The OTP: Official Titans PodcastThis is the OTP pregame presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans. Farm Bureau Health Plans has been protecting Tennessee for nearly eighty years. Visit FBHP dot com to learn all about how Farm Bureau Health Plans can protect you and your family. With Amy Wells and Mike Keith. Welcome to the audio podcast Studio Ramon Foster and the Snickers Hot Seat. I am welcome back. Need to play jo I do? I do?
If you're never not yourself have a Snicker.
That's right, Snickers really satisfied?
It does me and my childhood, I had a three rotation snack. Okay, a sprite and a can okay, bag of chips and a Snicker. Wow, that's all lessen the worst thing you possibly have. But you want to talk about living like a king as a kid.
That's the but the whole thing.
I mean, when you think about it, I mean, that's not that bad, not that bad. I mean you can't you shouldn't do it five times? No, I wasn't that gotta. I mean, if you can't have a Snickers and a sprite and a bag of chips when you're a kid.
Winning until the parents that are holding your kids back from doing Oh.
Then they're just going to go to college. Yeah, that's a whole other part.
Us.
All right, So what we really should call this edition of the OTP is totally in the weeds. If you like football, you will never enjoy an OTP more than you will enjoy this one.
WHOA, that's quite a promise.
It's quite well because Romone Foster's here.
So we can get it and I have.
The five topics to go in the weeds with him, and then we're going to show you our entire interview with Jim from the recent's Senior Bowl. He's the executive director, and we always we always visit with him in November, Yes, because we know Titans fans like draft talk. And it doesn't matter what the record is it. I mean, it doesn't matter where you're thinking your draft position is going to be. We know you like draft talk. You like it when we go to the Senior Bowl, you like it when we go to the Combine. I mean, you enjoy all of that.
You tell us that, And I'll be honest, you guys have made me like it even more too. I used to not even pay attention to college players at all. Oh, gosh, oh now I'm so locked in. It's so fun. It is fast, it is so fun, And the only thing we used to do in college at the University of Tennessee, we used to track like the pre game, I mean, the pre draft specialists and the mock drafts and see how they'd hit on them. The only guarantees usually like the top five. After that the specialists that the draft experts, not really much that you can get from them. But on the other side, going to the Senior Bowl and the combine, that's where you get all the information.
Key to following the draft analysts is you want to follow the ones who have relationships with real NFL people. Yes, because they're getting backstory, they're getting context, they're getting perspective. So that's coming later. But Ramon, we are going to go deep with you right on the five topics.
Are you ready, Amy, I'm excited too. This is quite the intro topic one.
Is there a real specific disadvantage for a team coming off a Monday night football game like the Houston Texans are this past Monday?
Is there a real yes? Mentally mentally mentally because when the game starts, the physicality, the physical side of it it handles itself. One thing I always said about people that guys have injuries or they have issues is you never have to worry about them getting juiced up for game day is going to happen regardless. Now, the mental side of it is, they just played a big game against the Cowboys, beat them on their home place. And how do you reset yourself as far as game planning, understanding that there is a short week and fighting that earth say, man, this sucks we on a short week.
It does play a part in it.
That's what becomes bothersome for younger guys that hadn't been in that spot before or veterans who do need an extra day is all right? Can you block that out? This game more more times than not? And I always tell people this, it is more mental than it is physical. Can I mentally set myself up to compete physically, because again, most guys run fast, jump about the same and do the job. That's where the ones who do make it and the ones who don't make it, that's where it taxes you at Because I've been in the spot. Of course as an undrafted guy, there was so much talent that came like after me that was better than me mentally, they couldn't check that box every single day, and that does happen on short weeks.
So disruption to the routine is a real thing. That's a real problem.
Listen, we're babies, okay, in we won't admit it, and we have enough power and flexis players sometime either with our trainers, family understands the situation.
Hey, coach, I can't.
Really do this lift this way. You can control those types of things. No, that is a portion of it though. Aimy to wear routine right. That's one thing coaches also teach too. What's your technique? What's your routine? Find you get a veteran that's gonna show you the pathway. Those types of things do matter. And the quicker you can figure that out and learn how to block those disadvantages out of your mind, the better of a pro you will be in the better of a team. You can get to like the mentalities we have that be thrown out a lot. What is your team's character make up? Who are you as a player?
Like?
That's where it plays a part in it too into development On mondays, I do this tuesdays.
I do these types of things.
And if you can be a veteran enough and stay around the league long enough, long enough, then you'll be able to get those things because you're paid a little bit more and you can kind of change.
The schedule out.
But yeah, that's why it's bigger for the younger guys than it is for the veterans. I'll never forget my first Thursday night game. It was a whirlwind. We were playing in Cleveland and it was cold, it was windy, and I was not prepared so much so did almost burn myself up on one of the heaters.
On the sideline.
It was with me and another rookie, Craig rvick Man. It was by far I wanted the craziest things ever because we just played on Sunday. Why do we have to play on Thursday? Those are the types of things that happened this week.
All right? Topic two? Are you ready? Yes? Houston's defense. They have an NFL high sixty eight tackles for loss, yes, six per game. They have twenty takeaways, including fourteen interceptions. Matt Burke is the defensive coordinator. He was here for the early part of his career. He is a Jim Schwartz disciple. Demiko Ryans is also a defensive guru from his playing days and his coaching background. So with all of that build up, what are the character sticks that jump out to Ramon Foster about the Texans defense.
First word that comes to mind, and I said that the coach matc stout.
Stout. Stout.
They're not like Minnesota where they just you feel like we can't get out of the way of everything that's moving, like there's just so many blitzes and stent. No, this defense is stout. They got big bodies up front that can handle the offensive line. They got linebackers that can run side to side. Heck, they got a backup, a former first round draft pick at number five overall in Devin White, as a backup for their team. And when they play, they know they have to stay stout and the mentality of their team too, holds the point can get up the field, but they also have speed around the edge. That's the way I look at them. This is the type of defense. If I was playing them, my mindset would be, we have to beat them up. This is gonna be a slow two yards two yards. Maybe we can complete and punt, and we got to continue to chip away at them because their depth is so deep that you have to be able to find words to kink in the arm. Right, where is the hole that we're gonna be able to go to And the only way to go about that is to hit them in the face like that will be my mentality. But even towards the linebackers right like Henry Totoe is turning into a guy, he's also a guy to go side to side, So if you're gonna be able to run on them, you need to be good with your tight ends on the edge to be able to get to him on the second level also, and then the back end handles itself. They keep the top on for the most part. And then last week we saw against the Cowboys on Monday Night Football, Derrick Barnett is a backup playing for them, another former first round draft pick. He gets a sack fumble, big old offensive lineman think is his opportunity to run the football and catch it. No, then he's ends up stripping him the football and running in for a touchdown. They have specific playmakers on their team that make their entire squad good because they do have the talent, but it starts with the bigs that they have up front.
Denico Altri.
I'm sure we're gonna speak about it in a minute too or at some point this week. He's another one of those big body, long, rangy guys that simply move you backwards. The Niko's not a flashy guy when the way he plays football, that's not his game. His game is to push you backwards and try to get you off your point with his strength. And that's the way I feel about their entire defense, include to Mario Edwards too.
And then you look on the other side.
If I can say this word one of the biggest agitators, I'm not gonna say the other word. I want to say one of the biggest agitators on this squad is Jerry Hughes fifteenth year.
It's crazy.
There was an all out fight with him and Camp that we had joint practices with the Buffalo Bills. He's been that guy every single year of his career. And there's no breathing room with this defense. So it's a mindset type of week, Mike Amy to where it's not going to be easy. You just gotta keep putting dirt in the wheelbarrow and continue to walk it uphill with them.
Okay, So let me go through the ten guys they have in the defensive line rotation, and they probably won't all be active, but let's just go through it. Dylan Horton, second year player out of TCU. You mentioned Derek Barnett. Three sacks on the year. Will Anderson's missed the last two games. We'll see if he plays. He has seven and a half sacks this year. Moving inside the defensive tackle, Mario Edwards, who was here in twenty twenty two and in his ninth year out of Florida State, has sort of figured out who he is. He's playing good football. Tim Saddle, big old guy from Virginia Tech. Five sacks on the year. He's having a career year. Kirk Heiinish is a plugger, a guy out of Notre Dame in his third year. Plays hard but won't play a lot. The addition there at a defensive tackle is Folo Fatakassi, and he has played really well. He's sixth year guy out of Yukon who he's listed at three eighteen. No chance he was you.
See it on tape, you do.
He's a large individual. You mentioned Jerry Hughes in his fifteenth year. He was initially a bust he was when he was drafted by Indianapolis. He goes to Buffalo and became a man, and now he's in his fifteenth year. Deniko Autry, who is a little banged up. We know all about him. We talked about him on Titans Tonight with Keith Bullock on Wednesday, and it still upsets me. He doesn't play here, but I understand he wanted more money business. And then there's Daniel Hunter. I didn't even mention it, okay, So that is point three. Yeah, Daniel Hunter, ninth year out of LSU. His first eight years were spent with Minnesota. Interesting fact about Daniel Hunter. He is seventh on the active list in quarterback sacks. Would you like to hear the other six?
Yes?
I was okay. Von Miller yep, gold jacket. One hundred and twenty seven point five career sacks.
That's a lot.
Cameron Jordan, Yeah, one hundred eighteen and one half career sacks. Kalais Campbell one hundred and nine point five career sacks, Khalil Mack one hundred and six career sacks. TJ. Watt one hundred and four career sacks. I didn't know he got there. Yeah. Wow, Miles Garrett ninety five and a half sacks. You block, you tried to block all these guys. Yeah, and then Danil Hunter ninety five sacks on the year. By the way, he had sixteen and a half sacks last year in his eighth and final year with the Vikings. So I mean those are you know? To me? That number sixteen and a half sacks. That's fifty home runs in baseball, that's thirty points a game in basketball. I mean, when you're getting not only to double digits, but you're over fifteen, that's special, all right. This year leads the National Football League with seventy two quarterback pressures. Crazy wow, seven quarterback pressures at the team Jeff Simmons just had a great game against Minnesota last weekend and he had six quarterback pressures. This dude is averaging right at seven quarterback pressures a game. He has seven and a half sex. So that's really a wind up for point three. What is it about Daniel Hunter that makes him a force? Oh?
My, so I got two stories about him real quick, Danil Hunter.
That's what a podcast is for. It is, yes, it is.
You can expand up story if you can you can't see my hands. You can see me expand upon.
That's what I'm saying, no time limit, no disqualification podcast.
And it is good. They'll continue to listen to us too. Right, Well, see there's that. Yeah, So the danil Hunter number one, there's a clip of him circulating around social media. I'm not sure if you guys have sing that you hadn't followed Mike. I mean he's tea and voice, okay on all social media platform is a M I A M I E. That's right, Yes, it is like the pure Prairie League song we Gotta Plug Ourselves. But there's a clip of him on social media and he's developed this new spin move that I hadn't seen almost anybody do. He is rushing up on the right tackle, which I know that's.
The sort of that's going to be a top time. Well i'll keep that one in the back exactly.
He rushes up and he hit this whirl of wind spin move and he's disclose. I snapped my finger, Okay, this close to sacking the quarterback. And it is such a ballet type of move for guy his size that when I first met him as a player, this wasn't who he was okay. And so the second story one is that if you hadn't seen that clip, find it. It's a mussy to watch him maneuver the way he is. So that's the first story. The second story was when we first played, when he first came into the league, had some veterans on that defense up in Minnesota. Jared Allen was one of those guys. I mean, they just had a plethora of dudes. It was a Harrison was still on the team at that point, okay, but the d line was stout, it was stocked, it was ready to go. And all I can remember was was, who in the heck is this?
Then? What is it? Danielle guy? Who is it? Yeah, fell it is.
And of course we as football players become very cocky and just disrespectful. I mean to tell me, I'm supposed to block a dude by the name of Danielle. That's all I kept thinking. Okay, law and behold this joker Rushes And he's such a young guy at the time. If you've ever seen him his physic, I think he's a little bit slender. Now, well, he came in, he was like big and bulky. His arms looked like Jack's off of more to combat like they were that huge and a tall specimen man, And I'll never forget. I'm left guard and they do a bunch of the same stuff they do now at Minnesota. They'll stun in and I'll never forget he's slanting it in on me and hit me so hard that I say, yes, sir, mister Daniel, that's just where I was. He was, But that just the force that he came into the league. You gotta start doing certain things to solidify yourself as a player. For the most part for young guys is physicality. How can I go abuse the next person around me? I mean, we saw to Andandre sweat this past weekend. Hit Aaron Jones and I could have swore, and I heard Aaron Jones go oh on the sideline when he grabbed him and fell on top of him. It was by far one of the hardest tackles I've ever seen. But Denikoko Danil Hunter's entry into the NFL, to me was just a wild, reckless human being that was a long specimen of an athlete that was very physical, and that to me seems to be the reason he got paid what he paid. While his career's gone the way it is right now. And at the end of the day, when you play that position that he does, the physical game always shows up. You can't be soft and play defensive line of football in general. And that's a part of his game that he carries. And that's what's going to be the case this upcoming weekend.
And what's scarier than a guy who is described as physical and reckless and just a beast the way that Ramone just told that story is that person, but as a vet because now he's learned how to control it and how to use all of those elements of his game completely to his advantage and do.
It with precisions, which good it is.
It's not just a reckless guy who's overpowering and strong and able to do these things. He's able to contain it and use it in a way because he's refined his craft like all exactly.
And know how to get home. And then those types of guys like himself that has a reputation for physicality, like Jeff right, then you get to a point to where it's sad to say this, though it ain't sad to say because it's a game. But then you pick and choose when I'm going to go. And that's where it becomes even more tricky. Is I'm expecting the brute force, right, No blunt force? I mean no, Now he's going to hit a paarilet on me and a spin move and dip his shoulder. I see he's listed here on the on the sheet at six five to sixty three, every bit of them.
Right.
He had the biggest, longest arms of a young guy that I'd seen at the time, and it's paid off on him.
Nobody could figure out quite who he was going to be, which is why he went in the second round. Yeah, because it's like, yeah, he looks like is he going to grow into the three hundred pound guy or is he going to take some weight off and become more you know, you know when guys remake their bodies, which is what always happens in the NFL, largely in year one to year two because you see guys come back in year two and you're like, oh, hell, I mean, say Peter Skoronsky. Pete had a whole off season where he wasn't having to go on pre draft visits and run around them, and so all of a sudden, Pete's a different Yeah, he's a different cat. Now what he weighs is or isn't different. How he looks and how it's put together is different. Sometimes it is what you weigh. It is because a lot of these young guys, you go from being a big kid basically to becoming a man, which is why when you play these teams with guys in their late twenties, early thirties, or even Jerry Huge who's in Deniko mid to late thirties, those are grown men they are.
And that's to your point, like why it's so important for you to one jump onto the deep end of the pool as a rookie so I belong and after that, Okay, how.
Do I become better as a pro? What is your training? Like? Secondly, when do I take off days?
Like those are all part of how you become a pro with longevity, right because in college they tell you everything you're supposed to do, they feed you like there's a lot that has to change. And the one thing that's the biggest advantage for pro is time, Like you have free time, so that may mean more.
Rest and disadvantage. Yeah, that's true too.
We've seen how that can go for the other side.
Because everybody talks about money. Yeah, I think the biggest disadvantage potentially is time freedom because guys don't know what to do. They're going to order taco bell and play Minecraft.
Or or go to Vegas and party the couches all day long. Yeah, you're right, that is, which is when you say it's a grown man's game, like managing and budgeting, all of that is somewhat to your point, I think understated it is. There is a I'll never forget my first off season. Oh, my first off season. I'm almost ashamed to just be like, yeah, that was me in that time because it's so much to your point, free time and there's so much access. Well back then, we didn't get nil in college, so being able to have the funds was new to me. It was, Oh, I can just go out of town. I don't have to go to the facility right now and lift. Like there's a big management of that. But hopefully with this new regime coming in, these young guys seem to have that under the belt little bit. Specifically to Fandre I'm impressed by his longevity and he's shown in this big rookie year of.
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Tighten up.
Holme is at the forefront of all that we do. It's why we're so committed to caring for the places and spaces in which we work and live. Ashley the official furniture provider of the Tennessee Titans. We continue with Ramon Foster and the Snickers hot Seat. We called this the OTP pregame. Are you ready for topic four?
I can't wait?
Okay, Topic four? How do you expect the Texans to attack the right side of the Titans offensive line, specifically the right tackle situation in waves?
That's the first one, because they have it. Will Anderson hadn't played the last few weeks. The last time we were in Houston, he had the two and a half sack game, and I'm not mistaken, So of course, if there was a week he was gonna come back, it's probably going to be this one for him. But not only just that the Titans had the illegal formation, the anxiety of getting on the line of scrimmage this week is something that if I was Houston, I jump off sides just one time, just to set them up, to let them know, like, I'm going to be upfield and there's nothing you can do about it.
You mean, teams would set out to and I don't say it in a bad way, but they would say, hey, let's jump one time here early, just to get them. Yeah, get them generally.
Because here's the other portion of it is until that side can prove that it's going to stop a nosebleed, what's to convince me that I can't get back there again? You know, I'll give up to five to get something later down the line, because if I can rate anxiety to where now if I'm not mistaken. There's been a League memo about line of scrimmage positioning for tackles because it is a disadvantage to the outside Russia on the other side of the ball. There has to be fairness in this game. I would get up filled with speed, use that turf to my advantage, Mike and up the middle, try to stop the run as much as I possibly can to force this team into long down the distances, and as an offensive player, I say that because I always on what I thought teams would do to me. I love the idea of like film study and going through it and seeing what my deficiencies are, because if I know how you're going to attack me, then I have a better way of succeeding. And that's where having that experience of those five, six, seven eight year veterans in the league, which this offensive line doesn't have right now other than Bronsko getting into the starting lineup, that's where that advantage takes over for you. Is Hey, if I was that team, I would do this to you. And it's no slight to call somebody out in their weakness because that's the truth sound of being a really good teammate.
But that's what I would do this.
I would create so much anxiety for So.
We started this podcast talking about the mental aspect of routine and all that. There's a mental aspect of going after an opposing team at a place where they might know that there are issues, and so if you can exploit that even mentally, you're giving yourself the advantage.
Yes, it's just like of us have grandparents.
If my granddad gives my brother five dollars, I'm going to my granddad to get five dollars too, because you got a reputation, granddaddy, you gave him five and I have like they've seen what the tape has shown them against other teams, and that's something that has to be exposed.
At that point, I at.
Least have to test it because we were always taught in the NFL across all thirty two cities. Your film travels three weeks is what it takes.
If it leaves.
In the first week, then I gotta try it again. Well two weeks later, let me see if it's still fixing. If it's not, then it resets over your tape travels. And that's why these guys spend so much time in meetings. This is why film study and the way they track and watch tape is a thing now too, because your deficiency is going to be the first thing that they attack. Nobody worries about you being in space and being good on you know linebackers. No, you can't hold up at the line of scrimmage. Let me test this thing out because it worked for them last week and I hated it. I had a vall do me like that, Sean Ellis, I'll never forget he's playing for the Jets, and the week before I'd given up a sack and a guy hit me with an outside rush and beat me quickly inside. You know what I had on the first third down? And I told him too. And it was so funny the exchange we had, because he was of all I was like, I was excited to play against him. He went outside and tried to go inside on me, and I said, you've been watching tape punk and he laughed. He was like, I had to try it, and that's the way the game goes. He told me in that moment, I had to try it. I saw it on tape. That's how my new like the the details are.
Ready for topic five.
I'm ready for topic five.
We already five. We're in the weeds. We're in the weeds. On this edition of the OTP pregame with Ramone Foster in the Snickers hot seat. Between week seven and eleven, arden Key has five sacks and nine tackles for loss, a couple of forest fumbles too. What is ardent Key doing well? That has made it hard for offensive linemen to be able to handle him?
Not running? No what I have seen earlier. Again, I feel like he's attacking more again, shocking, all right, you gotta get guys at that point to where I gotta think about what you're gonna do, and if you hit me in the face as many times as he has so far, then I got to think about what's next, or if you make a counter move off of that, which he has been beating guys around the edge, and I feel like his finish has been more relentless as of late than I think we've seen in the last two years here. So his ability to be physical with the guys up front and then not sticky. He's long armed, he's long leg He's a rangy guy as itself, as it pertains to anyway, with his characteristic traits. So he has to be able to use that. He said during the bye week he went and had film study or it has some outside council, and sometimes it takes a person say why are you doing what you're not good at? And I feel like that's what he's done. He is too long and too athletic and has a relentless motor that it's a shame that he wasn't using. I think he was just trying to play the technique just a little bit too much. I think when guy's are vets like him, you do have to build it straight outside of your parameter, and that's what I feel like he's been doing as of late. But to me, it does show him carrying his lunch hell every single Sunday and just he's tired on the sideline when he comes over, you know. And I think he's also had a little fun to his game. The reactions that he and Jeff have on the sideline seem like there's a little bit of a competition that I see from time to time, and there's a need and want for it too, because somebody on this team's got to answer the call to help this team want more games, and as of late, it has been him.
The other part of him too, is he's the long rangey guy. He doesn't weigh as much as everybody at his position, but man, he is strong and explosive in his lower body, and when you see that part of his get you don't think he's going to be necessarily just from when he stands next to the other eleven guys, oh, this is going to be one of the more physical dudes. He's not big like Deniko Autry and Harold is shorter and stouter, you know, as a player. But this kid, i'd be a kid. He's not a kidding he is he's fun to watch. And you know the other thing about him, everybody thinks, like Daniel Hunter lsuga. He's from Georgia, and man, every football player I've ever seen come out of Georgia high school football, it seems like, I mean they are.
It's a different world.
I mean the level of competition they play, whether it's in a city or in a suburb around the country. I mean, the level of football in the state of Georgia in high school is amazing.
It is that Wanner Robbins area, I mean from north of Georgia all the way down to the bottom part.
So I look at the recruiting a good bit, the.
Amount of four and five stars, like you'll be thirty forty players deep and they're still in four star rankings.
Yep. That's unheard of almost in a sense. And that's why for many years coaches that I've talked with have always contended the best job in the Southeastern Conference is Georgia. And you'd say, well, well what about Alabama. Well, in Alabama, you gotta you're gonna have to go against Auburn for players, and then they're like, oh, okay, well what about Florida. It's like, well, everybody in the country comes into Florida after players, and they have Florida State and Miami in the same state, and now you have South Florida and Central Florida and Florida Atlantic and Florida International and so on and so forth. You look at Georgia though, because of how Georgia Tech is set up as a university. Yep, they and everybody thinks, well, it's just engineering, but they don't have every single college that Georgia does. So if you want to go get an education, it's possible. They don't offer something you may be interested in. Their more specific so not only do they have high academic standards there, it's a little different. And while they do well and Brent Keith, he's got them playing Royll and they have a history of their own, Georgia has an inside track and then you know, with their reputation, they can go to Florida, they can go to South Carolina, they can go to Tennessee, they can go out.
A homegrown you don't have to don't have to for the country.
If you know, the core of your class is going to come from that state every year. I mean, it's what Kirby Smart's been able to do.
It is he's put a stronghold on it because you're right, in the years where Tennessee was besting them, they go get.
They go get Eric Barry. Eric Barry was supposed to leave Georgia. I mean his history, you know it's been I mean many of the greatest players at the University of Tennessee where Georgia kids. How has Kentucky rebooted their football program? If you look at the list, it's a lot of kids from Georgia, and and it may be kids that Georgia didn't recruit, and but it's like the level of competition they've still played. I mean, you go get a three star out of Georgia, it's like that guy can become a four star, five star college player.
Yes, And if you look at their top ten, seven of those top ten. So your point about Georgia not wanting all of them, but they're going to get the cream of the crop all times and not Yeah, I mean, I know Nil somewhat contains that these days, but they're getting seven of the top ten more times and speaking.
Of prospects, uh huh. We turn now to Jim Naggy, who is the executive director of the REESUS Senior Both. He joined Amy and me just a few days ago to talk about some of the trends and what's going on as we stay in the weeds in this edition of the OTP pre Game. Here we talk twenty twenty five draft with Jim Naggy. Amy Wells and I are so glad to welcome the executive director of the REESEUS Senior Bowl, Jim Naggy. Jim, thank you so much for joining us.
Good to be back on guy. It's good to see you again.
Jim.
We've heard a lot about the twenty twenty five draft class and that it's not loaded with a ton of top end players, but that Day three could be pretty loaded because of all the players who had the extra COVID eligibility.
Do you think that's an accurate statement?
That is definitely accurate, and it's a good thing for the Senior Bowl really. I mean I think I look at this whole draft thing selfishly, very selfishly about who we can you know, get to mobile and whatnot. I do think in a normal year, in a normal year, an average year, I think most teams would have somewhere in the mid teens in terms of first round grades on players. In a good year, it's in somewhere in that low twenties to mid twenties. And this year, talking to teams on the calls that we just had, we just finished up fourteen calls trying to get at our roster selection process wrapped up, and there's some teams that don't have ten first round grades right now. So it is a deeper class exactly why you said, because it's the last year of the extra COVID year. But there's no there's not a ton of high end guys. I had another a national medium member reach out the other day and he was going on a show and he wanted to ask my opinion on it. And he said, in the team that he was in his market, they will be picking very high in the draft. And he asked, is this is this not a good year to have a top top five pick or a top ten pick, And I said, no, it's probably not a good year because there's like last year, there was a lot of teams wanting to trade up for the quarterbacks. I don't think we're going to see that this year. So it is going to be a deep class. It's just not it's not great.
Up top Jim, Which are the strongest positions in the twenty twenty five NFL Draft as it looks now and which which appeared to be the weaker positions?
Definitely running back. This is the deepest running back and most talented running back group we've seen in a long time. A lot of high end guys teams, Teams don't really want to take those guys, you know, in the first couple of rounds nowadays, but there's I think, you know, depending on where the run happened, there's going to be a run happen, and it's probably gonna be on Day two somewhere. I think you'll see Ashton genty from from Boise State going the first round. I'll be curious to see if any other guys you know, sneak up in that range, but I think Ashton's definitely there. I think the question with him is how high he'll how high he'll go, how high he'll climb during the process. But if the run happens in the second or happens in the third, but I do think it's going to happen somewhere on Day two. And and we've got twelve junior running backs on the on the Senior Bowl board right now that are now available to us. I'm I'm actively trying to lock some of those guys up right now with agents to UH for roster spots. And and we're gonna bring twelve mobile we've invited six seniors. We think all those guys are are going to be drafted before the fifth round. And again, in a normal year, you know, at the at the running back position, before we were able to bring juniors, that is a position where we were dipping into those later rounds where we like to stay out of. So no, that's a really good class. The defensive line class, all the way across from from the in tierior guys, you know somebody you could draft, somebody to pair with with Big Devandre I know he's having a great year for you guys. And then all the way out to the edge group. I mean there's some pass rushers, not in the first half of the first round, but there's some really good depth of that in the pass rush class as well.
Who are some of the players who you feel have really helped their twenty twenty five draft stock by their play in twenty twenty four.
Wow, we could. We could probably go position by position there. There there's a number of guys that have that have really jumped out. I mean Ashton Genty being one of them. I mean, we liked him a lot, but he's having a phenomenal year. But well, we can there's a lot of people talking about Ashton Genty. You know, you work across the board, like there's there's some tight ends in this group. There's a kid, Gunner Helme at Texas who going at coming into the year was probably an undrafted free agent seventh round pick. He's probably squarely in the middle rounds right now. I mean that that's one guy that stands out on the defensive line. There's a guy like Derek Harmon at Oregon and who coming into the year was a late round guy transfer from Michigan State. He's playing great for the Ducks right now. He dropped a ton of weight in the offseason, really looks like a different player, and he's got himself. I mean there's teams that have top one hundred grades on Derek Harmon right now. That's a massive jump in one year to go from you know, being a seventh round free agent level player to a potential Day two player. That's a big jump. Those are a couple of names that really stand out. But I do think we could probably go across the board and pick a guy probably in every position group that's helped himself quite a bit.
We're at the real moment of the season now in college football, these rivalry games, championship games coming up, bowl games, and even most importantly, the College Football Playoff upcoming. Give me some players that you think down the stretch as the games get more spotlight, they could really help their twenty twenty five draft stock in November, December into January.
I would start at the quarterback position. I think, you know, when you look at this year's quarterback class, I don't know if any of these guys have played a completely clean season. I think there's I think there's been rough patches for most of the guys in this class that we've talked about. You know, Carson Back had a rough patch in the first half against Alabama. He had ale other rough patch against Ole Miss. He was our top great quarterback coming into the year. Had Carson Beck came out a year ago, I mean, it was he was trending towards being a first round pick. He just progressively got better and better over the course of the year. I think Carson needs to to, you know, if they can get into the playoff at this point, make a nice run. You know, Quinn Yours has had a pretty good year this year, but he's had a rough patch. Jalen Milrow all these so to me, really it's the quarterbacks and even cam Ward. You know, cam Ward has played really good football this year. Has helped himself a lot, you know, being outside of the air raid offense at Washington State coming down here to Miami. But I really look for this year's quarterback class. They're gonna need some performances down the stretch here in November December.
Let's talk about Colorado wide receiver slash defensive back Travis Hunter, because if he enters the twenty twenty five NFL Draft, do you feel that he could be the best player in the draft and also do you really believe that he could play both ways in the National Football League.
I'll start with the first part. He could definitely play both ways. I think we're the league and what he's doing, I'll just say this off the bat. What he's doing right now with the volume of snaps at the FBS level is unheard of. You know, we've seen two way players. They've seen Charles Woodson, we've seen Chant Bailey, you know, going way back in time, but we've never seen players log this amount of snaps. So to me, it just to me, it's incredible toughness, it's incredible focus, it's incredible you know, durability, stamina, all those things outside of the talent. Right, we all know how talented he is. I think we're the league when they really start drilling down, everyone knows Travis Hunter's first round player. What they really need to figure out is how good is he at those two respective positions? And then which one is he best at? You know, it's incredible he's playing both, but what is the ceiling at each position? What does that look like? It? Is it Pro Bowl at both positions? Is it Pro Bowl at one of the positions? Just just how good is he at those two spots. So that's gonna be for the teams drafting up high, they're gonna have to figure that out. I know for the Senior Bowl, we haven't spun our wheels watching a lot of Travis Hunter tape. If we were lucky enough to get him in mobile, we'd love to have him. But I think that's gonna be the conversation is, you know, do we play him on defense full time and then spot play him on offense and try to, you know, manufacture five to ten touches a game. That might be the route, but again, I think that's that's what those teams drafting up high are going to have to spend a lot of time on.
Shohio Tani broke the sort of glass ceiling in baseball for a guy doing two different things. Any thought, as the NFL continue to evolve, that Travis Hunter could end up being almost the Otani komp if you will, to somebody who plays more than just a couple of plays on both sides of the ball.
I don't think so, Mike, I don't. I don't see that happening. Just I mean, you guys see it too. I mean, if you go to a college football game on a Saturday and stand on the sidelines, even in the SEC or the Big Ten or the a SEC, the Power four conferences, and then you go to a Titans game on a Sunday, it's a completely different level of speed in violence, and I just I just don't see a player lasting like that on both sides of the balls. Is a full time two way player?
All right? Well, I just wanted to check because I know I'd seen a couple of interviews with you where you talked about Hunter and you had me convinced, you had me convinced that he might have that possibility to do more of both on both sides of the ball than somebody in a long time. Let me move back to the quarterbacks for a second. You hit on some of the top ones, Jim, you in on some of the guys who need to play well down the stretch. As a group, do you like these quarterbacks?
I do?
You know?
It's it's I can I think I can safely say it's not gonna be last year's class where we're gonna have six guys go in the top twelve. That was a pretty unique group and a lot of those guys are playing at a high level. Jayden Daniels, bow Nicks are doing some really good things. Drake may is playing really well for the Patriots now that he's gotten in there. So I think those guys are proving themselves that that was gonna be a really good class. I'm excited to see, you know, in five years what that class pans out to be. But I like the depth of the class. I'll say that they do need they do need to put together a nice run here to kind of get up into that first dround conversation. Are any of these guys slam dunk first dround picks? I don't, I don't. I don't think so at this point. And then there's some depth to the group too, you know, when we worked down work down the line. I think there's gonna be some guys, you know, in the in the middle to eight range that are pretty intriguing players. But I don't think it stacks up to last year. I think there's potential there. I think if a couple of these guys can get into the playoff and go on a nice run, they can kind of salvage you know, what has been kind of a rocky season so far. But it's not up to last year's class. And you I mean, you know, just being fair to this year's class, I mean, I don't know how many classes will measure up to last year.
Well, you mentioned bon Nicks, and he's had a pretty solid year for Denver this year as a rookie, and it's clear that his experience at Auburn and at Oregon seems to have helped him with the transition to the pros. So, thinking in that regard, is there a bon Knicks comp in the twenty twenty five draft who has the experience and will be a good player for a team in their rookie year based on the experience that they've had in college.
Yeah, it's a great question. Let's be fair. Both playing great. Let's not like temper like they should have beat Kansas City if they don't have a flue Bowl block. You know, like he's he's he's playing really good football out there, you know, I mean they're you know, Dylan Gabriel from Oregon is going to break his all time starts record if he stays healthy down the stretch the year. Played a ton of football. Now, he doesn't project to be a first dround pick like bo was, but he certainly has the experience factor working for him. You can see how efficient he is for for Oregon. You know, there's a number of these guys. You know, cam Ward's played a ton of football going all the way back to his time at Incarnate Word, you know, and then up at Washington State, and he's played in Now he's played in a couple of different systems and played with three different groups of teammates, which I always think is cool. I think, in three different parts of the country. So I think that's cool for a player's resume, like just like it was for Bo playing in the SEC and going all the way up to the you know, out to the Pacific Northwest. So I would say I would say guys like that. I said cam Ward, you know, he's played a ton of football, and in Dylan Gabriel, and then you can go down the list the Will Howard at Ohio State and Tyler Shuck at Louisville's kind of the sleeper name right now who playing really good for Louisville can throw the heck out of it. So yeah, there's certainly some guys in this class that are that are bow like in terms of the experience.
We've got to ask you about a Tennessee guy. His stats aren't really through the roof, but are you still impressed with edge James Pearce.
Absolutely, No, absolutely, I think people were picking James apart a little bit early in the year. I mean, let's face it, he's coming off a year with double digit sacks. There's a couple guys in college football this year like Ashton Jelattie up the road from you guys Oble up by sixty five. I mean, he was another double digit sack guy. And when when coordinators have an off season to sit around and kind of look at the schedule. Okay, who's on the schedule this year? Who do we got to get ready for. I just think they threw a lot of James Pierce's way in terms of, like you know, sliding protection and chip blocks and you know, just just running a lot more people at him before he had a chance to get to the quarterback. So I think he was just learning how to deal with all the extra attention early on. I mean, they do a great job up front in terms of like running him off people like they did when Byron Young was there. I mean, we've seen what be Wise become as an NFL player. I think that's gonna help James Pierce. But you know, they're different body types. James Pierce is a longer guy. But what they have in common they're both very bendy and they work off other people really well, and that's what that's what they've done, and you've seen like the pressure rates have gone up over the course of the season for James. So again, I was talking to an agent the other day who's in the mix for representing James Pierce, and we just had the conversation what this guy would look like in one on one drills of the Senior Bowl when he's only got one guy trying to block him. I think he would make I think he would make a lot of money. The agent actually, he brought up the name Von Miller and what von Miller did at the Senior Bowl back in the day in one on one. So so, yeah, we're still big James s peers fans down here in Mobile.
Let me ask you a senior bold insight question, Jim, why do you guys always end up with so many outstanding pass rushers there in Mobile? I don't know.
Oh, I guess we get lucky.
No, I mean we're trying to do We're trying to we're trying to bring the best players.
Mike, and I do think the agent community is bought into what the one on ones can do for both the offensive line and the defensive lines. I think. I think I think both groups understand if they come to mobile and they again, if you're a pass rusher, it's not like you have to win every single rep. To me, I've always told I've always told guys because I've seen this in draft rooms. I mean, if these guys put two or three good rushes on tape, similar to like Tovandre Sweat. You know he took bo Limmer last year. Who's that now the starting center for the l A Rams and he just picked him up and walked him back to the quarterback. And I mean, you you make some plays like that and you plant the seed in a defensive line coach's mind that, oh my god, this is what I could work with, and those guys get all fired up about the potential of what they could make a player. So again, if the agents and the and the players know they only have to have a handful of decent reps over the over the week to move the needle, it's easy to get those skys bought into come into the game.
Last question, Uh. In the NFL this year, defense has had a great start to the season, a first two plus months where defense has been more dominant than it has been in years. Jim, we're seeing the same thing in college football. They're more good defensive teams than there have been in recent years. What do you think the trend is overall with defense that has enabled them at the college level onto the pro level to step up. How they're getting after offenses that quite frankly for about ten years felt like they were got they worked them over.
That's a great question, Geez. I would say a couple of things. One, I think we're seeing faster players on the defensive side of the ball, especially at linebacker. You're just seeing you're seeing a new wave of linebacker that you know, we're kind of weeding out the guys that can't run or playing space. So you're seeing like like you guys have drafted a couple over the last couple of years. You speed at linebackers is a big deal. It's becoming more of a space game. Everyone knows that. And then I you know, at the college level, I do think the transfer portal is hurting offenses, don't. I think offensive execution is down because you're seeing so many players on the move, and that's not that's not a great thing for like continuity purposes or whatnot. So, and it's not just players on the move, it's coaches on the move too, right. I mean, we're seeing that it's just a everyone. There's just moving parts all the time. You can't even keep up with it. In the off season. We don't even know where these players are going to end up playing. We start watching them in the spring and they're at one school, and then we get to August and they're they's somewhere else. So I would think those those are probably the two factors that just off the top of my head. That's a that's a great question, though I would love to have more time to think about that one.
We love having you on in November. You are so kind to give us our first taste because you know, in this part of the country, our fan base loves the high school recruiting little nuts over that here in the Southeast and have gotten just as nuts over the draft, which is so much fun when we come to Mobile to see people around who have that same sort of enthusiasm at the stories and the hope for the future with their team and needs and whatever. I mean, it's really it's really become a special thing for the NFL fans in the Southeast. So thank you so much.
No, thank you guys for having me on and it for you guys. I mean it probably stemmed from when you hosted the Draft you know whatever.
That was five years ago.
Yeah, I mean I was up there for it working for ESPN. It was unbelievable, and I think you're right. I think the stories. You know, they did the Hard Knocks this past spring with the Giants, and you know that series seemed like it was tailing off a little bit doing the end season, you know, training camp stuff. We'd seen that over and over and over talking to the guys that did the Giants Hard Knocks. I mean, people are captivated by it. They're captivated by the draft process. And if you have a team that you know, struggling, like you said, it's on draft days like Christmas morning, it gives you some hope. So yeah, we just appreciate you guys coming down and spending spending the weekend mobile with us every January. We look forward to have you every year. We do.
We love it. Jim Nagy, executive director of the Reese Senior Both, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate you. Okay, guys, thanks for having me on, Hey Titans fans. Seat Geek makes it easy to find tickets so you can be a part of all the touchdown celebrations this season.
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Visit snickers dot com slash rookie mistake for details. All right, it's time to get to the fast break portion of the show. Got ramone Foster. You know they had Little Caesar's pizza in here yesterday they did.
It was faked out.
I thought it was a box, yeah.
Because I thought someone moved our boxes.
So I'm walking out of here at seven thirty and I was like, all those boxes, you.
Know, and remember to grab them.
Here's a these boxes are empty.
There's no pizza.
There's no pizza. So they they got two boxes laying there, and I'm thinking at first, Oh, they've put our boxes out for the OTP for tomorrow. Yeah, so I just go by, got my backpack on walk into the cargo. But no, there's still pizza there.
Ah, right left the building.
I know. I love cold pizza. All right, It's time for the key ingredients of the game, delivered by Little Caesars. Mike Key number one. Keep going with the plays in the passing game. Ninety eight yard touchdowns are great, but yes, they're currently every sixty two years. So we the Titans will have to take all of the fifteen yard completions, the twenty yarders, the thirty yarders, the forty yard touchdowns. We'll take them all. In the last two games, solid gains in the passing game been showing up more and more. Titans need more of them. Sunday in Houston, Key number two finished the job on the quarterback. Jeffrey Simmons had six quarterback pressures against Minnesota to Andre Sweat five Arden Key had four. Pressure was real and yet only two sacks. Coach Brian Callahan said the key to turning pressures into sacks is staying in rushing lanes. Keep collapsing the pocket. Don't let the passer escape. Do that. With last week's pressure on CJ. Stroud and I bet the sacks will come. Key number three. Keep getting big plays up and down the roster, especially from the youngsters. The Titans are having more and more players show up in the box score Jarvis Brownlee and Darryl Baker in the secondary, Deviandre Sweatin the defensive line, Bryce Oliver and Jakwan Jackson at receiver and on special teams. As this roster expands with guys who now have experience and confidence to make a play, those youngsters need to keep showing up. Their contributions can be the difference in potentially pulling out a road wind on Sunday.
You went over but like ten seconds.
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Unless they bring it to your office and don't.
Tell any tell you you have to tell me there's pizza in the box.
I never assume.
Usually they send out like a memo, hey we get pizza.
Get some just so sticky on it or get No, they did it.
We don't miss that. They checked. We don't miss those remote We missed the ones about meetings and hey, you need to go get a flu shot.
Miss those never saw it pizza he never met ever miss it.
Get the manna all right? Time for a mayotivation from Helman's and Amy.
Wells Mayo Titans Chears, be Loud and your buffalo Chicken dip, make you Yo Mama and the entire family Proud Helmans the official mayo of the Tennessee Titans. Mayo game day be delicious.
Isn't it time they change? But you read that a lot now. They need to change that up a little bit. They shake it up, you know on the Will Levis commercials.
I try and give it a little I.
Mean it's got a pizzazz.
I try to add a little little something.
Little that was good the last time. Yeah, I mean, how important is Helman's in the coming week with all of the dishes that will be made.
I was actually going to take that giant car. You can't because I'm gonna.
Need it to the ot people. Get some Helmans this week. Just you're going to the grocery store this weekend.
Gonna need it, just pick it up, you put it in every thing on sure, But.
I mean you're just going by and you think I'm just going to grab that because I'm going to need you are going you will thank us on the next OTP. That is not in the weeds. I mean, this was a lot of hardcore football stuff.
Next week, let's just talk about what everyone ain't for Thanksgiving.
Let's not because it would take too long. With me, I love it.
Oh yeah, you kind of do a big thing. I just kind of have my my standbys.
You.
No, it's good, it's great. It's like all the classics.
I've been telling everybody. Listen, I've yet to have green bean castle all I like love it, never had it.
I'm going to make it and bring it to.
Your there is we're neighbors. Basically, there is nothing Thanksgiving wise. I don't think I turned down nothing.
I don't think so, even Cranberry person Cranberry.
But but part of it is if you offered it to me on May the seventh, probably not, But on Thanksgiving, I'm up everything. Get that hot fruit salad delicious made with like cheese. It's and I never heard of that? Is it?
That that Yang and yang right there actually sounds pretty so good all of it.
Yeah, I like anything put in jello, so really it's big holiday.
Do that Thanksgiving you.
Can put a lot of stuff in jello.
Again on January eighth, not a thing.
Well, I'm glad you went up to January eighth because my birthday January seventh, we'll celebrate that.
Thank you early.
I'm just lord, you've never had green bean castro, never had it to make it in the microwave.
Well, and then I'm like Mike though, like I have like my Thanksgiving things, and like I've seen it at people house, like coaches cook for us on the holidays and college and stuff like that, and I just pass it by because I probably want more turkey or moral asaigna.
Or something like that.
It has a weird look to it, but you've got to dive in anywhere.
I'm for you. Lasagna very underrated it thanks yeah what yeah? Amy, very under It shows up and you're like, oh, here's no zigna.
Can some of that just feel like competing mains to me, have turkey and a lazagna?
Why not? South what you talking about turkey and lasagna? Maybe even together? I mean, because you can mix it all together. And it's just what if I this year, people would love you more. They will, they appreciate it. If that's even possible.
Oh it sure is.
Yeah.
I need every little bit I can. You do, every little morsel.
I love it. Ramone, thank you anytime, anytime. Don't say that we have to do the one next week early. Seriously. Thank you for joining us for the OTP pre game, for a Ramone foster and the Snickers ide seat and Amy Wells. I might keep thank you to the ot people. Let's go beat Houston. Thanks for joining us for the ot
