Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Titans Two New Signings, Adoree to the Giants & Mock Draft Round-Up

Episode Date: March 23, 2021

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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 is a Tuesday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast, and listen, on Mondays normally we would have mock draft Monday, but the last two Mondays, we've been laser-focused on free agency, and for good reason. So today, I'm going to make sure that we get back into the Mock Drafts, even if it is not a Monday. I have six different Mock Drafts to go over with you guys from different outlets and why it is so interesting is because the names

that are typically associated with the Titans are beginning to change. So we're going to talk about the pattern that is currently being established and we're seeing a name come up over and over again and we'll dive into that a little bit at the end of today's show. But we're going to start with two new signings for the Tennessee Titans. And for everyone who was having a critical meltdown about the wide receiver position, I invite you to take a deep breath. One of the best fits for the Titans in free agency at wide receiver that I have discussed

the last few weeks was signed by the Titans. They also added a special team's ace. So we are going to discuss both of those signings to kick off this Tuesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Let's get it. We are kicking off today's show talking about the two brand new signings that the Tennessee Titans made on Monday. Before we dive into that though, I want to remind you guys I'm going to be putting out Monday through Friday Tennessee Titans content, not only during the season, but all year long.

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at Locked on Titans pod. But with all that housekeeping out of the way, let's dive into the biggest signing of the day. And it's a signing that I have been personally asking for for some time now and calling him out as a great fit for the Titans in the low bargain tier. And that is wide receiver Josh Reynolds. Reynolds had spent the entirety of his career with the Los Angeles Rams, but Reynolds is a 6'3", big-bodied guy, 196 pounds,

taken by the Rams in the fourth round in 2017 out of Texas A&M. He has 113 catches on his career for 1,450 yards and nine touchdowns overall. Last season, though, he had his most productive year to date. In 2020, he had 52 catches, 618 yards, two touchdowns, and 13 starts. He's played in all 16 games throughout his career, so a very durable guy. Let's talk about the pros and the cons here. For the pros, he's a big-bodied guy, so the Titans need a big-bodied guy on the outside. Cam Batson's smaller. Yes, they need a big bodied guy on the outside. Cam Batson,

smaller. Yes, they have Nick Westbrook, Akina. Marcus Johnson isn't a huge guy. So getting a six foot three, truly big bodied receiver fits perfectly in the Titans basketball lineup of wide receivers. You guys know my philosophy there. He played in the slot 30% of the time last year, was out wide 70% of the time. That shows versatility but for me for my money I want him playing outside and the Titans will look to draft a wide receiver they can play more of the slot role also of course you have Anthony Ferkser who can do that as well he has a large catch radius because he's six foot three with long arms it gives him the ability to jump and catch the ball in a big range of space when it's thrown around him. So that's big. And with that size and with that catch radius, he does make good adjustments on the ball as well. So not only does he have a big range of places where he's able to catch it,

he does well to change his body up and move his body around to give him the opportunity to use that catch radius to get contested catches and that's the next big thing he does a good job of making those contested catches one-on-one situations ball up in the air going up and high pointing it and coming down with it obviously his size his body type that's what you need to see from a guy like that he played for the Rams who run that same zone based running scheme with the West Coast principles in the passing game so he has good system knowledge and we know that he's going to block because it was required of him. Now one thing I will say is although he has limited production, he played behind a very talented group of wide receivers

in Los Angeles. So to me the lack of production is not necessarily because he's not a good player and wasn't able. He wasn't getting the reps necessary to put up stellar production, playing behind Brandon Cooks, playing behind Cooper Cupp, playing behind Robert Woods. So I don't think that's necessarily a knock on him. The Chiefs were in on him as well, and the Titans were able to win out. So if the Chiefs are interested in a wide receiver, to me, that's a good sign. Whatever deductive reasoning that is I just believe that so there you go that's my last pro for the cons he's not a burner guys I've been asking for speed on this offense maybe the Titans will target that sort of speed in the draft but he's not a super

speedy guy he's a long strider though so he's not necessarily slow but he's definitely not the burner that I was hoping the Titans would find a way to get their hands on. He's not an excellent route runner. He's kind of in the mid-tier of wide receivers in terms of separation. Per next-gen stats, he created 2.5 yards of separation. That's right there with Corey Davis, though. They were both right there at 2.5. So he's not a stellar route runner, doesn't have excellent speed. He doesn't have great athleticism.

It's more his size, his length that allows him to win those one-on-one matchups. And he's not really a yards after catch guy like we see with A.J. Brown. He only had 200 yards after catch out of his 618. So it's not really something that's a pillar of his game. But that's the lowdown on Josh Reynolds. The last thing I want to say here is I have been talking about Josh Reynolds since the first time that we talked about the free agent group at wide receivers. Now, he wasn't my number one selection. Of course, I'm not going to claim that, but I did say at the price range that he would probably be in the fourth, fifth tier of wide receiver. He would be a perfect fit for the Titans as a bargain bin guy, because if you can get 75% of Corey Davis' production, which think 52 catches, 618 yards, Corey Davis had 900 yards.

If you get about 75% of Corey Davis' production for at this point, Reynolds is probably going to be about $2 million, $3 million at max. I'd say at max, probably even less than that, probably 1.75, 2.25. You get a guy that cheap compared to Corey Davis's deal and it's going to give you 75 to 80 percent of the production and I would imagine his production is only going to go up in the Titans offense that's exactly the kind of value that you're hoping to create so I really like the signing for the Titans and they go out they get a wide receiver pretty high in the draft and then sign another veteran maybe later in the process in the summer.

I think the Titans could have a very reliable wide receiver core and one that, at the minimum, I would not be worried about. So there was another signing for the Tennessee Titans. I'm going to get to that in our next segment. And then there was a signing made by another team of a former Tennessee Titan that is such a big headline that, of course, we have to talk about it. And, of course, remember, we are going to get into our mock draft Monday at the end of the show going over who the new number one candidate is that everyone is pegging

to the Titans at pick number 22. Before we get into the rest of today's show, though, I want to tell you guys about our friends over at BetOnline.ag. Yes, the NFL season may be over, but March Madness is in full swing right now. of today's show though I want to tell you guys about our friends over at betonline.ag yes the NFL season may be over but March Madness is in full swing right now and NBA is in full swing playoffs are approaching NHL same thing MLB right around the corner the Masters right around the corner so the point is there's a ton of things you can still place wagers on and the fastest and easiest way to do that is to go to betonline.ag head to their website

or use your mobile device today sign up for free use the promo code locked on and you'll get a 50 welcome bonus on your first deposit bet online your online sportsbook experts The Titans made another signing on Monday after the Josh Reynolds signing. We are going to dive into exactly who that is. Before we do that, I want to remind you guys about the Locked On Today podcast. Get more of the sports news you need in less time with the Locked On Today podcast. Get more of the sports news you need in less time with the Locked On Today podcast. Follow the Locked On Today podcast on the Radio.com app or wherever you get podcasts.

You get all of your sports news in under 20 minutes with the Locked On Today podcast. Host Peter Bukowski updates you with the latest news in every major sport. It's basically like having the sports section read to you every morning in under 20 minutes. Remember, under 20 minutes, very efficient. Got to check out the Locked On Today podcast wherever you get podcasts. But the second signing that the Titans made is an outside linebacker coming over from the Pittsburgh Steelers. No, not Bud Dupree. We already talked about that, but it is Ola Adani. So this guy is a special teamer. I'm not going to sugarcoat it anyway.

He's not going to help on defense. This isn't outside linebacker depth. This is one of the linebacker special teamers that will replace Nick DeZubnar, Darren Bates, Will Compton, whichever one you want him to be replacing. Well, then go ahead and tell yourself that that's the case. So Adani is purely a special teams player. But if you want to go to my Twitter, at TicTacTitans, guy named Nick Curzo, I believe, made a film breakdown,

nine-minute YouTube film breakdown on Adani as a special teams player. Now, a lot of it is pseudo-NFL science, pseudo-football science, talking about how he reacts to teammates, his energy out on the field, his body language out on the field. But guys, when you're breaking down a special teams player, those guys don't get all the opportunities in the world. And to see a Daney get hype and be out there super excited, jumping up and down because his teammate is making plays, that does matter from a special teams aspect.

A lot of what's asked, think about Darren Bates. A lot of his impact on the team doesn't even have to do with him making plays on special teams has to do with his energy it's infectious the love of football the love of your teammates going out there being physical laying the wood on somebody that stuff matters in football we sit here and we talk cover three cover four they're running a four-man front, five-man front. The Titans are running inside zone, outside zone, duo, two tight end, 12%. All this nonsense. But football at the end of the day is about taking another man's will. And when you go out there and you play with that energy, that infectious energy, that hustle, that intensity, that physicality, that rubs off on your teammates.

And Adani, not only does he play that intensity, that physicality, that rubs off on your teammates. And Adani, not only does he play that way, but he is a very good special teamer as well. He played a large chunk of the special team snaps for the Pittsburgh Steelers last year, 63%, 286. Now, he only played 14% of defensive snaps, and we know that the Steelers had a lot of injuries on defense. So, you know, it's not like he's a defensive player guys it's the same thing I said about Nick DeZubnar last offseason and of course

DeZubnar was absolutely miserable when he was out there playing defense for the Titans in goal line situations because he's not a defensive player and neither is Adani he's a special teams guy but the Titans are trying to remake the special teams we saw them get Morgan Cox and bring him in as an all-pro long snapper so clearly that's something the Titans are trying to address. And Adani is somebody who should help them do that. Had 16 tackles last year. Again, the stats aren't really going to tell you much about Adani. The film will tell you all you need to know. And I am the film. So I'm telling you everything you need to know. But that's about it. We'll see the impact Adani can have on special teams,

but you've got to love the mentality. You've got to love his play personality out there. The next signing that we are going to talk about here is not one that the Titans made, but one that the Titans lost. Now, this will not count towards the compensatory pick formula because this player was released by the Titans. They didn't leave as a free agent. They were released.

And that's cornerback Adory Jackson. Adory signed with the New York Giants. And by God, he got a raise. He was set to make $10 million for the Titans. And he got more than that. So he got a three-year deal worth $39 million. So about $13 million per year. He got $13.5 million on a signing bonus. That's basically just his first year salary. The Giants are going to keep his cap hit low we talked about that with Bud Dupree yesterday they basically pay his first year salary as a signing bonus to keep the salary cap hit very low he gets 26 and a half million guaranteed though so basically it's a guaranteed two-year deal worth 13 million dollars a year. I'm shocked. I'm just shocked.

Now, the Titans had some medical intel on Adore about his knees from the track work that he did before that was concerning to them. Obviously, he had the injuries there late in the last two years of his Titans career. But I knew Adore was going to get a decent deal, but I am shocked at the deal that he got. And quite frankly, I think it's an overpay. And I think the Titans made the right move here. I know a lot of people don't necessarily agree, but I think the Titans made the right move

in letting Adoree Jackson go. And quite honestly, I was the first person telling you that that should probably happen. And looky here, he was released. But either way, he's on to the Giants. Not an AFC team we're going to play a lot, but wanted to make sure that I at least mentioned that in passing. Now it is time for Mock Draft Tuesday. Couldn't leave you guys without some mock drafts for three weeks in a row. We've been, you know, talking about free agency and for good reason. Free agency obviously takes the priority here for

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And speaking of mock drafts, before we dive into them, I want to remind you guys about the incredible NFL draft lineup we have here at the Locked on Podcast Network. The Draft Dudes Podcast. They watch every prospect so you don't have to have to check out that show. And then we have the Locked on NFL Draft podcast, which is all your daily draft news and mock draft updates. So make sure that you check those out. Follow Locked on NFL Draft and Draft Dudes on the Radio.com app

or wherever you get podcasts. But we're going to fly through these mock drafts. Number one, we have the mock draft from Lance Zerloin from NFL.com. And he has the Titans taking cornerback out of Northwestern, Greg Newsome. Now, Newsome is the perfect cornerback for the Titans on paper. He's a strong guy. He's going to play press man coverage, which is exactly what the Titans want to do schematically. They want to get up in your face and play, like I said, tight man coverage while they bring blitzes from different areas and confuse the quarterback. That's what Mike Vrabel

wants to do. So that is where Newsom excels. That is his skill set. But you add in the athleticism. He's got great quickness. He's got flexible hips. He's got good technique. Like I said, he's been playing that press man style for quite some time. So a great fit for the Titans system. But he's had issues with injuries. His first three years at Northwestern, he couldn't finish seasons. He battled through a bunch of different injuries last year, even though he played. So a guy who couldn't stay healthy in college, can he stay healthy in the pros? That's the question.

On paper, he's a perfect fit. I like him. One of the big boards here that I like Jordan Reed from the draft network has him the 24th overall prospect so taking him at 22 especially with the need at cornerback I don't think that would be a bad idea for the Titans at all but with that injury issue and him kind of being a late riser in the process and just having a really great last year at Northwestern. There are some questions there for Newsome.

But speaking of Newsome, going to the second mock draft here, Dalton Miller from Pro Football Network, Greg Newsome again. So here comes the pattern. Originally, it was we saw a ton of Jalen Phillips, ton of Jalen Phillips, saw a ton of every different edge rusher, quite frankly frankly started to see a ton of Rashad Bateman for the Titans as well and now the flavor of the week is Greg Newsome with what the Titans have done in free agency and who they have released so it makes sense that that would be there I thought the next one was pretty interesting though pro football focus and they do it as a group so there isn't anyone named a pinpoint but they have the Titans going with Christian Barmore the defensive lineman out of Alabama now that pick to me is less likely

with the addition of Danico Autry but it's never bad to have depth on the defensive line and if the Titans value Barmore very highly then they should absolutely pick him because Danico Autry is past 30 years old. He's only on a two-year deal. Jeffrey Simmons needs a running mate to go with him and the Titans are most likely losing Daquan Jones. So if you had Barmore as that two down defensive tackle like Daquan Jones was last year, rotate him in with Autry to keep Autry, you know, healthy and keep Autry fresh throughout games and let Barmore rush every now and then next to Jeffrey Simmons. Now I think that's a really good idea.

Now, defensive line with the addition of Bud Dupree, with the addition of Danico Autry, isn't the biggest need. Can the Titans go best player available with the needs that they have at wide receiver and cornerback right now? I don't know, but if they did, I think Barmore would be a good option. Now,

one thing I do want to say about this is, Rashad Bateman, Tevin Jenkins, offensive tackle, and Quiddie Paye, edge rusher, were all still on the board, and I would have a hard time the Titans opting with Christian Barmore over Bateman, Jenkins, and Paye. So that's how I feel about that. Next, we have Ryan Wilson from CBS, and once again, the pattern establishes itself.

We have Greg Newsome, cornerback from Northwestern, who we discussed earlier. Next, we have a guy who I've been following his mock drafts throughout the entire offseason here. I really like what he's putting out. And that's Vinny Iyer from the Sporting News. And he had the Titans going with J.C. Horn, the cornerback out of South Carolina. While I would absolutely love that pick, that's probably like over Rashad Bateman, I think that J.C. Horn is the number one realistic candidate that I would want at pick 22, but I just don't think J.C.

It's realistic that J.C. Horn could drop that far, but just not likely, and I don't see that, especially with the news that we're going to talk about at the end of the segment right now. That's going to push J.C. Horn even further up the board, and he was already jumping very quickly and impressing scouts. Then we have Kyle Krabs from the Draft Network, and he had the Titans taking Terrence Marshall Jr., a wide receiver out of LSU. Speed, pure speed from Terrence Marshall Jr., a big-bodied guy. He's kind of like Josh Reynolds in a way, though, with obviously more upside with the ability to be a

first-round pick. He's kind of a rich man's Josh Reynolds from a prospect perspective. He's not really a guy who's going to play in the slot a ton with the Titans, kind of needing a slot receiver with the addition of Josh Reynolds. I don't know if I would be 100% in for Marshall compared to if a Kadarius Tony was on the board, something like that. But, you know, he does well getting down the field. He's a tall, longer strider. Like I said, he can play a little in the slot, but I see him more as an outside guy. He's good with ball tracking.

He'll attack the ball and go get it in the air. You know, I think Marshall is a solid player, but I think the first round is just a little too high for Terrence Marshall Jr. So to me, I wouldn't like to see him pick at number 22. So that's the mock drafts that I have for you guys. But quickly, what I want to talk about is what is considered the number one or at minimum number two cornerback prospect in the draft, Caleb Farley, out of Virginia Tech. Caleb Farley had surgery on Tuesday on his back. And it's something that apparently has been a little bit of an issue for him before in his college career a couple years ago. And now he's having surgery on it. His agent is saying he's going to be ready by training camp.

But, you know, that's the type of thing that really knocks a player down the board. And at this point in time, I think it is quite possible that Caleb Farley would be available for the Titans at 22. Now, the Titans have a choice to make here. Do they take a high-level talent like Caleb Farley, who is expected to be, you know be a top 10, top 15 pick,

and take a risk on his injury? And I had somebody even say to me on Twitter, well, that's what they did with Jeffrey Simmons. But yeah, it's a little different here, though. The ACL can be an issue, but for the most part, nowadays, ACLs get repaired, and then they're good to go. It's not something that guys have trouble with over and over, and it's something that stays on them. But a back injury? There's no way to replace a ligament in your back

and just make your back better. Back injuries do have the tendency to link. They don't go away. Now, I'm not a doctor, so I'm not going to sit here and tell you that Caleb Farley's back injury is something that's going to affect his NFL career for 10 years. It could be nothing. He could have surgery and be fine. But that's something that the Titans may have the chance to weigh. Do you take a prospect who was not expected to drop that far based on talent and see if he's able to stay healthy and take that risk?

Or would the Titans shy away because they dealt with injuries with Adoree Jackson and they just don't want to go down that hole of not having their player that they draft in the first round again be very interesting I don't know how I feel about it right now I'm going to need more information and I'm going to need to see things a little bit more clearly as we get closer and closer to the draft which is a little more than a month away the last thing I want to say on today's show is just want to thank everybody for the birthday wishes, all of the comments, everything everybody had to say today.

I really do appreciate that. I do my best to give you guys a good show every single day. So whenever I get some love back from you guys, I can't lie, it does feel good. And I do appreciate all the love that you guys showed me today. So thank you very much for that. But that's going to do it for us today. That's going to do it for this Tuesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Again, please subscribe to the show wherever you get podcasts.

I've had an amazing, amazing last week of shows for you guys. And I expect that content to continue into the future. So whatever platform you do stream, make sure you're locked into the Locked on Titans podcast. But that's going to do it for me today. Quick shout out to Thomas Vineyard Sr., my man. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.