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Host Easton Freeze is joined by Zach Lyons, Stoney Keeley, and JT Ruhnke to identify Titans draft targets on Days 2 and 3, presented by BartDurham.com!
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0:00
All right, what's up A to Z Sports Nashville
0:02
Easton Freeze here with the latest edition of our draft interview series
0:06
And I brought all my friends in because it is about that time
0:09
The Titans are going to be on the clock here in just under two weeks at the time of recording
0:14
even less than that when you are seeing this on the YouTube channel. And it's time to start talking about some names, some dudes
0:21
It's time to name some guys. The Titans may or may not be drafting. We know that Cam Ward's going to be the first overall pick
0:26
But beyond that, what are they going to do? They got a lot of picks. They got a lot of options on day two and day three
0:31
And so I have brought in the draft war room, really. My local panel of experts, Zach Lyons, Stoney Keeley, JT Runke
0:40
Fellas, hello. How are we? I'm great. I'm tired of mock drafts because they're all Cam Ward
0:48
So there's no more fun for the Tennessee Titans fans to see a first round mock draft only
0:52
It's true. Get out of your assholes and actually do two or three rounds if you're a mock drafter
0:57
I agree. What do you think Jim Wyatt's going to do with his annual final mock draft roundup where he gets like everybody, including Vince Gill, to give an answer
1:06
Is it just going to be 79 times he types out Cam Ward? I'm just going to respond to LOL when he asked me
1:13
I'm I'm really debating whether I want to like throw out Colston Loveland
1:18
A second round. No, I agree. Jim, I agree. Go for the real grinders. Ask for 35 overall. Second round. Yeah, I agree
1:26
I might even text him recommending that because it'd be, I mean, no one's going to read the
1:31
the 79 person mock draft roundup where everybody says Cam Ward. So hopefully he doesn't do that, but if he does
1:39
it's a free win for all of us. We all get a mark in the, the win column there. So I guess that's the one upside
1:44
I want to talk about starting in the second round. Start with some guys that may or may not be there for the Titans at 35
1:50
Before we talk about the potential of them moving off of that pick, some guys that it's speaking of mock drafts the past two weeks or so it seems like every mock
1:59
draft on the planet really since we've all understood that the pick is going to be cam
2:04
ward for the titans um i tweeted the other day give a mouse a cookie or a first round quarterback
2:09
and see how quickly they convince themselves they have to have a second round receiver um because i
2:13
think that's just the natural temptation right let's give this guy as good a weapon as we possibly
2:17
can now that we have him and emeka egbuka out of ohio state and luther bird out of missouri are the
2:22
two guys that are being talked about the most right there for the Titans. So my first question
2:26
is, do we really think either or both of these guys may be there for the Titans at 35? And if so
2:33
are they the kind of person that you say, you just take the guy, don't entertain trade downs
2:39
just get this guy for Cam Ward and let's move from there. We can start with you, Zach. Today's video is brought to you by our new friends at Bart Durham Injury Law. A crash can change
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and let Bart Durham help today. I don't think either of them will be there. I think they're
3:29
both first-round talents. Luther Burden is explosive. I don't care that he's a little bit
3:36
of a diva because if you go back and watch game day in October of 2024, they did this huge thing
3:43
about everything that he does in the Missouri community for underprivileged kids
3:47
I mean, they spent a good chunk of time on it, a whole segment about it
3:52
And just because and I believe his, if I'm not mistaken, his girlfriend and his mom seem to be involved a lot
4:02
Listen, you know, it's just life with women, I guess. I mean, like, I don't think that's really I don't think that's really a bad thing
4:09
I mean, I think that more people should probably involve women in their decisions because let me tell you some, my wife, her gut, 100% awesome
4:18
Like, is that right? Like, I trust her gut more than I trust my own gut
4:22
So, like, I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. And I think there's just a bunch of sexist people in the NFL, if I had to be blunt about it
4:30
And so they find this, I think they find strong women intimidating. You see how Jaden Daniels gets treated because his mom is very involved
4:38
but look at it didn't affect Jane Daniels ability on the field and nothing
4:42
affects Luther burden's ability on the field. And then Mika Buka is probably the safest wide receiver prospect outside of
4:48
Travis Hunter, in my opinion, hard worker. And I, I look at it and I go
4:53
he's crisp route runner. He could do whatever he wants. He keeps his head down. He's been involved in trios of wide receivers where he's never been the best
5:02
but he's all always been the safest. And so I think he's got a high floor and probably maybe in a certain
5:08
situation has a really higher ceiling than what people expect. Like here at the Tennessee Titans, he could reach, you know
5:15
stuff that he's never reached in college because he's probably wide receiver
5:19
too. And so like, I think that he can play outside. He hasn't played a lot outside, but he can play outside
5:27
So to me, I don't think either of these guys are going to be there in the second round. And if they are, you run to the podium
5:33
JT, if you had to put money on one of these guys being there at 35, is there a clear is there a clear guy that you think is more or less likely to be there
5:40
probably luther just because you you look like zach said emeka abuka is the safest wide receiver
5:48
in this class he is a guy that is going to get you six to seven hundred yards easy from the slot
5:53
every single year like tyler lockett type production from the get-go that's kind of his
5:58
style no matter what offense he goes to there's no way a team like detroit or uh baltimore like i
6:05
I don't see anyone looking at that talent and saying like, we can't find a way to use that in our offense
6:10
And like, that's, that's the backend, right? Like I think he could go anywhere in from, you know
6:15
15 onwards in the draft Luther burden, however, like there, there are so many different stories in about his kind of mentals and his
6:24
character issues. And like just being a diva on and off the field
6:27
which Zach addressed some, but there are some concerns as well that show up on tape with
6:32
with Luther burden, The disinterestedness in some routes where he kind of just doesn't give full effort is maybe something that teams also think is built into that character concern
6:43
But much like Zach, I agree. It's just what you get when you get a diva type wide receiver who is so explosive with the ball in his hands
6:50
Like he wants the ball more. Like, of course, it's kind of just what you have to live with sometimes
6:55
But if I had to put money, I think Luther Burden is the guy that slips there just because he's less of a known commodity
7:03
He's less of that that surefire thing. But the the upside with a Luther Burden, the yak potential, the star making type of plays that he can make like he did in his last season
7:15
And despite maybe only having a third of the yards in that miserable Missouri offense
7:20
like he a guy that I would once again not think for a second about trading back I would run up that card but I think he the one If one of them were to fall he the one Stoney if Luther is there at 35 are you running up the card or is there any hesitation I not hesitating at all I think the character concerns are
7:40
like football, on the field character stuff, like Zach said, like the diva mentality sort of thing
7:47
I understand those questions are out there. I'm not concerned about that. If he's got literal
7:54
crimes being alleged against him. Maybe that's a different story, but I do think there's a
8:00
scenario in which Burden falls. In all likelihood, I think they're both gone by the time we get to 35
8:07
They're both clearly first round talents. The only reason that Burden is going to be there is if
8:12
because teams are kind of scared off by these character concerns or whatever. But I think
8:17
we're set up for a really interesting first round because if the dominoes fall a certain way
8:24
I could see one of these guys being available at 35 where, you know, we look at how rich this
8:30
edge class is, how many edge guys are going to go in the first round. What's going to happen if
8:36
Amarian Hampton goes in the first round? I personally don't think Colston Loveland
8:40
is a first round lock, but what if he goes in the first round? You look at the safeties
8:46
It's not a premium position, but you have super talented guys like Malachi Starks, like Nick Imanwari
8:53
What if those guys go in the first round? Eventually, it becomes a numbers game where you look up and you say, oh, my goodness, there's Emeka Ibuka still here at 35
9:02
Luther Byrd in the third is still here at 35. And in that situation, yeah, for either guy, I am sprinting that card to the podium, which I don't think they actually do anymore
9:11
I think it's a phone call. To your point, 2019. think about one wide receiver went in the first round and it was Nikhil Harry and it was the
9:21
worst wide receiver taken in the first two days by far and there could be a situation like that
9:27
because that was a year where there's a bunch of guys on the trenches and at edge and just a few
9:33
it's very eerie when you really start thinking about it how similar this the quarterback class
9:40
kind of is to that class as far as the quality and how many may go in the first round because
9:45
you're talking about Daniel Jones and Kyler Murray versus Cam Ward and
9:49
Shooter Sanders, both clearly are better than, I think, both those prospects myself
9:54
But they're the two quarterbacks, right? I mean, like those are the two guys. And then it's a bunch of guys in the trenches, a bunch of edge rushers
10:01
and the wide receivers, some of the good wide receivers are talking about falling
10:05
And if you talk about what, you know, hurt DK Metcalf, A.J. Brown, gosh
10:11
who was the third guy that I'm just thinking of. But either way, all those guys fell
10:16
Terry McLaurin, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's who it was, Terry McLaurin. See, I don't know
10:20
Terry McLaurin, Amiga Ibuka, A.J. Brown, Luther Burden, D.K. Metcalf, Titoria McMillan
10:25
Like, I could see all three of those guys because of those certain things
10:28
falling, but T-Max probably, and Matthew Golden's probably the guy that goes
10:33
in the first round, or T-Max the guy that goes in the first round, and the other two fall for no reason outside of they play wide receiver
10:41
and there are better players at other positions in NFL teams' minds than those two guys
10:49
and they fit positions of needs for those teams. Because those teams on the back end, these playoff teams, not a lot of them need wide receivers
10:57
I mean, most of them already have their offense on lock, so I could see them going and being a copycat league
11:02
and just building through the trenches towards the end of the draft. And if you look at the offensive tackles as well
11:08
Like if Josh Simmons clears the medical clears, the character concerns, he's got first round tape
11:13
I think Josh Connerly Jr. has first round tape. There's two more spots that could potentially be gone that could kind of drive some of these surprises on down the board
11:22
Yeah, this is perfect because this is the time of year that I I started thinking a lot about what Stoney brought up
11:27
Right. This idea that it is. I think it was Daniel Jeremiah the other day tweeted like good news
11:32
I just got off the phone with agents and they're going to be 64 first round picks this year
11:35
Like we have in our minds, all of these guys that are ranging from lock first round picks to probably
11:41
first round picks to potential first round picks. And when you're looking at a pick like 35 for the Titans and it's
11:47
that's the range every year that there are always one or two or three really
11:53
surprising guys. They're still on the board who we all kind of thought, well
11:57
I really thought he'd be gone on night one. And it's just a numbers game
12:01
Somebody has to fall. And two other names that I want to bring up to get y'all's thoughts on are
12:05
Donovan Azaraku and James Pierce Jr. on the edge side of things
12:10
First of all, I do think that our temptation, our collective societal temptation to get Cam Ward a weapon has made us a
12:17
little bit too sure of the wide receiver pick at 35. I still think that, you know, what we thought a month
12:23
two months ago about how, hey, this is a really good defensive line class and the Titans need edge really
12:28
really bad and getting an edge rusher. That's one of the positions that, you know
12:31
you historically need to spend a premium pick on to actually get top line
12:35
production out of, because it is a really traits based position. Those two are kind of fringe first round names
12:44
I know as a rock who recently has become more of a lock first rounder than, than he was previously, but what do we think about where those two guys may go
12:51
And if they are there at 35, again, I'll start with you, JT. Are you running up the card like you did with the receivers or is it more of a question
12:59
well i think we instead of running up the card maybe it's just how fast we can dial the phone
13:04
number to get to the league office line it doesn't roll off the tongue but that's fine
13:08
if i'm dialing the phone super fast for emeka ibuka or luther burden i'm i have them on speed
13:15
dial for a guy like donovan azaraku like i get the idea that the wide receiver you know wanting
13:21
to pair cam with that wide receiver is great and all but if there was a guy like donovan azaraku
13:26
at that type of need for the Titans, and he was there at 35
13:32
There's maybe no player in my mind that I would rather have than him right there at 35
13:38
Super productive in his last year of college, led the Power 4 in sacks
13:43
He's a little undersized, 6'2", 248, but he's got 34.5-inch arms, and his cross chop is absolutely insane on tape
13:52
This is a guy that I think you can plug and play right from the get-go
13:55
and totally revamp that pressure that you can make from the outside
14:00
He's only 21 years old as well, will be 22 at the start of the season
14:04
He's a guy that also is maybe one of my favorite run defenders out of this edge class as well
14:10
There's just not a limit on the good things that I can say about Donovan Ezzarapio
14:15
which is why I feel like teams also will see that and see all the good things that he can do, and that's why he goes in the first
14:21
But once again, like if teams covet the the potential athletic freak of a James Pierce and decide to go with him over a more known quantity in a Donovan Azaraku, like that's where you could see him fall
14:36
And if he did like that is just a slam dunk for me
14:39
Once again, he just kind of checks all those boxes in what the Titans are lacking at the edge position
14:46
And it would be a hell of a way to start if you get Cam in the first and are able to stay at 35 and get Donovan as a review
14:53
Like like we said you know Harold Landry second round Boston College edge rusher They got rid of him earlier this year Might as well just fix his spot with another second round Boston College edge rusher
15:05
Yes, Tony, is this 2025 welcome back, Harold Landry? Is that what we're looking at here in Donovan Ezraku
15:10
I think so. I think Ezraku has a deeper bag as a pass rusher than Harold Landry did
15:17
Harold Landry, some good bend, some good power, but Ezraku flashes a good long arm, a good speed to power
15:24
He can swim over an offensive tackle. Like JT said, I think he's a little bit undersized
15:30
and he can be aggressive, overly aggressive sometime, where he's just pursuing the quarterback and then realizes, like
15:38
oh, they handed the ball off, and now I'm already five yards upfield
15:42
I've got to turn around and get back to the play. There's some issues with that overaggression there
15:47
but I like Ezraku quite a bit. I'm kind of scared of James Pierce at 35, to be honest with you
15:54
And he's been a puzzling prospect because the character concerns are kind of vague
16:01
There's a lot of hearsay of all this crazy stuff you hear on the message boards and stuff like that
16:08
And people seem to default to, well, he's a character guy. If you can deal with the character issues, you've got a great athlete
16:16
But I think there are some concerning things on his tape just from a play standpoint as well
16:22
I noticed a lot of missed arm tackles. I don't think he's very active with his hands
16:27
He rushes a little too high at times and can get stonewalled pretty easy
16:32
I think his game kind of needs a little refinement. I think he needs to show a little more decisiveness as a pass rusher
16:38
with a plan to the quarterback. But you see the length. You see the burst, the athleticism, and it's enough to drool over
16:46
I'm kind of leaning more towards getting one of these more polished guys at 35
16:50
if they're leaning edge rusher. Zach, correct me if you disagree, but making the Harold Landry comp is really easy from a historical standpoint for Azaraku
17:00
I agree with Stoney that Azaraku feels like a more complete player to me. Honestly, a guy like Pierce feels more like Landry in the sense that it's pure speed rusher, limited, worried about when they may lose that one really great trick that they have in the NFL, what becomes of them then
17:17
I think that's kind of the defining distinction between these two to me. Yeah, I would say that you're right
17:25
Like, Ezra Raku is way more, he's a way better pass rusher than Harold Landry ever dreamed about being coming out of college
17:33
And I thought Harold Landry was a good pass rusher. But I look at James Pierce, and I kind of go back and forth on my evaluation from him
17:45
Because, like Sonny said, the production is there, the athleticism is there, but then I go back to his frame
17:50
And I'm like, is his frame, how much strength and muscle can you add to his frame that's not already there
17:59
Is he getting close to reaching his body limit? And then if you add all that, whatever you do add, does that take away what makes James Pierce special
18:08
And is he willing to get in the, you know, these physical situations, you know, with these stronger, better NFL players and willing to fight through and trying, you know, because the arm tackle thing is concerning, right
18:22
Like I look at James Pearson, I think, man, am I underselling what he was able to put on tape from a pass rushing standpoint
18:34
Or am I overestimating the freak athletic ability? Like, I don't know
18:41
And like, I kind of look at like with Shamar Stewart. I know I'm not drafting Shamar Stewart
18:47
Like there's nothing you guys can do to convince me that Shamar Stewart is
18:50
good because he can't finish. And if he can't finish in college, what makes me think that you're going to be able to finish in the NFL
18:57
And, and to me, I just like, I look at James Pierce and I'm like, we've seen him finish
19:04
He's just never has done it consistently. He was considered. I remember our friend
19:08
Justin Mello in one of his mock drafts over the summer had him as the number one overall pick to the Tennessee tides
19:14
Number one overall. Now we're talking that some people have him in the 60s on their big boards
19:19
Some people think that he's going to fall out of the first round completely. And I'm thinking and looking at it going
19:24
that's kind of what his tape shows is that you don't know what the you're
19:29
going to get week to week with James Pierce. It drove me and Blaine insane because it kind of like was the evaluation
19:35
evaluation of Nico throughout the week or throughout the year was like, okay
19:40
this is going to be the dominant James Pierce game. And now he's going to be consistent. and then he'd have a dominant game, and then he disappears
19:46
And then you hear stuff that he's a loner on the sidelines
19:50
and all the stuff that you're hearing is stuff that's been going on since he entered the program
19:54
So it's never changed. Unlike Tavondre Swett, who matured and became a leader
19:58
it never changed for James Pierce. I would take both wide receivers that we just talked about a few minutes ago
20:06
over both these edge rushers, but I would take Donovan Ezraku, and I would look at James Pierce, and I'd go
20:13
can't I get Josiah Stewart, David Walker, Tyler Barron, Elijah Roberts, Ashton Jelotti, you know
20:21
someone else and probably get the same production or should I just be
20:25
trade back? Like if James Pierce is the only option, is there a trade back opportunity
20:31
And maybe I take a Landon Jackson plus some, someone else like I
20:36
and I, this is totally different from a couple of days ago. And I think Stoney said it best is that you
20:41
you're kind of all over the map every day is a new evaluation of James
20:45
Pierce in my head. And that's not good. That should not be how you are process
20:51
So that tells me more prospect than it does about me. If you're schizophrenic about a project, a prospect at, you know
20:57
this point on the 14th of April, it's probably not a good thing about that guy
21:01
I want to transition to just naming some dudes in the second round. And then on the second and third round, and then on, on day three as well
21:08
because I think it'd be great to just name, get some names out there for the audience that they can kind of keep tabs on some guys we think
21:14
would be great or maybe some bad fits with the titans too if people have some strong opinions but
21:18
first uh lightning round question how likely do you feel like you are going to be when we get to
21:25
pick 35 to be hoping that they find a trade back anybody um i mean so basically like i'm 50 50 like
21:34
it really just depends if like one of those wide receivers or donovan azaraku is there like i
21:40
I don't know if I can. So it's basically there's like a handful of guys that we're going to not want to say no to
21:45
but otherwise it's all full steam ahead trade back. Yeah. Yeah, yeah
21:51
I think that's just the way to look at it because you would have to tell me who's on the board
21:55
and all this kind of stuff because there could be other guys that fall. And because, like, look, if Colston Loveland is there, I don't know if I would trade back
22:03
Even if all these wide receivers and edge rushers are off the board, I'd be like
22:09
I don't know I think I would take Colson Loveland at 35 yeah he sure does like he kind of does
22:15
everything good and you need a tight end that does everything good not a tight end that only shows up
22:19
eight weeks out of the year and then the other one who just shows up in training camp like you need
22:24
a tight end just as bad as you need a wide receiver and because when you playing 11 personnel 11 P stands for one running back and one tight end And if that one tight end is Colson Loveland
22:35
I'm feeling a lot better about that team. All right, Stoney, get us started here
22:39
Let's say that there's not a trade back. You know, you got to have a dance partner. It doesn't come to fruition
22:44
All the good players are gone, it turns out, at 35. Real bummer, or at least in the eyes of the rest of the league
22:48
But we, the Sharps here at our consulting firm, have identified some players
22:52
maybe a little bit further down the consensus board, who are some hear-me-out guys
22:57
You're pounding the table in the draft war room saying, guys, not only should we take this guy here
23:01
we're getting a value for this guy here. Yeah, I would lead off with Landon Jackson
23:06
I feel like I'm a little higher on Landon Jackson, the edge rusher out of Arkansas, than a lot of folks are
23:13
He was kind of a – it was one of those deals for me
23:17
where I kind of grew to really appreciate and like the prospect
23:20
the more of him that I watched because I don't think he had a particularly impactful Senior Bowl week
23:27
I don't know if he was down there working on a specific technique. You hear about that with guys sometimes where it's like
23:33
I'm not going to play my game because my game's on tape. I'm going to show you that I'm capable of evolving and doing this other thing
23:40
that you say I can't do well and I can improve upon that
23:44
I don't know if that was the case with him or not, but leading off with the Oklahoma State game on his tape
23:50
I felt like, man, this is a really good power rusher, a good speed to power guy, kind of, you know, singular skill set of just power, bull rush, speed to power, that sort of thing
24:01
But then he goes to the scouting combine and he tests pretty well
24:06
And then I go back to the tape and I watch a little more. And I caught myself watching the LSU game, watching him go toe to toe with Will Campbell and Emory Jones Jr
24:16
and those guys, four offensive linemen from that group that are going to be in this draft class
24:23
And the dude is just, he's winning. He is beating Will Campbell's hands, which are supposedly his strong suit, his signature thing
24:30
the clamping hands, that sort of thing. He's swiping them. He's batting them down
24:35
He's getting into Will Campbell's chest. He's driving him back. And having watched that game after the combine, when the testing came through
24:43
I started noticing like, man, this guy's got a little more burst to him
24:47
He's got a little more wiggle to him than I think he's given credit for. Brings leadership to the table, experience
24:54
I think this is a guy that you could add to your rotation, and he could be that thoroughbred pass rusher that they're lacking in that department right now
25:05
Zach, who's the guy you're eyeing? Okay, so no trade back, and I guess all the guys that we talked about are off the board
25:12
It would come down to me between still wide receiver and edge
25:17
and that would be my wide receiver I'd pound the table for is Trey Harris
25:21
He has by far the highest grade versus man coverage of any wide receiver in this draft
25:27
He has a 95. I mean, a 95 versus man. And in the SEC, that is pretty damn good
25:34
5.12 yards per route run, which is, again, by far the highest in this draft
25:40
17.2 yards per reception. He's got 7.7 yards after catch per reception, 78.9% reception percentage
25:49
61.5% contested catch rate, and a 17.1% contested target rate, which is one of the lowest in the
25:58
classes. It's almost right there at the average. It'll just a little bit below average. So I look
26:04
at it and I go, that's a dude I'm willing to take a chance on in the second round. If you go and read
26:11
The Beast by Dane Brugler, his dad has worked in the oil fields for over 30 years. It's where he
26:17
gets a blue collar work ethic. And those who complain about him not having a route tree
26:24
go back and watch the 2023 tape before he joined Ole Miss in 2024. He was running the routes you
26:32
want to see and he was a pretty good route runner, I would go and take that chance because I also
26:37
like that he worked his way up, went into the SEC and dominated in the SEC as well. So he
26:44
he didn't kind of just stick around at Louisiana Tech. He actually went and went to a higher level
26:52
of competition and still produced. And the other guy that I would pound the table for
26:56
at edge rusher is JT Tua Malau from Ohio State. Dude's just good
27:03
I mean, there's just nothing wrong with him. He's good against the pass rusher
27:08
He's good in stats. He's good on film. He's good. So I'll take a good guy all day long
27:14
Great player all day long. Man, Ole Miss is a pox on this house
27:20
Just a disease. I half facetiously have become an Ole Miss helmet scout in recent months
27:26
you all know this. I think that the next good Ole Miss skill player will be the first Ole Miss
27:31
skill player that is good in the Lane Kiffin era, to be specific. We got that last crop of guys in
27:37
A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf, and it's just been barren. There's been a drought out there
27:43
Tennessee gets a lot of crap for being the worst offense ever, which it is, but Ole Miss also the
27:47
worst offense ever from an NFL standpoint. JT, I have a feeling I might know who the guy you're
27:54
going to pound the table for is but who who who are you who are you really after here at 35 if
27:59
the other options are not available well just to tack on to some of these others like all the guys
28:04
that that they've said at the edge rusher position landon jackson jtt those guys like i'm there my my
28:10
big thing this entire draft cycle has become the edge rushers like i'm pretty okay like i like all
28:17
these edge rushers outside of jack sawyer and nick scorton like any of these other guys on the board
28:22
here like i you could just throw him up here good like uh the two guys in in particular prince
28:28
lium on me ellen out of old miss on that side of the ball he's a little older but there may be no
28:35
higher potential for him even though he is 23 years old to still develop into a devastating
28:41
speed to power rusher at the nfl level there may not be a better fit there like taking him at 35 i
28:48
I think he has the production to do that, led the SEC with 60 pressures last year
28:54
But also, like, the production is there. However, still, like, he has room to grow
29:01
And I think that is something worth looking at. And then Braden Swinson as well, out of LSU, I think
29:06
is another guy who also has really good speed to power. Those two guys, I think, when you talk about the next level of edge rushers
29:16
that all these guys fall into it feels like there's a connotation that they're they're worse
29:22
than some of those other guys I think it's it's a different conversation it's some of those guys
29:26
have elite flashes or traits that that you aren't getting with some of these guys but for for for
29:33
the sake of a better term like these guys are all consistent that you'd get at 35 like these are all
29:39
going to be good NFL players who can start day one and bring you production and I think that's
29:45
one of the biggest things. Besides Squartin and Sawyer. Besides Squartin and Jack Swart, yes
29:49
Those are the only two guys who I know. Every edge that goes between pick 30 and 60, besides those two will be good, is what you're saying
29:55
That's my take on the edge class. But I will say, the guy that I'm banging the table
29:59
for Easton, and he's our lone dynasty pick right now at the wide receiver position
30:08
It's Jalen Knoll out of Iowa State. He is one of my favorite players in this entire class
30:15
I don't think 35 would be a reach at all, considering he is continuing to skyrocket upwards more and more
30:22
as we kind of figure out how teams feel about him. It seems like we are getting more and more that teams really, really like this guy
30:30
So he's moving up those boards in our mock drafts and our consensus big boards
30:36
He's undersized, of course, probably a guy who looks to play mostly in the slot
30:41
but he's one of the few guys in this class who I think can also play on the outside
30:45
despite being 5'11 on the outside. He has insane catch radius, is someone who has some of the best speed in the class
30:55
He led the combine in the broad and vertical jump. He was tied for the best in both of those
31:01
He has a killer 40 time and is just able to create separation on the edge
31:05
or in the middle of the field. He's got a pretty gnarly route tree that I think he can do almost anything
31:11
that you want him to do. And he's not afraid to put his body on the line and go up and catch that ball
31:17
You look at the Iowa State tape, there's a lot of underthrown balls
31:20
that you don't think a 5'11 receiver should be able to come back and get against some of these corners
31:26
And he still finds a way to come down with it. Like this is a guy that I think if you kind of place him into that Brian
31:31
Callahan offense, he's another one just like a Mecca at Buka that I feel like is going to have
31:37
the potential to be unbelievable in year one. And I think that's why he's one of my favorite wide receivers on day two
31:45
All right. Last question is essentially the same question. Looking at day three, where the Titans currently have a pair of fours
31:50
a pair of fives, a pair of sixes. This is where they're going to get the chance
31:54
Like they've talked about to just get some batting practice, right? Let's just get some swings and see if we can't find one or two or three dudes here that can contribute for us
32:03
Who are some guys, Stoney, back to you, who have caught your eye, not just because they're good players in this class
32:09
but because you think they'd be pretty good fits for what the Titans are looking for? Yeah, so I still think that this front office has spent a lot of energy in interviews talking about building throughout the trenches
32:21
So I think on both sides of the ball, offense and defense, I think there's going to be some guys available on day three that kind of fit the mold of what they're looking for
32:31
I think about the massive left tackle out of Iowa State, Jalen Travis
32:37
I think he's powerful enough to play in the league. I think about the right guard out of LSU, Myles Frazier
32:43
I just talked about those LSU offensive linemen earlier. a big right guard that may have some potential to kick out to right tackle
32:52
a guy that could come in and be the heir apparent to Kevin Zeitler at that right guard spot
32:56
I think about Jackson Slater the versatile interior guy out of Sacramento State smaller school prospect that could be a succession plan at center I think all of those guys should be in play and on the defensive line looking at a guy like Ty Robinson
33:13
plays really hard, does a lot of things really well. He's just a grinder, tough guy that's
33:18
you know, going to get some dirt on his uniform on the defensive line. So that's kind of where I'm
33:23
leaning. The trenches. Love it. Zach, what do you think? Who are some guys that are on your mind
33:28
It has to be safety for me. Because I think Brugler is right
33:36
And he had four top 100 safeties. And I think that does not say anything about the safety class other than I think you're going to find really good value
33:45
You got Imani Hooker, who is on a one-year contract, or essentially a one-year contract, last year of his contract
33:52
And then Xavier Woods, who is going to be 31 next year, going into the last year of his contract
33:57
And then you have Mike Brown. That's it. Unless they're going to put James Williams back at safety
34:03
That's what they got. They have, those are the only three NFL safeties they got on the roster
34:07
Well, we saw this team with bad safeties at the end of last year. It went fine, right? That wasn't an issue
34:11
Yeah, yeah. So I look at a guy, you know, like Maxon Hook, who is the safety out of Toledo
34:19
He really stood out at the senior bowl to me. I think that he's a guy that is really good against the run
34:26
he has one of the lower missed tackle rates in this draft class
34:31
I really like how dependable he is I look at a guy like Malachi Moore
34:38
who I think is severely underrated in this draft class and I think it's because he kicked the helmet
34:43
and listen, he's average size he's average athleticism but it's kind of like Shadur Sanders for me
34:51
the stuff that he has between the ears His play recognition, his diagnosing is some of the best in this draft class
35:00
And I think that you look at a guy that has seven pass breakups
35:06
which is more than what Xavier Watts has. Now, Xavier Watts has more interceptions, but this guy is always around the ball
35:15
He allows one of the lowest yards per snap in this class as well
35:19
And I think you look at him and you're like, okay, that's your coverage guy at the next level
35:24
And then another guy that I really like, Craig Woodson out of California
35:30
I like every California defender that's in this draft class, Craig Woodson
35:35
Teddy Buchanan, Noel Williams, and Marcus Harris. Like, I was asking Stoney as, like
35:44
we need the list of all the coaches that are on this California defense because
35:48
those are the guys that should be in the NFL at the next level. Like if this draft, if this, if this whole thing fails in 2025
35:56
and did Ard Wilson to show in the door, let's go just poach all the California guys because like these guys are
36:03
I mean, every one of these defenders are really good in the NFL players And I think Craig Woodson has the size that you looking for He a controlled fluid mover as well Again kind of like Malachi Moore not dominant size or traits you know
36:17
that, you know, make him jump off the film. But everything that you want out of a safety, this is the guy that I would take
36:24
And he's a guy that could be there in the fifth, sixth, seventh round. And so to me, I'm looking at these guys, these safeties that, again
36:33
this is where you found Imani Hooker a couple of years ago. This is, you know, Kevin Byard was third round, but I mean, like all these guys that you have been able to find over the years, this seems like a good safety class for day three
36:47
I think that is where the true value is going to be a safety running back and linebacker on day three
36:54
All right, JT, bring us home. Who are some day three names that are on your mind? yeah just to tack on one more safety Jonas Sankar out of Virginia is one that I think he could end
37:05
up finding a way just because of how he's built with you know with the arm length 32 and a half
37:10
inch arms 6'3 206 4'4 8 40 like he could find his way into the top 100 but if he's not and at 103
37:17
I think that's fine there I think you look at the the tight ends if they were to look at a tight end
37:23
on day three. I think the one and only option I'd go with that I think is worthy of being on
37:29
people's radars is Jackson Hawes out of Georgia Tech. Another way that they could go, they still
37:33
don't have that inline blocker on their roster. So I think you could find him and just plug and
37:42
play him. He's one of the best inline blockers in this class. And I don't think even if you're
37:47
drafting a guy like that in the fifth or sixth and you say, wow, this guy, all he does is be an
37:52
inline blocker and extra basically tackle on 12 personnel. Well, Brian Callahan ran more 12 personnel last year than like almost anyone
38:00
It seems like so. Like, I think he is a guy that would fit in that offense really well
38:05
You look at some of these, the one position that we haven't talked about like at all
38:11
and yet the Titans are doing more digging on that position than any other one
38:15
It seems like is the defensive tackle position, which I think is very, very interesting
38:19
You look at a lot of those guys on on day two that they they continue to to look at in Darius Alexander, TJ Sanders, and one guy who I think could fall into the fourth round, which is Omar Norman Lott out of Tennessee
38:33
I think he could be another one that there's there's the conversation to say that does this indicate that a Jeffrey Simmons trade is is is upcoming
38:42
if you want to go that route you can there's also just following the Philadelphia Eagles model of
38:48
getting greedy at the position that you're already really good at because you're going to need them
38:52
eventually and that's they could be taking a play out of that book right getting greedy at that
38:56
position and so he's another guy that I really really like if he was there on day four and he
39:01
fits that model he's met with them and then two uh two corners that I really really like Quincy
39:06
Riley just might as well just go get Jarvis Brownlee Jr.'s counterpart and just have basically
39:11
two Jarvis Brownlee juniors on on that offense He fits the the Denard Wilson model to a T I really really like him And then a Zoff Frazier out of uh I think Texas San Antonio right He just got the
39:24
the absolute frame and bill that you want for a corner on the outside also has
39:29
some speed to boot as well. Uh, he's one of my favorites as well. All right. Well, there's like 30 names for you guys. And, uh, I would
39:37
I would keep an eye on all of those guys. I wouldn't be surprised if quite a few of the folks we named end up, uh
39:42
becoming Tennessee Titans here in a couple of weeks. That is officially the second longest interview in this series that we've done
39:48
We were only doubled by my interview with Brian Callahan, which is kind of cheating. And it also helps that there were four of us
39:53
but I appreciate all of you guys' time before we go tell the A to Z audience
39:58
where they can find you guys, because as rising stars in the national media market
40:01
as you all are, I think that we can continue to bolster what is obviously the
40:07
some of the best ysts here in town, JT, or what are you, what are you up to these days
40:11
What's going on? uh still owning and producing your all your your former podcast the hot read podcast over on your
40:19
podcast i heard it got way better left which is people are saying it got it got infinitely better
40:25
once you left so that's the word on the street i guess but yes over on 440 sports network uh also
40:33
writing with these uh these guys over here on stacking the inbox um yeah just doing that as
40:40
well as you can find me on Twitter at JT underscore Runkie tweeting about the Mets way into the summer
40:46
when nobody wants to hear from me. Yep. Pain and suffering. Stoney? Yeah. So I'm at Stacking the
40:51
Inbox where depending on when this is released, our draft guide is out or is coming out pretty soon
40:58
I show up on Football and Other F-Words Thursday nights. I'm on the Hot Read podcast. I'm on SoBros
41:04
Network. I have a book of poetry for sale on Amazon too. I do a little bit of everything. So
41:09
So not too hard to find. That's Tony Keeley. And if I'm not mistaken, you're also available for candle expertise bookings as well
41:16
I am. I am. I am writing whatever may be needed. Right. And then, Zach, where can folks find you
41:23
Cover 2, 1 to 3 p.m. Central Standard Time, the Lord's Time, Monday through Friday over on 104.5 The Zone with Blaine Bishop
41:32
And then football and other F-words, typically Thursdays at 6 p.m. Central Standard Time, we go live
41:37
And then, of course, stackandinbox.com. And wherever I may be screaming into the void that Elik Iomanor is not very good
41:47
and he's also Canadian, so you might as well just throw that guy into the trash because he ain't going to do anything because Canadians do not do anything at the NFL level
41:55
So I just want to throw that out there as well. So that could be seen on Twitter at the Zach Lyons
42:01
Lame of you to throw that out there without any time to rebut. Fine. That's, you know, that's classic Zach
42:08
We'll be all together once again, at least for a brief period of time
42:11
on day three on the F Word stream in the 104.5 studios on day three
42:17
when the Titans have a pair of fourth-round picks. At least they currently have a pair of fourth-round picks to spend
42:21
So check us out then. Until then, guys, thanks for hanging out
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