Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Way-Too-Early 2023 Mock Draft Monday: What Will Titans Needs Be In 2023???

Episode Date: May 8, 2022

***AUDIO DISCLAIMER**: Sorry all, had an issue with the audio input during recording. It has been corrected, but wanted to let you know I'm aware upfront. Hopefully, you still enjoy!The NFL Draft may be done and over, but that just means it is time to look at NEXT YEAR!! The Way-Too-Early mock drafts are a yearly staple and it is time to see what some of these pundits think the Titans will be doing this time next year. Tour six different mocks as Tyler goes through the logic of each pick. Offensive weapons, Offensive line or defense? Where will the Titans go??!!Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitansSupport 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 “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.Blue NileThis Mother’s Day give mom something she’ll treasure forever with fine jewelry from Bluenile.com, and LOCKEDON SPORTS listeners get $50 off $500. Use code LOCKEDON at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland. Titans fans, it is a Monday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Two weeks ago, I told you we were having our final mock draft Monday of the year. But, after the draft concludes, it's always a great time to have a little way too early 2023 Mock Draft Monday. So that's exactly what we're going to do on today's show. We're going to look at six 2023 Mock Drafts and see what some of these pundits are forecasting the Titans' biggest need being in the 2023 draft. So one more Mock Draft Monday here on 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. Titans fans, it is truly one last mock draft Monday of this all season. Before we dive into it, I do want to let you guys know that today's show is brought to you by BetOnline. BetOnline has you covered this season with more props, odds, and lines than ever before. BetOnline, where the game starts. Also, got to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day.

If this is your first ever listen to the Locked on Titans podcast, make sure you subscribe on whatever platform you do stream. You're going to find the Locked on Titans podcast everywhere and always free. That includes the Locked on Titans YouTube channel. Subscribe over there. Smash that notification bell so you know when all the content goes live and throw a thumbs up on the video if you're watching on YouTube right now.

But again, it is truly, I know that I may be fibbed a little bit when I told you guys a couple weeks ago, would be our last mock draft Monday of the offseason. Because it's always a great time to take a look at 2023 as become custom after the draft concludes each year. And that's what we're going to do on today's show. So let's dive into our first mock draft. And it comes from ESPN's Todd McShay. And at pick 17, that's right, 17 for the Titans. That would mean that they did not make the playoffs.

That's the forecast here that we get from McShay. He has the Titans at pick 17, taking Michael Mayer, the tight end, out of Notre Dame. And here is what McShay has to say about the pick. Quote, Mayer finished his sophomore season with 71 catches, third amongst tight ends, and 840 receiving yards, fourth. He has tremendous size, 6'4", 251 pounds, and good hands. The Titans would love a playmaking tight end like Mayer for quarterback Ryan Tannehill or Malik Willis should the Titans make the move going into 2023. And I just got to say, I know that Mayer is a good player,

but I don't think that the Titans would put tight end that highly on the needs list to take one in the first round like that. I just don't see the positional value for the Titans. Plus, they add in Austin Hooper, and he may be a one-year Band-Aid, but I personally, as you guys know, am very high on Chigacoguo, the Titans' draft pick out of Maryland. So, I don't think that the Titans would use their first-round pick on a tight end in this situation. A guy like Derek Hall out of Auburn was picked after that. We got plenty of options for the Titans at bigger positions of need, a Joey Porter Jr. possibly at cornerback with a 6'2 size.

Yeah, I guess depending on what happens with Caleb Farley, of course, the book is still out there. You don't know what you're going to get. So wide receiver, edge, offensive line, maybe secondary again. Who knows what the Titans may do, but I just don't know if they would take a tight end here with the positional value, although I think Mayer is still a pretty decent player. But we'll move into our next mock draft, and it comes from maybe my favorite draft

analyst of them all. And if you ever hear me talking about scouting reports on the show, a lot of them probably came from Dane Brugler from The Athletic. And at pick 18, he has the Tennessee Titans selecting Peter Skowronski from Northwestern, the offensive lineman. And here's what Brugler has to say about the selection. Quote, Northwestern produced a first-round offensive lineman last year with Rashawn Slater, and there is a good chance they'd do it again with Skowronski.

Although he will probably kick inside at the next level, his mix of intelligence, technique, and football character is off the charts. Intelligence, technique, football character, sounds like a Tennessee Titan, plus versatility, no obvious position for Skowronski, so that'll make the Titans love him even more. The fact that he doesn't have a defined role coming in to the offense for some reason, that's just what the Titans love. I like the pick here from Brugla. I think it does make sense.

Really, if you. And really, if you look at it, if Dylan Radins is a guard, I think Skowronski could be the left tackle for the Titans going forward. And this, like Bruegler points out Rashawn Slater, they said the same things about Rashawn Slater. His arms are too short. He's going to have to kick in. And he played fantastic at offensive tackle in his rookie year with the Chargers. So, for me, this is an obvious one. I like Skowronski a lot. I think he makes a lot of sense for the Titans.

Play that left tackle spot. Let Petit Ferrer play that right tackle spot. Dylan Radins is your left guard of the future. That would line up with Nate Davis at right guard. Maybe you look to replace Ben Jones. Maybe Ben Jones is still ready to go another season. I know retirement is probably on the horizon for Ben Jones at some point. So I think Skowronski is the type of player that the Titans would like,

and I still think offensive tackle, wide receiver, edge, are the biggest needs that the Titans have. Still, even after the draft, they're going to be the biggest needs for the Titans next year as well. But we're going to move forward. We're going to continue looking at all of these different mock drafts before we get into the next set of mock drafts that I want to take a look at. I do want to tell you guys a little more about today's title sponsor, BetOnline. BetOnline.net is your number one source for all your betting stats and sports info.

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from live betting to playoffs to esports and more. Head to their website today or use your mobile device to learn more about all the trends and all the action. BetOnline, where the game starts. Titans fans, let's continue this Monday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Doing a little way too early. 2023 mock draft Monday. We just went over Todd McShay's.

We went over Dane Brugler's. We're going to keep this going here. And next, we're going to look at Doug Frars from Sports Illustrated. He writes for Touchdown Wire on Sports Illustrated. Not a lot of analysis here from Doug, but we are going to get into his pick for the Titans. And I think that it's a very good pick before we do, though. Just want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Again, if this is your first ever listen,

make sure you subscribe on whatever platform you do stream. I have a ton of excellent content coming up for you guys on the show this week. We are going to do the remaining roster needs for the Titans on one show. We're going to follow that up, talking about what options the Titans would have in free agency at all of those positions. We're also going to do a Malik Willis deep dive later this week as well. I'm going to have analysis from someone who covered it in college. I'm going to go in-depth with that.

I'm also going to look at him schematically. Give you guys a really in-depth scouting report and then a projection how to use him in 2022 and 2023. So, remaining team needs. Av available free agents that are veterans, Malik Willis, deep dive, a ton of great content coming up for you guys on the Locked on Titans podcast. Make sure you subscribe so you're locked in every single day. But we are going to move forward here. Doug Farrar's mock draft pick.

I like this one for the Titans. Again, no analysis from Dougie Doug, butar's mock draft pick. I like this one for the Titans. Again, no analysis from Dougie Doug, but he has the Titans selecting Nolan Smith, the talented edge rusher out of Georgia. And let's just have a conversation about edge rusher. So the Titans front four was so good last year because one, Jeffrey Simmons is an absolute animal. Number two, Harold Landry is great within the Titans system and those are the two studs.

And then, Danico Autry was able to capitalize on one-on-one opportunities because he's got good pass rushing moves and skills and hand work. And then Bud Dupree just having a competent, a competent fourth rusher out there that could win a one-on-one every now and then or at least impact the quarterback,

it just set the Titans off. But make no mistake, the keys are Jeffrey Sibbins and Harold Landry. Those are the keys to this thing. So, in my opinion, as I've said for basically since halfway through last season, it is my opinion that Bud Dupree will be cut after the year. The Titans are not going to have a $20 million cap hit for their 4th best defensive lineman. For their 4th best pass rusher. Okay?

It just doesn't make sense. Jeffrey Simmons is going to get his extension. It's not going to impact next year. Because he's going to have the fifth year option. But he'll get his extension. Harold Landry. His big money will kick in next year. You can't have Bud Dupree with a $20 million cap hit.

As your fourth best pass rusher. It's as simple as that. Yes. Bud Dupree is a good player. Yes. The Titans are better when they have a competent NFL edge rusher. It's as simple as that. Yes, Bud Dupree is a good player. Yes, the Titans are better when they have a competent NFL edge rusher with the rest of the guys. Yes, that's all true. But again, Bud Dupree is a garnish on a great plate. Jeffrey Simmons is the steak.

Harold Landry is the mashed potatoes Danico Autry is the roasted broccoli okay Bud Dupree is a steak sauce Bud Dupree is gravy man I make this good gravy with chicken broth and cream and mushrooms and garlic. And you put it over steak.

Oh, man. It's so good. It's so good. Like, I cook steak very well. I'm a pretty good cook, guys. I don't get into this a lot, but I love to cook. I like cooking and making drinks about as much as I like the Titans. Very passionate fella, okay, about my hobbies.

But like, I'll make a great steak, and it would be absolutely delicious. And mashed potatoes, my girlfriend makes the best mashed potatoes, guys. Oh my god. Love roasted broccoli, little lemon juice, salt and pepper. All of it.

So good. I'll bash it right now. I'm actually starving. But you put that sauce on there. Oh, man, it just elevates the dish to a new level. But that's Bud Dupree. Okay, you guys thought that I was just lost in the sauce. No, no. I was setting you all up.

That is Bud Dupree. Yes, the steak is phenomenal. The mashed potatoes are great. Love the roasted broccoli. But you put the sauce on there, now we got an awesome meal. But I'm not going to pay more for the sauce than the steak and the potatoes. Can't do that. The plate would be really good without the sauce.

The sauce does take it to another level, agreed. But you're not going to pay more for the sauce than you pay for the steak. And that, I say all that to say this, that I think Bud Dupree will be cut after the year, not because he's not a good player, not because he doesn't make the team better, but because he's got a $20 million cap hit.

And that's just not going to be something that the Titans are going to want to do. He's not a good player, not because he doesn't make the team better, but because he's got a $20 million cap hit, and that's just not going to be something that the Titans are going to want to do. He's not a $20 million player. There's no other way around that. He's about a $12 million player, if we're being honest. So, with that in mind, and I think Weaver, Rashad Weaver will be a great replacement for Danico Autry. But, I think the Titans have a huge hole at edge rusher next year, and I

would not be shocked to see them go edge high in the draft, maybe trade up to get a talented edge rusher. The Titans need another edge rusher for cheap that's productive across from Harold Landry and Jeffrey Simmons while they're making all that money for the next three to four years. So,

I love the pick of Nolan Smith for the Titans. If he's there, I would love that. Next, we're going to go to pro football focus. I believe Mike Renner was the guy who wrote this, and it's a familiar pick for the Titans. Offensive tackle, Peter Skowronski from Northwestern, and this is what Renner says, quote, Skowronski took over for Rashawn Slater as a true freshman in 2020. The offense barely missed a beat. He earned overall grades of 81.4 and 83.8 in his last two seasons as a starter. So a guy who's been a starter at tackle at a Power 5 conference for two years. It'll be three years by the time he gets drafted.

We talked about Skowronski and the fit that he is for the Titans. I think he would be excellent. So I can't hate on that pick at all whatsoever. But we're going to get into our last two mock drafts of the day. Got one from CBS. We got one from Bleacher Report. And I think they're pretty good picks. I think they're pretty interesting.

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Titans fans, let's cap off this way too early 2023 Mock Draft Monday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast with our last two mock drafts here. Excited to dive into those before we do. Do want to thank you guys one more time for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. As for your second listen, check out the Locked on NFL podcast. It's free and available on all platforms, including the Locked on NFL YouTube channel. Get all your Titans news here with me in under 30 minutes Monday through Friday. Now, follow that up with all of your NFL news, your national news, on the Locked on NFL podcast Monday through Friday. Now, follow that up with all of your NFL news, your national news on the Locked on NFL podcast

Monday through Friday as well. Free and available on all platforms, as I mentioned, including the Locked on NFL YouTube channel. I actually host the Thursday show of the national show, so make sure you guys check out the Locked on NFL podcast on whatever platform you do stream. Getting into our last two mocks of the day. We went over four already.

We've seen tight end. We have seen offensive line. We have seen edge rusher. I think those are all very logical options for the Titans. But now I want to get into what would be my number one need for the Titans in the first round next year. Same thing as it was this year, wide receiver. Now with A.J. gone,

and Robert Woods being off of an ACL, an older player anyways, the Titans are staring down the barrel of a major need at wide receiver again soon. That's the reality here. I think there's a major, major need for weapons, and Malik Willis were to take over in 2023, you have to capitalize on his contract

and surround him with as many weapons as possible before you have to pay him. So I think that this selection here, CBS, let me tell you who wrote this one, Ryan Wilson from CBS, I think this selection makes a ton of sense, and it's Dante Demas, the wide receiver out of Maryland, 6'3", 217 pounds, so big-bodied wide receiver, good speed down the field, and this is what Ryan Wilson had to say about the pick. Quote,

The Titans shipped A.J. Brown to Philly and drafted Traylon Burks, but there's room for more playmakers at the position. Whether it's Ryan Tannehill or Malik Willis at QB, Demus would be a welcome addition to the wide receiver room, and I like how it's a different body type here. Yeah, big bodied guy, 6'3", 217 pounds, but a little skinnier than a Traylon Burks. Go up and get the ball, contested catches, long, lanky, 6'3". I like that.

I think that would be a perfect fit. You got the physical running back style of Burks. You get the downfield contested catch ability of Damos Jr. I think that would just be a perfect fit. So I love that selection there for the Titans. Wide receiver is going to be a major need. A major need for the Titans again next year. The last mock draft that we are going to talk about here comes from over at Bleacher Report.

The author of this mock draft. Let me get this for you and give the person credit. All about giving people credit for the work that they do. It is Brett Sobleski. Brett Sobleski. And for the Titans, he has them going back to a similar well. And it may not make Titans fans happy, but it sure does feel realistic. And that is offensive line, and they're going back to Ohio State. Tennessee Titans at pick 17 select DeJuan Jones from Ohio State, the offensive tackle, and this is the blurb here. Quote, the Tennessee Titans drafted Nicholas Petit-Ferrer

in this year's third round as a possible long-term solution at left tackle and should be developed as Taylor LeJuan's potential replacement. LeJuan turns 31 last season. His cap hit is $14.8 million next year with no guaranteed money left on the deal, and the veteran hasn't played particularly well as of late. Well, I don't know about that. He's coming off an ACL.

He didn't play great at the beginning of the year, but by the end of the year, I thought LeJuan was playing pretty well. But either way, I digress. Continuing, the Titans can bring in Petit Ferrer's collegiate teammate, Ohio State's DeJuan Jones, and have a plan to address both tackle spots. Jones is a massive road grader at right tackle, 6'8", 360. He'll need to clean up his pass protection to firmly establish himself as a first-round talent. But just being marginal in this area is good enough since pass rushers are

forced to circumnavigate his expansive wingspan. If improvement in Jones' game does occur, the Titans could have a solution for both offensive tackles. And again, if Dylan Radins is a guard, if the Titans try to put him at left guard, then they're going to have a big need at offensive tackle, not only this year, but again next year as well. So I think that would make sense for the Titans. But hey, again, way too early. 2023 mock draft Monday, but thought it would be a fun thing to do. Let me know what positions you think the Titans will be needing by this time

next year before the draft. Sound off down below. Let me know on Twitter at TicTacTitans. But that's going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans. you