Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Would the Titans Draft a Defensive Back in the First Round & Mid-Round Versatile Options

Episode Date: April 26, 2022

It is NFL Draft week for the Tennessee Titans and that means we are a few days away from getting all the draft answers we want. One of the questions is, would the Titans draft a defensive back in the first round?? It seems crazy, but if the board fell a certain way, it could be on the table. Who are the top names available and who would make sense schematically? Tyler goes through all the corners and safeties that make sense for the Titans to see if any are the type of match the Titans are looking for.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.Shady RaysEXCLUSIVELY FOR OUR LISTENERS, HEAD TO SHADYRAYS.COM AND USE CODE LOCKEDON TO GET FIFTY PERCENT OFF TWO OR MORE PAIRS OF POLARIZED SUNGLASSES.Athletic GreensTo make it easy, Athletic Greens is going to give you a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit athleticgreens.com/NFLNETWORK.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 Tuesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. And with just a few days left until the NFL draft kicks off, it's time to finish the 2022 Locked on Titans NFL draft preview series with the secondary. We're going to look at some cornerbacks. We're going to look at some cornerbacks. We're going to look at some safeties.

And I think there are a few of these prospects who could make a ton of sense for the Tennessee Titans, not only in the middle rounds, but maybe a cornerback in the first round. I'll break it all down on a Tuesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Let's get it. You are lockeded On Titans. Your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. Titans fans, it is a Tuesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast.

We're going to break down the cornerback class. We're going to break down the safety class in the draft. Speaking of the draft, I had an awesome conversation breaking down the NFL draft with none other than ESPN's draft guru, Matt Miller. I posted that interview up on Monday evening on the YouTube channel,

also on the podcast feed. Make sure you guys check those out. This is a great time 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 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

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If you're watching on YouTube right now, I am going to have a ton of draft content this weekend. I'm going to have a draft recap every single day of the draft for about 10 minutes or so. I'm going to have a full draft recap posted on Sunday night. That'll be 30 to 40 minutes. I'm going to be putting out instant reaction videos that are about a minute to a minute and a half long

after every single individual pick, not only on the YouTube channel, but also on my Twitter at Tic Tac Titans. You can follow the show on Facebook as well at Locked on Titans pod, but just a ton of draft content to go along with all the excellent content that I'm putting out here

on the Locked on Titans podcast. Again, free and available all year round. But let's dive into this cornerback class. It's what I want to talk about first. Now, I know that it may not seem like the Titans have a need at cornerback, and me personally, looking at cornerback, I don't think the Titans should add more youth to a room that already has, you know, multiple guys still on their rookie contract.

Christian Fulton going into year three. Chris Jackson going into year three. Caleb Farley going into year two. That is just a ton of youth right there. And, you know, with Moulton, Fulton, Farley, Chris Jackson, I mean, that's four guys who are just super young. They added Buster Screen back, but I think they need another veteran depth piece in there.

But John Robinson could say, hey, this is a youth movement in the secondary. We are going with young guys there. And let's say the board drops. No top five wide receivers. No top three interior offensive linemen or even top two. No top four offensive tackles. Say Desmond Ritter gets selected,

and the Titans don't really like Sam Howe or Matt Corral in the first round. At that point, the Titans would have to consider going defense, and if the defensive linemen like Devontae Wyatt and George Karloftis are off the board, are they going to go for a Boye Mafe? Are they going to go for a Travis Jones, a Logan Hall? I don't know. Why not maybe take the best player available, which could be a cornerback.

Now, Sauce Gardner, long, press monster cornerback, not going to be available. Derek Stingley Jr. from LSU. Smooth, press man, athletic corner. Not going to be available. Those guys are going top 10 in my opinion. Trent McDuffie from Washington. Great burst, physical guy. Very versatile.

Could play all over the secondary. I don't think he's going to be there. So who might make some sense for the Titans at the end of the first round? Well, there's only three names that really count to me. Number one, Andrew Booth from Clemson. Six foot, 190 pounds. Real strong, rocked up guy. He's got long arms, really quick feet, good reaction. He's a very patient guy in terms of breaking on the ball.

He's got scheme versatility. He can play man. He can play zone. I think Andrew Booth could actually make some sense for the Titans if it's a nightmare scenario in the first round, which the more I play out mock drafts, the more I realize that the Titans might be in a position where they're taking the only thing that makes sense is Matt Corral, reaching for Christian Watson or Sky Moore or Tyler Smith,

picks that just don't really feel all that great to me in general. Even though I am high on Corral, still, it just feels like the value there at 26 is a tad bit dicey. So Booth could make some sense for me in a nightmare scenario for the Titans. Another guy is Kier Elam from Florida, 6'2", 192 pounds. Yeah, he's got a great long frame. He's a strong guy at the line of scrimmage and his press. He's got a ton of SEC high-quality experience in college, which counts.

But he's handsy. He's got some medical concerns. And in my opinion, and based on the scouting reports that I've read, Elam is going to fit better in a zone scheme. Think about like the Seahawks cover three zone scheme. Elam fits better there. So I don't see that as a fit for the Titans early. The only other guy that I would at least consider at cornerback is Kyler Gordon

from Washington. 6'4", 194 pounds. Duke can jump out of the gym great at the catch point because he's able to jump. He's got great closing bursts. Once he realizes it's time to go forward, he can just go forward. He's fluid. He's a hitter as well. The guy will come up and hit you because he's a versatile guy, can play in the slot, can play a little bit outside. Now he's a little bit slow to read routes. Now once he figures out what the route is, he'll burst quickly, but he's a little slow to read the routes. And he didn't have a ton of experience pressing at the line of scrimmage in college. He could be a little undisciplined in zone coverage. So there's a lot to work with there, but definitely some downsides. Kyler Gordon would be the last possible name I could even consider in the first round. Some other guys, maybe if the Titans trade

back in the mid rounds, a guy like Roger McCreary out of Auburn. He's 5'11", 191 pounds, really good at the catch point. He's a fluid athlete. He's got ability to press at the line of scrimmage. He's also got that big time SEC experience, which is very important. It's the most competitive division in all of college football. So that counts a lot. Now, not great length on the arms, not great straight line speed, doesn't have great instincts at the position. And he's a guy who's probably going to only be able to play slot, so I don't see that as a fit for the Titans. Cam Taylor Britt from Nebraska, 5'11", 196 pounds, great burst. He is a guy who will come up and smack you. Might be the most physical hitting cornerback in the NFL draft.

He's versatile. He played slot cornerback. He could play some outside cornerback. He could play some safety as well, so Cam Taylor Britt could be a good option for the Titans if they trade back and collect another pick in the second round. I wouldn't take him with the first pick even if the Titans trade back into the 30s or 40s, but maybe if they collect another 60, they collect a 70,

something like that. I think Cam Taylor Britt could be an option. Tariq Woolen from University of Texas, San Antonio. Guys, listen to this. 6'4", 205 pounds. 6'4", at cornerback. He is an absolute freak of nature. Long, but he's not real skit.

He's physical as well. He will hit you. He will play physical with you. So that's important. Now, a guy that tall, hips become a problem. His transitions. Cornerback's backpedal, backpedal, backpedal, and at a moment in time during that backpedal,

they have to transition from going backwards into going forwards and sprinting and running with the wide receiver. His transitions can be a little slow, can be a little wonky. He's not a great tackler. He's not a guy who wants to be ultra-physical at the tackle spot, not during the routes. He'll be physical there. And he doesn't have great ball skills,

not a lot of ball production for a guy with that sort of athletic, freakish nature. So it feels like you've got to coach up a lot, but it's more of an athletic, moldable project with Tariq Woolen, which would make him interesting to me in the 60s or 70s if the Titans do find themselves there.

But going forward, we're going to look at some guys who could go a little bit later in the mid-round so the Titans could be interested in at pick 90, at pick 131, at pick 141, and round out these last couple of names at cornerback that we want to talk about before we transition into the safety group. Before we get into that, though, I do want to tell you guys about a great product from our friends over at Athletic Greens. It is the AG1. Start your day with the AG1. You take one scoop of the AG1 powder, throw it into a glass of water, mix it up, and absolutely great way, again, to start your day.

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Bet online where the game starts. Titans fans, let's continue this Tuesday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We just talked about the top prospects at the cornerback position. Now I want to hit some cornerbacks and round out that group. Moving to the safety group in this section of the show as well. There are so many defensive backs. We have nearly 30 names to go over. Doing things just a tad bit differently, but going over a ton of options that could make sense.

Before we get into the next group of defensive backs, I do want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. The NFL Draft is here, folks. And the Locked on Podcast Network is covering the NFL Draft like nobody else can. Going to be having live draft coverage on the Locked on NFL Draft YouTube channel all three days, going live 30 minutes every day before the draft kicks off and staying live throughout the process. Going to be bringing on local experts.

So would you want to hear a national host break down the Titans pick? Or do you want to hear me, a local expert who covers the team every day? I hope all of you are saying, you, Tyler, I'd rather hear you break down. Well, apply that same philosophy to every pick. Do you want to hear some national talking head talk about any pick in the draft or do you want to hear a local expert

who covers the team in depth every single day? About every pick, you're going to have a much better draft experience if you check out the Locked On NFL Draft YouTube channel during the NFL Draft with the live coverage. So make sure you guys check that out. But moving forward here, rounding out the cornerback groups,

some guys who I think make sense for the Titans in the mid rounds. Number one, Kobe Bryant from Cincinnati. Just to point out, Luke Fickle, Mike Vrabel, best friends. Luke Fickle is Cincinnati's head football coach. Best friends with Mike Vrabel. Vrabel was the best man in Luke Fickle's wedding. He's going to have great intel on Kobe and what kind of guy he is. Kobe is six foot one, 193 pounds. And I got to mention, how am I going to turn down a chance to have great intel on Kobe and what kind of guy he is. Kobe is 6'1", 193 pounds, and I got to mention, how am I going to turn down a chance to have a guy named Kobe Bryant on the team? Okay? If I could swivel my camera right now,

I'd show you all my Kobe Bryant memorabilia in my office. That's my dogs, my hero. So, of course, of course, I'd love a Kobe Bryant on the team. But he's great at the catch point, physical at the catch point. He uses his hands and knocks the ball away. He's a strong and willing tackler as well. That's very important. Not only that, but he's real good at passing off routes and zone coverage.

He has a good understanding of where to drop, when to push, when to stay, all of that. Now, there are some issues, of course. He's not an elite athlete by any means. Straight line speed, quickness, agility, all of that. Now, there are some issues, of course. He's not an elite athlete by any means. Straight line speed, quickness, agility, anything like that. He doesn't always play with elite instincts. He's definitely got to understand route combinations, all that a lot better. But you take the ability to pass off routes

and understand routes when he's in zone. You take the ability to play press man. He can play zone. He can play man. He can play man. He's versatile. I like Kobe Bryant a lot. Pick 90. Pick 131 would be ideal.

I don't know if he makes it that far, though. Another guy from Sam Houston, Zion McCollum, 6'2", 199 pounds. Another like Tariq Woolen. Absolute freak. Freak athleticism, freak length, all of that, absolutely perfect. He's willing to play run defense, good in run defense as well, but he really is an athletic project because he's not good at the catch point, doesn't play with physicality, played against bad competition as well.

So he's an athletic project, but in the mid-rounds, why not take a chance on a guy with all the traits and all the tools and try to coach him up into a decent player. Next, two guys from Alabama. Number one, Jalen Omar Davis, 6'1", 197 pounds. Really good with his press coverage turns. Like I talked earlier, transitions, turning out of press coverage. He'll press you, press you, press you, and then be able to turn out of it.

He's got really good speed all the way down the field, and he plays with great control. He's never overaggressive or out of control. He's not great at the catch point. That is an issue. He's got medical concerns, and he only played one year, really. He's got experience issues there, a one-hit wonder or a one-year wonder at Alabama.

The next guy from Alabama, though, is Josh Jobebe. 6 foot, 189 pounds. A little bit smaller of a guy than Omar Davis. But, Jobe's really good in press coverage. He's got good length for a guy who's only 6 foot. He's willing and able to play and run defense. Now, he's got some concerns with penalties. Doesn't have

elite acceleration. He's already 24 years old and he was considerably worse in 2021 than 2020. So when you take that age and the fact that he got worse in his college career as he got older, that is a major concern. So I think Joby could be had in the fourth or fifth round for the Titans. It could make a lot of sense at 143 or 169. That's the cornerback group that I want to talk about. Yeah, the Titans could make some dark throws in the sixth round at some cornerbacks who they think could play special teams.

I think that's absolutely a possibility. But right here, I just want to focus on guys who I think could actually play some cornerback for the Titans. After that, it's a complete dark throw. But moving into the safety group, I'm going to talk about the first group of safeties before we move into the safeties that I think could realistically be there for the Titans in the mid-rounds.

Number one, Kyle Hamilton, all-around stud. Probably going to be a top 15 pick. 6'4", 220 out of Notre Dame. Not an option for the Titans. I'll tell you what, though. If for some reason something weird happened and Kyle Hamilton was available for the Titans, I'd love that what though. If for some reason. Something weird happened. And Kyle Hamilton was available for the Titans. I'd love that pick.

I'd love that pick. Oh man. He gives you Dane Cruikshank. And Imani Hooker. And I mean just. He's an all around freak man. And him getting pushed down draft boards is nuts. He has range to cover.

I'm not worried about his speed. The next guy. Louis Scene. From Georgia. Another guy who, Louis Seen from Georgia. Another guy who's probably a strong safety type, physical athlete, needs to improve in coverage, 6'2", 200 pounds, good player. I think he goes in the end of the first round.

Another guy who I think is going first round is Daxton Hill. Dax Hill from Michigan, versatile slot guy, can play a little safety, play slot cornerback. Needs to be a little bit more physical at 6'191", but you'll take the versatility, you'll take the traits, the coverage ability, the speed, the athleticism, you'll take that.

Another guy that I think will get drafted pretty high is Jaquan Brisker. Out of Penn State, Physical, instinctive guy. Not super speedy, not super explosive, but at 6'1", 206 pounds, could probably play some slot, could probably play some sub-package linebacker in some dime situations. Jaquan Briscoe is another option, I think,

in the first round. Probably more second-round player there, so I don't know if it's a complete fit for the Titans. Plus, the Titans don't play their safeties as a strong safety and a free safety. Their safeties are versatile, interchangeable, that do everything. So some of these guys don't fit just based on that. But that's kind of the top tier of safeties, in my opinion.

I'm going to look at some of the mid-round safeties for the Titans to cap off our show and some guys who could provide some special teams value as well. Before we get into those names, just want to tell you guys about rockauto.com. Rockauto.com is an online parts company that's been serving do-it-yourselfers for over 20 years. One thing I didn't know about chain auto parts stores is they mark up their prices based on whether you're a do-it-yourselfer

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See all the parts available for your car or truck. And when you make your purchase, write locked on in the how did you hear about us box so they know that I sent you. Amazing selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need, rockauto.com. Titans fans, let's cap off this Tuesday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast. Going over the secondary in the NFL draft. We went over the cornerbacks. We've touched on the beginning of the safety class.

Now I want to cap off the safety class and the guys that could be there on day two and day three for the Titans at a position where with Imani Hooker set to be a free agent next year and Kevin Byard getting closer to 30 by the minute, I think it would be a good idea to add a depth safety. Yeah. The Titans brought in A.J. Moore, who's going to be a primary special teamer who kind of replaces what I would call

the Matthias Farley role. He replaces that depth safety who's a core special teamer. But now the Titans need a safety that can actually rotate in and be a safety, like on defense, not just special team.

Because Farley ain't that and A.J. Moore ain't that either. So, we're going to get into this last group of safeties. Before we do, I want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. As for your second listen, check out the Locked on NFL Draft podcast. It's the perfect time to do that. Subscribe over there right now and get ready for the live draft coverage that's coming.

Eric Crocker, analytics guru. Eric Crocker is the former NFL cornerback. Ryan Tracy is the analytics guru. They're breaking down the draft every single day for you and with the draft just a few days away, great time to check out what they got going on at the Locked On NFL Draft Podcast. Free and available on

all platforms. But let's continue here. The next safety I want to talk about is Tyson Anderson. He's from Toledo. Great frame, 6'1", 209 pounds, thick and tall. He's an athletic guy as well, good speed, and he's got all the intangibles in the world.

Now, he's not incredibly instinctive. He's not a playmaker right now in terms of the run game, making stops, making plays on the ball, but he's a guy with athletic traits and a good frame. You can teach him the other things. Now, playmaking can be instinctive. So when you say he's not instinctive, he's not a playmaker, he may never really get that part of his game. But with his frame, his athleticism, and his intangibles as a hard worker, he's going to find a way to carve out a role in the NFL, as a hard worker. He's going to find a way to carve out a role in the NFL, most likely as a nickel cornerback.

Maybe, you know, that versatile safety you can drop into the slot can also play in the box. He could be an option for the Titans. I think he'll go a little bit higher than the Titans want to take, but he's a guy who could fill that dang crookshank role and maybe develop the other parts of his game to be a full-time starter at safety. Another guy is Brian Cook from Cincinnati. Another Cincinnati guy, so you got to keep your eye out there. He is a ball stopper. He is going to make

plays on the ball in the pass game. He's going to come up and make plays in the run game. What I said about Tyson Anderson, how he's not really a playmaker at the ball, Brian Cook is that. He's physical. He's versatile. He'll play safety. He can play a little bit in the slot, be a sub-package linebacker for you as well. I wouldn't play him in the slot a ton, but he could potentially do a little bit of that. Now, he's got to get better with his coverage consistency. He's just a little off the mark sometimes, but that's something they can improve with coaching. 6'2", good frame, good traits, just needs some coaching up on consistency and coverage. I think that could

be a nice option for the Titans. Another guy who I like a lot is Nick Cross out of Maryland. He's probably going to be a box safety, but that's what they were saying about Imani Hooker when he came into the NFL, and Imani Hooker has proven that he can play deep. Nick Cross definitely has the speed to play deep range safety. He's a physical guy. And like we talked about earlier, when we talked about, wasn't exactly that we talked about earlier, it was Cam Taylor Britt at cornerback, flipping that to cross.

He is a hitter. He's a physical guy who wants to take your head off. Now, along with that, he can be a tad overaggressive. He can go for a kill shot. He can go for the ball. And you just got to tamper down that aggressiveness. But I'd rather have a guy who's overaggressive than I got to tamp down

than a guy who I got to get to be more aggressive. And Cross is a big body, 6 foot, but 215 pounds. So he's a guy who's able to be physical. I like Nick Cross a lot. Jalen Petrie is another guy who I like a ton out of Baylor. He's a physical guy. He's got good length. He's versatile.

He can play safety. He can play in the slot. Played a lot in the slot for Baylor. So that's something that you'll want to have him do consistently, which the Titans asked Dan Crookshank to play in the slot, cover tight ends, and do all that when they go to their dime package. So that would be a great fit for Petrie early on. Now, he's not the fastest guy in the world,

but he gives you so much else. At 5'11", 198 pounds, he could be a really versatile piece in the defense. Another guy from Baylor is JT Woods. Now, JT Woods could play a little in the slot, but he's much more of a free safety, deep safety, and that's why I like his fit with the Titans to potentially maybe take over for Imani Hooker down the road. Incredible speed, good length. He's got ball skills, and John Robinson really puts a premium on ball skills. He's not the most physical guy. He's 6'2", 195 pounds, so he's lean. Put a little more weight on him, get him in the right system.

I think JT Woods will be just fine. He would be a great fit. Another guy who I like a ton. We're getting later in the draft here, though. We're talking fifth, sixth round. Dane Belton out of Iowa. He's going to be that Dane Crookshank sub-package safety nickel option. He's got good instincts.

He's got good ball skills. Again, something that John Robinson puts a premium on now he's not great against the run right now he's like a dime linebacker he needs to improve his strength in his upper body specifically to be able to stack and shed off of blocks but I think you could again add strength

get in an NFL weight program you can add strength, I believe that it's all about your frame and I believe Dane Belton's frame has the ability to put on more strength another guy is Juanye Thomas from, and I pronounced his name completely wrong

in one of the mock draft episodes, so my apologies to Juanye. Yay Thomas from Georgia Tech. He's going to be a guy who can match up one-on-one against tight ends and play special teams. He's a 5th, 6th round pick. He's got great instincts. Again, that special teams versatility. Doesn't have

great elite athletic burst, but 6 foot, 212 pounds, a good frame on him. Could be a core special teams player and maybe be a tight up match end guy on defense. Same thing, Smoke Monday out of Georgia. Similar thing, tight end match up guy. He's long. He's

physical. He can guard tight ends. He's not the most athletic guy, but there are guys who are smart and long and physical who just find a way to make it in the NFL at six foot one, 207 pounds. He has the size to match up with tight ends. Monday also will give you some special teams versatility, something that he could do at the next level. So that could be a good option for the Titans as well. But that is the entire secondary, guys, who I think makes sense for the Titans, anywhere above about the sixth round.

But that's going to do it for me today, folks. Draft coverage all week long. Seven straight days of draft coverage here on the Locked on Titans podcast. Again, check out my conversation with Matt Miller live on YouTube. Now, that's going to do it for me today, though, folks.

As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.