental misunderstanding of the edge, debt chart by a lot of people who like the type. It's like people are in my opinion are just misreading the edge debt chart. So we could talk about that when we get to the D-line conversation. But Brad, I think you're walking down a path that continues to lead us to David Bailey in an edge rush or even if people are so, you know, stuck in love. People have fallen in love. What I will say to round out this segment is, is back to Tyler, your point at the start of the show, that we don't know what Mike Borgonzi's board is. He said,

says he wants the best player available. If he, for some reason, thought Sunny Stiles as the best player available, he's going to take him despite the need or the athletic ability of Jeremiah Love or any of the edges or what have you. So I just wanted to keep that in mind for fans listening just because he says best player available doesn't necessarily mean it's the consensus among the NFL pundits that it's Jeremiah love, right, point-blank period. So we're going to talk about more of the Titans.

specifically O-line because Mike Borganzi also addressed that at the league meetings this week. We'll talk about that next year on the Titan Squad Show. Keep it here. All right. What if sports were traded like markets? Now you can put sports IQ to work in real time with Robin Hood prediction markets. It's not you against the house. It's you participating in a live market.

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All right, fellas. So Mike Borgonzi also addressed the offensive line. I don't know Brad is chopping at the bit to talk about the O line this week and said that there's going to be some competition on the interior. Obviously, center is a huge position of need after letting Lloyd Cushenberry go. They sign Austin Schlotman. They also signed Cordell Bolson as some guard depth piece. And then, of course, they have Jackson Slater. And I see Tyler's eyes already the sign of concern on his face there. But Mike Brighanzi also said that, hey, there's going to be some competition. And there's also day two and day three of the draft to address these. positions. How urgent is that offensive line position and how early would you take an offensive lineman in this upcoming draft? Bee Hop will start with you. So to me, number 66 totally makes sense because, well, one, Dan Moore's under contract until 2008. His cap hit will be 26 million heading into this season. Number 35 adds a bit more expectation, basically to crack the starting lineup. Now, they could get a bit more explosive on the outside with that pick, but,

you know, we'll see. A third round pick adds the necessary depth and potentially Dan's replacement if he doesn't keep showing improvement. And I put that in there for a reason. It wasn't like all last season he struggled, but there was a lot of times that you looked at the guy and say they spent all that money on that. You know what I mean? They bought in Austin Declos and, you know, from the Chargers and, you know, he played for a few other teens. But if you look at his PFF grades, man, it's kind of embarrassing. Just being honest. And that's right having five starts last year. So that pick also gives them room for development over the next couple of seasons.

If you tick somebody a third versus somebody, you know, earlier than that, you know. So I wouldn't expect the Titans to take a flyer on any of these guys just because of their current roster situation. I know that somebody in the comments that our tackles are shaky. JC, I think, is, you know, giving him a little bit more autonomy because he is a lot younger player that had moved positions last year, showed some improvement and has shown incremental improvements throughout the season. And I would expect him to get even better. But, you know, I'm still going to be out to lunch on Dan to see if, in fact, he can keep that position over the next three, two seasons, three seasons that we have him.

I'm just not impressed. So they might end up drafting his replacement, if not this year, next year, you know, given what 2026 looks like. But I do think that basically that third pick, number 66, would probably be the optimum position to take a tackle because then you wouldn't expect him to be thrust into the lineup. He'd have to earn his way into the lineup. And it's still quality enough pick to get a good player that you can develop over time. Brad, we really are ships passing in the night on this episode. Like, in my last mock draft, I took a tackle at 35. I did. Max, Anna Kour was there.

the guy from Arizona State, the developing good athlete. I think, you know, we talked about wide receiver, and I honestly have to acknowledge, I think I was wrong. I think the way that the wide receiver group played out, I don't think there's great value there at 35 anymore like I did originally because I think the top guys, Tyson, Tate, Lemon, Conception, Omar Cooper, Denzel, Boston, that group right there, which I think is the top, guys, I honestly think they'll all be gone in the first round.

I don't know that one of those dudes will be there at 35. And I think that, you know, Chris Brasel, Chris Bell, Jeremy Bernard, you know, the next wave of guys, I don't know if that's worth it at 35. And I look at tackle. And I wonder if an Ian Accor or a Blake Miller out of Clemson, maybe a Caleb Loomoo is there. And I'm like, would it actually be? smart to take an offensive tackle

with the second round pick, and especially if they were to move down and get an additional third or anything like that, they drop back five or six picks, and one of those tackles is there. I mean, Dan Moore's contract after this season, they could cut him. It would be $12 million in dead money, but like

nine point change in savings, which is, you're only losing $2 million in value on something like that. I think this might actually, the second round might be a time to take a tackle if those tackles fall down just a little bit. They may not, you know, it depends on like if Monroe Freeling

goes super early after, and Malanoa goes third, you know, they might be in trouble. That might not come to forward. But then maybe the wide receivers fall a little bit. So I honestly have come around to where I think the value at interior offensive line is third to the fifth round, and I think Mike Borganzi said something like that. We could talk about those options next.

but at 35 if the right offensive tackle is there, it's such a premium position, and Dan Morrisso's shaky, and J.C. Latham played better in the second half, but he has not earned the right to be like, oh yeah, he was a hit in the first round. Like, he's still on the fence. Even the most optimistic Titans fan has to admit that.

So I don't think it would be crazy to go offensive tackle at 35, and with the way I could see the board playing out, I think that could be a real possibility. You know, Dan Moore is on a four-year $82 million contract, and I want to acknowledge to everybody. Yeah, Brad's shaking his head already, that part of that, he was available for a reason, as Brad has said multiple times on this show. And also, there is a bad team tax with a position of need that the Titans were so desperately, they just had a hole there. You know, they needed to overpay for somebody like a Dan Moore just because they needed to fill that spot. Now, I want to ask when it comes to center and right guard, Tyler, you mentioned kind of rounds three through five.

Is that where you see that position getting shored up? Because also, Jackson Slater is still in the mix, too, for competing for maybe that right guard spot. I mean, they're just going to throw a bunch of stuff at the wall and see what sticks at the interior offensive line. It's too late in the process for them to have some sort of plan that, oh, wow, they figure. it out like sure to bring Kevin Zeitler back at right guard you know like sure at some point they're going to have some combination of interior offensive line at center and right guard that were not 100% sold on and they just got to hope that all the resources they throw at it you know they're they're taking a bunch of one dollar bills and going to try to find a bunch of different

shirts at thrift stores and see which one fits they're not going into the high end store and buying the $70 shirt that they got to wear you know so that that's what they're going to do and maybe they find some good options doing it that way but yeah i think i think the mid-round starting at 66 going to probably 142. I think they could find a starting interior offensive lineman. And we talked about value earlier, like the value of a running back versus an edge rusher. Interior offensive line historically has been something where a lot of teams say we're not taking it in the first round. We're not overpaying for guards and centers.

You know, like tackle is where the money is at. Brad, you know, he knows about the value of the offensive tackle. So I think the Titans may with Packers' roots and Chiefs' roots, look at this in an old school way and say, hey, good interior offensive linemen can be found with lesser resources than other positions. And you can't find good edge rushers and wide receivers and quarterbacks and tackles too late. It's an anomaly.

But, you know, linebackers and safeties and cornerbacks and, you know, interior offensive linemen, tight ends, running backs. you can find good players later in the draft. So I think there's a lot of value in there with a multitude of different names that we can all roll through. But center and guard, there are really good options this year

in those mid-round, so it matches up perfectly. You know, I do have one center going in my draft in the first round, and that's Connor Liu. I think that that's a guy that, you know, somebody's going to find some value in. But when you look at Volson,

Not so much. You know, you got no reps in 2025. No. Jackson Slater, similar situation, you know. Now, Austin Slotman, he's got some pretty good grades. I mean, this guy has seen some fired since he's been in the fight. And also, he was on that roster last year with Brian Dayball. So he kind of understands exactly what Brian's offense is going to look like. So there is some value there, not only, you know, with ability, but just familiarity with what the expectation is.

but I do expect them to address interior offensive alignment at 66, no later than that. You know what I mean, right in that middle round, like you talk about, maybe even sooner than that. I wouldn't want them to take number 35 and use alignment for that, but especially an interior guy. But they definitely need to get after that position because that is, that's something that's going to be, need to be addressed if they need to have some success. Because if you think about it, the interior of the offensive lines with the running, game starts, right? You want your best run blockers to be, you know, those, those big uglies that are in the middle of there that can just carve out holes, you know what I mean?

Outside guys are more past protectors because, you know, the space is where the mismatches, disadvantages can come with speed and that kind of thing. But when you look on the inside, man, that's the foundation of your offensive line. If they're questionable, they're shaky, you know what I mean? Can you imagine guys just blowing through the A gap constantly or not getting good run fits and just being a liability that, I mean, that it's a bad deal then because then the run game's gone. Now you're forced to pass, putting more pressure on the outside. It's just you got to get those guys shorn up sooner than later. Right. You're giving me nightmares right now. Like that's what I see when I when I see. I did film review on Austin Schlotman. Yeah,

he's not terrible, but he doesn't do anything great either. You know what I mean? There's a reason he's been a backup. He's he's the new Corey Levin. Like, and we all think Corey Levin. is a very solid player who deserves a job in the NFL, but is he a starting level player? I don't know if he can do that for 17 games. Cordell Volson, I'm from Ohio, man, I'm in the jungle. I'm surrounded by Bengals fans. I hear all of the things that these Bengals people

and smart Bengals fans are saying Cordell Volson is not a starting player. Like, we're going to be in trouble, you know what I mean? So I'm like looking at Austin Schloteman, Cordell Volson, Jackson Slater. and Slater, again, it's like Femioleodasia, when people count him in the conversation. Like, we can't know that.

There's no way that anybody knows for sure that Jackson Slater, he played one game last year of full amounts, like literally one game of full snaps. You can't look at him and be like, yeah, Cam Ward will be good to go. Like, what they've done on the interior offensive line right now is nightmarish. Like, it's terrifying, quite honestly,

how much worse the offensive line is right now than it even was last year when it started having some semblance of respectability. So, yeah, they must have some sort of plan where they really are going to attack it in the mid-rounds. I think if they were to trade back in the second round again and get an extra third-round pick, they could almost do what they did last year where they went D.K., helm, Iow Manor, just like, we're just throwing resources at it. Something's going to work. I could see them going tackle, guard, center, like rapidly with some of those picks in the,

third round top 100 style 101 added in there just to like be like, hey, we're going to get three guys and add them to our group and it's going to work out some way or another. You know what I mean? Like that that has to be the plan. Yeah, that's- I would only hope that. I mean, like you just mentioned Tyler, their fourth round success on the offensive side of the football.

If they can have that kind of impression with third, fourth-round picks and offensive linemen, they definitely need that. And honest, this is a serious question. serious question. How the hell did Tony Pollard rush for a thousand yards last year behind one of the most inept running games in the league? How did he do that? Yeah, four straight years of that. That's why I'm not worried about that necessarily. I'm worried about Cam Ward because the dude stayed relatively healthy up until the very last game of the season. And I don't want to put any bad juju in the air. But you play around with the offensive line. Cam Ward, you know, is going to be vulnerable in more games than not. And so, Addressing that obviously is a huge concern. And it also makes me think, fellas, outside of Robert Salon, maybe Brian Davel, Carmen Bracillo, the offensive line coach.

He's probably the most important coach that they have on the staff, or at least this upcoming season, to develop that young offensive line. So, all right. Next on the Titan Squad show, we are going to talk about the defensive front. John Franklin Myers, also the importance of Edge. Tyler teased the conversation earlier when it comes to the edge. edge depth chart with Jermaine Johnson and of course Femi Ola Dejo. That's next here in the Titan Squad Show.

Don't forget to check out the Everydayer Club for ad-free episodes and access to a group chat with Tyler and other listeners of this show. Just tap the link in the show notes or go to the link you see on your screen right there if you're with us on YouTube. Lockedonpodcast.com slash every day. Once again, that's locked onpodcast.com slash every day. All right, fellas. So a couple weeks ago, I guess, yeah, it was a couple shows ago.

We talked about some of the free agent signings and who was our most important at the top of the list. And originally I had said Alante Taylor, but I think I'm changing the tune to the John Franklin Myers just because of how important that Interior Defensive Line and that's going to be the pass rush and also what he does for Jeffrey Simmons. Let me ask you guys this. Is there a chance that Big Jeff and JFM could be a top three duo, interior off or defensive line duo in the NEO? NFL this coming season. Because we saw how important that was for the Seattle Seahawks with their guys at Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy. For sure. So John Funker-Myers was third on the Broncos and sacks, just a half a sack behind Jonathan Cooper was seven and a half. Obviously, Nick Benito was the man last year with 14

sacks. JFM would have easily been second in sacks for the Titans last year behind Big Jeff, who had 11. You know, life of an interior de-lineman is occupying. occupying the line so everybody else makes the tackle. So he didn't stand out in that category, but filling those gaps and stuffing the run is what he's really, really good at. He and Jeffrey make everything bounce outside. They would to the waiting arms of Jermaine Johnson and a draft pick

if that's where the Titans decided to go with that. Comparables, Chris Jones and Derek Nottie, Javon Hargrave and Eric Armstead, Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. those are some of the elite groups that you'd have to compare them with. And with the potential, they could be having that kind of success. And I don't know that it would necessarily directly point to those two being the reason, the catalyst for them being such a really good defensive front. But I tell you what, it certainly wouldn't hurt.

And I'm kind of excited to see exactly what that's going to look like, especially for a guy that has been so effective on a really good defense. and like JFM was, Jeffrey, he already has shown this is his defense. Hell, this is his team to this point until somebody else steps up. So I think that any addition with quality would automatically at least raise some eyebrows and a level of entry that would broach that conversation realistically. So I'm not going to say that, yeah, that would be the best dynamic duo in the league, but they definitely will be amongst the conversation for sure.

What I'm so excited about is how well they both pull off twists and stunts. Like when it's their job to be the screener, you know what I mean? I use a basketball term there, but like when, you know, there's a stunt up front and John Franklin Myers is coming from the left and he's going, I have this rep on film where he was against the Jags and he just decleaded the Jaguar Center because it was his job to pick so that the other interior linemen could loop around him and go off his backside through the gap. You know what I mean? And that's how they want to set it up.

And the way that Big Jeff does that. and then the way that John Franklin Myers does that, they are just going to declete interior offensive linemen who don't see them coming. And then the other guy is, and that's the elite thing about John Franklin Myers, is he is so freaking athletic for a guy his size. He moved, you know, it's a dancing bear.

As I say, it's like a polar bear on roller skates, the way that he's able to move around at that size. And him and Jeffrey Simmons both kind of have that quality, which is why they dominate on the interior so much because they're too strong for some of these offensive tackle. but they're too quick for the interior offensive lineman. So those two together at the same time. I mean, Brad mentioned it.

Big Jeff had the most sacks by an interior defensive lineman, and John Franklin Myers had the third most. So, of course, you put that together. They could be the best duo in the league. And honestly, with the money that the Titans are spending, the moves that they made, they're betting it all on the D-line, which is what Robert Sala football teams do anyway.

So they need it to be. Yeah, I just think of Jeff Simmons with the 11 sacks Bhop, Hop, and what he could do. He had no help, and he had 11 sacks this season, which is career high. Go ahead. I just got scared, guys. I just got scared because of what our offense is going to face every single day in practice. Volson and Schlotman are going to get their asses kicked every day.

Every stinking day. Yeah. How's it going to make us better? You remember when Jeffrey Simmons first came in and I'm not going to say first came in, but when he was getting after the defensive line, they can't block me, they can't block me. He's going to be saying that at nauseam,

every single practice. And how much are they going to be able to get done? Is Robert going to have to go over there and tap Jeff on the shoulder and JFM on the shoulder and say, hey, y'all, just take it down a notch. We need to get this playoff. They need to be able to see the speed of what they're trying to do. And you being standing next to Cam Ward,

every single snap is not going to help us. Just take it down a notch. See what I'm saying? Because I know iron sharpens iron, put it this way. With what those two interior alignment, what those interior officers are going to be faced with, they should be the sharpest sword ever because of how they're going to be matched up every single day.

And hopefully that makes them better. I understand that. But I'm just trying to think of what we can get out of practice on a regular basis, as disruptive as those guys are going to be on a regular, every single day down type situation. I think there might be more frustration from Jeffrey and JFM to say, hey, look, guys, we need some people in here that can block us. Now, arguably, we might be a couple of the best interior defensive alignment in the game.

And, you know, it sucks for you. But at the end of the day, we need to be able to get some things done offensively. And if we don't have the timing and all the things that we need to have done during the week, we're going to be almost ineffective on Sunday. So that's going to be an issue for these guys, especially when camp starts. and they put the shoulder pads on and it really starts getting live. I mean, man, it could be a frustrating deal. Tyler, you tease the conversation we had earlier when it comes to the edge position with Jermaine Johnson and Femiola Dejao.

Can you expound on that? It's just something that I've been thinking about a lot when people say, we don't need an edge. I've had a lot of people, you know, Jeremiah, the love stands saying, you know, we don't need an edge. They traded for an edge. They signed a couple edges. They don't need an edge.

And I'm just looking at the edge rusher position and I'm like, not so fast. You know, like, I think it's a misunderstanding of who's going to do what and what the roles are and how a Robert Sala defense works. A lot of people just look at the starting lineup. Is the starting lineup filled? If not, we need to draft here and here and here

to fill the starting lineup. And listen, you do need to have a starting lineup. But the reality is, is football rosters are built in year cycles, like two, three years ahead. You don't just look at, I have to fill my team this year, and who cares about backups, and who cares about roles. And like, that's not complex enough for how these rosters are actually built. And Jermaine Johnson is a 6'5 long arm power edge. He's like a Bud Dupree style player. He's never been the T.J. Watt, Miles Garrett, Brian Burns, even as good year that everybody gets successful.

about was seven and a half sacks in 2023 his second season before the Achilles. You don't know if the Achilles is gonna ever come back. That's, you know, the new ACL where people never came back from ACLs when I was a kid. Now they come back from ACLs all the time. You don't come back as well off the Achilles. That's the new ACL from when I was a kid. And we don't know if he's ever going to get that form back. And even if he does, it was seven and a half sacks and a lot of cleanup sacks and effort

because his motor runs nonstop. And it's not like he's boom, boom, beating the tackle with handwork and getting straight to the quarterback like a freak. You know, he's just motor and effort and staying after it. And the other guys are creating pressure like John Franklin Myers. You know what I mean? And he's benefiting off of that. It's like Bud Dupre.

You know, Bud Dup Dupre. And the Titans decided to pay him $18.5 million a year. I thought that was so dumb. Like, he was the fourth best rusher. But that's the point. Germaine Johnson is like the fourth best rusher on your group. and he cleans up because he plays with effort and strength and power and pushes the puck. He's not the winner.

He's not the guy who beats the offensive tackle within two seconds and is on the quarterback. That's the speed rusher. And the Titans don't have that because Femiole dejo is a Jermaine Johnson guy. Jermaine Johnson's on a one-year deal like Brad Hopkins pointed out earlier. And that's a great opportunity for Femi to learn from Jermaine Johnson. And then Femmy supplants Jermaine Johnson in 2027, and he's the source. starting edge rusher right there. And Jermaine comes back on a team friendly deal

and plays in a rotational role. And then who's the speed guy? We have Jacob Martin. He's 30 years old. He had five and a half sacks last year. That's not a starting speed rusher. So if you add a David Bailey in there or maybe they like Ruben Bain to do that, you add that guy in there.

Now you have four edges, not just two. It's not just about your starters. You have Femmy and Germain who can rotate, start on early downs against the run. and then you have David Bailey and Jacob Martin who can rotate as the speed rusher and get after the quarterback like that. It just, the roles of these guys,

what they do well, what they're going to do in the future, and what is still missing is so obvious to me. And I just wish people would look at the bigger picture rather than just, oh, we have a starter, we grab three guys. Like, you know, most of these guys are practice squad guys other than Martin and Johnson, and Johnson's on a one-year deal. Like, it just, it's pretty obvious if you take,

Just look at it for 2026 and 2027 for one second. It becomes blatantly obvious how big of a need edge rusher still is. The good news for the Titans when it comes to at least Jermaine Johnson is that they are getting him the year after the year from the injury. So if there was a time that he could be productive, it is at least that. Now let me ask you this. We've talked about value this entire episode. If the Titans pass on an edge at 4, do you like the value of an edge at 35,

whether it be Zion Young or Cassius Howell or Gabe Jock as somebody like that. Yeah, you're still talking about a player at that position that's ranked in the top 10. You know what I mean? By position. So that means you're getting somebody that's had a good collegiate season. And if you plug them into what we already have as assets to be freed up to do what they do, especially with the interior of this defensive line, already being established, then like you said, it would be easier for a guy like that with those kind of

credentials to step in. It's not like you're getting some slouch. You know, I mean, this isn't the fifth round pick we're talking about, or someone that's not even in the top 15 or top 20 by position. With 35, you're still getting a monster, you know what I mean? Because it's not going to be 32 defensive linemen there taking a draft. There's going to be a handful of them left over to get picked up in that second round, which is in the early in the second round, which is where the titans sit. And I think it's a perfect value too. We talked about, you know, I don't know if the value will be there at wide receiver, but it might be there at offensive. tackle. I think it'll be their edge, especially for the kind of edge. Again, a speed rusher who can

win quickly against an offensive tackle. You know, R. Mason Thomas is that kind of undersized speed guy. Cassius Howe is an undersized speed guy. Ramello height, same sort of thing. I think a guy like Joshua Joseph's, maybe a little bit later on at the Titans were to trade down in the second from Tennessee is a guy who can fill that void as well. Like I think that things, Zion Young, Derek Moore, you know, those are bigger guys, bigger, stronger. guys. I don't know if they feel that kind of need that I'm talking about. But at that value, they could still be in play too because again, the way people look at Jermaine Johnson is a little tainted in my opinion, what the expectation is for him. So if they went out and got another big

edge, I wouldn't be shocked by that either. But I think there is the chance that there's great value at edge at 35. So I wouldn't be shocked to see an edge there if they go Jeremiah Love at 4. You know what I mean? Absolutely. Absolutely. And we've all of us have done mock drafts on our these respective shows, not just the Titan Squad Show, but Tyler's show locked on Titans, and I urge you to check those out here on our YouTube channel wherever you get your podcast. We wanted to get your questions in the show. We're going to do our best to answer them and address some of the comments that we've been talking about, some of the needs the Titans have and what they should do at certain positions.

That's next in our Titans talk segment here on the Titans Squad Show. All right, fellas. So the chat is actually popping off here because there's a lot of arguments going on and what the Titans need, what the Titans don't need. somebody was talking about offensive line at four and i i was there was somebody said here samuel roland mills 1472 says if we talk offensive line at four i'll fly to national and be porganzi with his own arm that's funny um so uh let me try to see some of the comments because there have been a ton here we go jfk 5149 at what point are you going to get help

are you are going to help cam ward as i think you meant to say SMH instead of SMG. But that could mean a lot of things, guys. That could mean receiver. That could mean offensive line. I think for us here on the show, we talked about the help would come up front rather than on the outside.

Well, I just think it's funny that helping Cam Ward is only the first pick. You can only help Cam Ward with the first round pick. If they went defense with the first round pick and all offense, the rest of the draft, people would still be saying in the chat, they're not helping Cam Ward. So it's like, you can help Cam Ward in different ways. than just with the first round pick. You know, I think that honestly,

we have not really addressed what Jeremiah Love is, not who Jeremiah Love is, but what he is. He's more than a running back fellas. You know, he's a guy that is very, very versatile. Obviously, we know his stab was coming out of the backfield, but the guy's going to give you 50, 60 catches during the season. He's going to be somebody that's used a lot often, like the players, that Robert Salah,

has held it dealt with, like the player that Brian Dayball had in his offense before they shipped his butt off to Philadelphia and watched him win a championship. And that's the type of player, I think, that adds the kind of flexibility and options that keeps defense is guessing. You know what I mean? So you're not just getting a running back or arguably one of the top five best prospects, regardless of position. You're getting a multifaceted player that does just what the question is asking at what point are we going to help cam ward you're helping cam war by giving him a swiss army knife you're helping cam ward by giving him some weapons that you don't even necessarily see you know i mean you walked up to that guy with your fistballed up and you're ready to fight him you

didn't realize he had a switchblade in his back pocket you're in trouble you know what i mean so why you throwing fists he's dicing you up you know i mean not only popping you with the fist but cutting you to boot so i think those are some of the things that we need to look at as far as the versatility of this one player doing different things. And Addison Turner 9152 adds to that, I can't help but join in on the love train. Sounds better and better every day. Give a guy who will be a top 15 talent with top three upside. I know Bhop's doing the love dance.

There you go. If they don't market that, they're dumb. They need to hire all of the marketing people. If we draft Jeremiah Love and they don't come out with some, you know, getting on the love train, stop it. It should be on the jumbotron every time this guy sees the field. What did you say, Tyler? All is fair and love and ward. All is fair and love and ward. Also, wouldn't it be so great?

Imagine Jeremiah Love being off a 60-yard run. He does the little heart symbol that he does because his name's loving. He's boom, and he breaks it because it's a heartbreaking run. The heartbreaker, you know what I mean? Like at the end of the game, he broke the heart of the opponent. It's over. Listen, all this stuff we're talking about, we cannot ignore this factor. It would just make the team more fun.

It would make that more exciting. They would get talked about more. your fantasy draft and someone takes Jeremiah love. They're like, man, he's nasty, man. And you're like, yeah, you're a Titans fan. You're like, yeah, he's sick. You know what I mean? Like the running back legacy of the Titans, all of it.

It's hard to ignore those emotional pulls. And that's why against my longstanding judgment of being against running back in the first round, especially at pick number four, I can't help. But like, if they take him, I'll be happy. Because there's just so much emotional to play. And I'm sorry, but people who just say,

I'm a fan and all you do is watch three hours on Sunday and whether they win or lose is all that matter. Like that's not being a fan to me. Like the conversations, being at the bar and talking about your favorite team and you know the online and seeing a segment from a national show that's hyping up the Titans and putting a spotlight on their players and being like I'm a fan of that team.

Like that emotional side of being a fan is what makes being a fan so fun not just the game itself. So like you can't ignore that would be great. business purposes. If you're the Titans, need to fill the stadium, get your fans back energized. It's hard to ignore those parts. You know what made Derek Henry

vulnerable was them being inept up front. You know what I mean? It made it easier to pass on Derek Henry because Derek Henry he couldn't get going because of all the problems that were going on up front. And I hate to see that repeat itself with such a good prospect.

You know what I mean? Just think about that. We can put Oh, Derek Henry was losing a step. Oh, Derek Henry was losing a step. Oh, Derek Henry. What did he do? Rush for 2,000 yards when he went to Baltimore after he left here. You know what I mean? They showed you. It wasn't him. It wasn't him. So you can get great players like that in your backfield.

But if something's wrong with them front five up front, good God, man. Yeah. I look at Ash and Gentile this year. Yeah, I look at Ashton Gentia's prime example of that is, they drafted him. And it seems like that team wasn't ready for him, at least to produce at the level that he wants to right now.

But to that point, guys, Jeremiah Love, I mean, this, this team's MO is running back. You know, from the beginning of time, it's like, it's like Derek Henry, Chris Johnson, potentially Jeremiah Love, of course, Earl Campbell. Yeah, so it makes a lot of- White. Think about Low White, man. There you go.

Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. Forrest Tucker 363-2 says, what do you all think about a guy like the Texas Tech linebacker, Jacob Rodriguez, in the draft? If you can move back, get more picks in the second, big-time production. and good at the combine. I'll be quick on this one. You can't take a linebacker that high. Robert Sala throughout his career has made late round linebackers awesome.

He's a linebacker savant. His system creates great linebackers. I'm not taking linebacker high enough to take a guy like Jacob Rodriguez. I just don't think it's that big of a need. I can't do it. I take a linebacker, but then was Sunny Stiles. Right, right. Right. Like Jeremiah Love, you know, like I would take Jeremiah Love because he's so great.

I take Sonny Stiles because he's so great and special. But if I'm not taking one of those guys because they're so special, then I probably won't take a running back or a linebacker until day three, you know, the fifth round, something like that. Like there's just a big gap for me in where I want those guys. Great point, Brad. Yeah. One more question here, or I guess more of a comment,

and this pertains to not just the offensive line, but the idea between a, exciting kind of non-premium position type of player versus an actual need. Samuel Roland Mills 1472. Peter Skoranski was a big team need, and he's balling. Facts. That's what you want. You want to pull up, it's like when you're drafting people and you start looking at

players that you grabbed that have really made a difference, they grabbed him with the 11th pick of the draft, right? And it wasn't like he kicked the door. in because I think Jeffrey was eating his lunch in the very beginning, but he started to get better. He started to get better to where now he's arguably your best offensive alignment and can be mentioned amongst those Pro Bowl types. You know what I mean? He is considered like an anchor.

Get me another one of those opposite guard. Get me another one of those types, you know, even at the center position. Now we're cooking with fire. You see what I'm saying? Now we're doing some things. Peter Skoronsky should be, in my opinion, the poster boy for drafting and developing your players. Tyler, do you have anything to add to your Scoronsky? You know, I just got to say, Skoronsky was a good pick,

but they could have got Jackson Smith and Jigba. So it's like, you know, oh. Yeah, you know, this is the positional arguing. Like, why take a guard at 11 when Steve Avila got taken at 34 that year by the Rams? And Steve Avila is a pretty good player. I mean, you know, I'd rather have JSN and Avila as a combination.

But I'm so it could go, you know, we mentioned the running back thing. Jeremiah I love, but like you mentioned the backs. Ashen Jentee. Bejohn Robinson's ever made the playoffs. Sequan Barclay had to get let go as a free agent because it didn't work out in New York. Christian McCaffrey had to get traded before it worked.

Like, you know. Kenneth Walker just won MVP in the Super Bowl and he's on a different team now. Yeah, it's like what's that TV show, The League or whatever? He says, it never works for anybody. but maybe it'll work for us. So, you know, like, there's a lot of different, a lot of different ways that you could look at it. And every time something else comes up, I'm like, oh, God,

I'm like swayed both ways. But that's the plight of the running back, man, on a car. I've used this analogy a million times. Running backs are like tires. They get replaced most often. They're the only part of the vehicle that actually touches the ground, but it's also the most vital part because without tires, that car don't move at all.

You can't move. You see what I'm saying? Yeah, it's great. Yeah, absolutely. And I'll finish with this comment. Nash Russ says, Borgonzi said he will pick the best player still on the board. Duh, that is what a good GM does.

So, of course, yes. Mike Burgundy saying everything and nothing at all, exactly also what a GM does. We wanted to thank you for joining us here in the Titan Squad show. Make sure to like, comment, subscribe, wherever you're listening to the podcast. Also, you could download right here, whether it would be Apple Music, Spotify, all that stuff, wherever you get your podcasts as well.

And join us live here in the Titan Squad Show on YouTube twice a week, Tuesdays and Fridays during the off season and Tuesdays in game day during the regular season. And be an every day to the Lockdown Titan show there with Tyler Rowland. But for now, I'm Julian Minnanstone. That's Tyler Rowland. That's Brad Hopkins. See you guys next time.