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What I liked, didn’t like about Tennessee Titans’ 2024 NFL Draft class | Estes

Published

2 years ago

April 28, 2024

What I liked, didn’t like about Tennessee Titans’ 2024 NFL Draft class | Estes

This pivotal offseason remains an ongoing project, but the Tennessee Titans can be optimistic about the direction. They are better than they were a few days ago.

And they’re a lot better than they were a few months ago.

The Titans’ seven-player 2024 NFL Draft class, after an eventful run in free agency, was another step in rebuilding and reshaping a roster and a team that’ll look much different under a new coaching staff led by Brian Callahan.

“I feel really good about the draft class and what these guys are going to be able to come in and do,” Titans general manager Ran Carthon said. “I think we have some guys that are going to come and compete to start, and I think we have some guys that’ll compete for spots and make us a team with some depth.

“I know there’s still some holes to fill, and we’re going to get to it.”

The Tennessee Titans’ 2024 NFL Draft class

1st round (No. 7): JC Latham, OT, Alabama2nd round (No. 28): T’Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas4th round (No. 106): Cedric Gray, LB, North Carolina5th round: (No. 146): Jarvis Brownlee Jr., CB, Louisville6th round (No. 182): Jha’Quan Jackson, WR, Tulane7th round (No. 242): James Williams, LB, Miami7th round (No. 252): Jaylen Harrell, EDGE, Michigan

What I like about this class

Not a lot of risk-taking here, and that’s good. The Titans didn’t need boom-or-bust players. They needed reliable draft picks they could depend on to immediately step in and bolster a subpar 53-man roster.

To that end, they leaned toward physically mature players who were productive and durable in college. With their first few picks, the Titans put the 2023 Outland Trophy winner (Sweat) with a tackling machine (Gray) and a proven, trusted player (Latham) for Nick Saban at Alabama. Yes, Latham will have to change positions, but no matter what, you’d expect him to be in the starting five on the O-line.

What I dislike about this class

There were too many needs on this roster for the Titans to be able to address them all with seven selections, yet they never traded down to add more picks. And they probably could have done it without many of these names being different. Undrafted free agency, once again, looms important for a team still searching for contributors.

Best value pick

In 2021, Williams was a five-star high school prospect and the nation’s No. 15 overall recruit in the 247Sports Composite rankings. To see why, go find highlights from his time at Miami and enjoy him flying to the football and punishing ball carriers. A seventh-round flier for that type of talent? Heck, yeah.

Worst reach

Even before Sweat’s recent arrest, opinions varied on where the big man should be projected. Taking Sweat six picks into the second round was an expensive price for a prospect The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had with a Day 3 grade as the draft’s 10th-best defensive tackle.

Biggest question

Whether Latham can make the switch to left tackle after playing right tackle at Alabama. If not, that’ll mean the Titans used back-to-back picks in the top 11 on offensive linemen they don’t trust to protect Will Levis’ blind side at one of the sport’s most premium positions.

Estes: Titans drafted a project in JC Latham because of trust in Bill Callahan

Recommended: Titans first-round pick JC Latham’s journey an example of ability to embrace change

The Titans improved the most on . . .

The defensive front seven needed a boost in the draft and got it with Sweat and Gray, who Carthon said was capable of handling calls for the defense. That’d be a big deal with Azeez Al-Shaair now in Houston. Grabbing a linebacker like Williams and last season’s sack leader for national champion Michigan (Harrell) in the draft’s final picks didn’t hurt, either.

The Titans didn’t improve enough at . . .

Several spots. Tight end and safety jump out as the most troublesome positions after the draft, and while veteran free agents will be available to help, that’d be plugging holes rather than building for the future.

I’m higher than the experts on . . .

Williams. There are good reasons why he wasn’t a highly coveted draft pick. He’s the classic linebacker/safety tweener who is often undervalued in the pros, and as NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote: “While it’s fun watching him run and strike from high safety, it is much less fun watching his coverage confusion.”

But the talent is there, and after sitting on his couch for three days, Williams got emotional while describing what it meant to him to get that late call. I think the Titans may have something with Williams. At the very least, he should be fun to watch on coverage units.

I wasn’t as enamored with . . .

Jackson has playmaking potential that could make him a late-round steal. But the Titans had all kinds of opportunities to grab an impactful wide receiver in this draft, and they waited until the sixth round to take an undersized slot receiver/punt returner with injury concerns. Those guys are a dime a dozen in the NFL, and the Titans already have Kyle Philips and Kearis Jackson. Is the new guy better and more physically reliable than those two returning slot receivers? The new coaching staff must think so.

I’m intrigued by . . .

This line about Brownlee from Brugler’s profile: “(He) makes it a point to get in the head of receivers and beat them up physically and mentally.” Hmmm. I’m eager to see how that’ll go in practice against DeAndre Hopkins.

Most likely to start Week 1

Latham. If he doesn’t play left tackle, the Titans don’t have a left tackle.

Bottom line

This class didn’t move the needle very far in terms of star power, but it’s tough to find many problems with it. The Titans checked as many boxes as they could with the picks available. Above all, they got stronger on both lines of scrimmage and added seven players who should all be capable of at least making the team out of training camp.

Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Gentry_Estes.

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Tennessee

Trump touted gas prices under $2.30. Tennessee gas prices say otherwise

Published

8 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Trump touted gas prices under .30. Tennessee gas prices say otherwise

Gas prices are much higher than Trump claimed in Tennessee.

President Donald Trump bragged about low gas prices for drivers during State of the Union address.
Only 8 out of 150,000 gas stations are selling gas below $2 a gallon. TN gas prices are much higher.

President Donald Trump bragged about low gas prices during his State of the Union address Feb. 24, but prices are considerably higher than he claimed — even in Tennessee, where gas usually costs less than the national average.

AAA.com’s national average gas price stands at $2.98, almost an entire dollar-per-gallon higher than Trump’s claims of gas costing “$1.99 in some states” based on CNN fact checking. Here’s how Tennessee’s actual gas prices compare to Trump’s claims.

How much does gas cost in Tennessee compared to Trump’s claims?

Tennessee’s current gas price is $2.56 a gallon, according to AAA. That is about 57 cents higher than the prices Trump said gas cost in some states during his State of the Union address. It is also 26 cents higher than the $2.30-per-gallon price Trump claimed was common in most states, according to CNN.

Tennessee is one of the few states selling gas for under $2.60 a gallon. In fact, the Volunteer State has some of the lowest gas prices in the nation as of late February. TN average gas prices are down 24 cents a gallon year-over-year from $2.80 a gallon.

State gas prices have been on the decline in recent weeks. In contrast, some American drivers are paying over $4 a gallon for gas in 2026.

States with the highest gas prices in 2026

State	Gas Price according to AAA
California	$4.63
Hawaii	$4.40
Washington	$4.35
Oregon	$3.92
Nevada	$3.71

States like Oklahoma ($2.43), Kansas ($2.54) and Mississippi ($2.52) boast low gas prices, but the national average remains high.

While Trump touts gas prices under $2, national average is closer to $3

Petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan, released a statement titled, “The Real State of Fuel Prices,” before — and after — Trump’s address, which pointed out that the average price nationally for gas is closer to $3 a gallon.

In his State of the Union speech, Trump said gas “reached a peak of over $6 a gallon in some states under my predecessor,” calling it “a disaster,” and added “it is now below $2.30 a gallon in most states. And in some places, $1.99 a gallon.”

A few weeks ago in Iowa, he claimed he even “saw $1.85 a gallon for gasoline.”

Gas prices, De Hann said, are lower on average than they were a year ago, but sub-$2 gas is “extremely rare.” Moreover, he pointed out that a president — whether to blame or credit — has limited control over the price of gasoline.

What a petroleum analyst says about Trump’s gas price claims

Gas prices did reach $1.85 a gallon in early January in Iowa De Haan said, but prices there “have since risen” and “at this moment, only 8 out of roughly 150,000 gas stations nationwide are selling gasoline below $2 a gallon.”

Of those, four stations are in Texas, one is in Oklahoma and three are in Kansas.

De Haan also said that the lowest statewide average is $2.33 a gallon in Oklahoma, and that for about a month, prices at certain stations in Colorado “fell well below $2 per gallon, with some dropping into the $1.60s.”

But they were “highly localized competitive events.”

Mostly, De Haan pointed out, gas prices are determined by the global oil market, and partly by weather. Lower oil prices now, in contrast to when Biden was in office, means lower gas prices.

In addition, a surge of oil production by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, a cartel of oil-producing countries, has put downward pressure on prices. The freezing weather this winter has, too.

Frank Witsil of The Detroit Free Press contributed to this story.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com

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LSU women ride hot third quarter into win over Tennessee in last regular-season home game

Published

20 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

LSU women ride hot third quarter into win over Tennessee in last regular-season home game

Tennessee shifted over toward Mikaylah Williams. So the LSU women’s basketball team’s star junior peered across the lane and roped a pass over the defense and down to Flau’jae Johnson, who buried a 3-pointer from the corner.

That bucket was an important one. It didn’t just give the No. 6 Tigers (25-4, 11-4 SEC) a 12-point lead late in the third quarter. It also marked the point at which they took control of their 89-73 win over the Lady Vols on Thursday — a victory orchestrated by their three-star guards.

Williams tallied 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals. MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 18 points, grabbed six boards, blocked four shots and assisted three others. Johnson, on her senior night, shot only 3 of 10 from the field and 3 of 9 at the free-throw line but still finished with 10 points, becoming one of four LSU contributors to score in double figures.

The Tigers have now clinched a double bye in the SEC Tournament for the fifth year in a row.

“Today it was,” coach Kim Mulkey said, “don’t settle for anything outside the paint until they take charges or they stop you. You just go right to the paint, and you score, and I thought we did that.”

Tennessee runs a unique system. Second-year coach Kim Caldwell makes hockey-style line changes, engages a full-court press for the whole game and encourages the Lady Vols (16-11, 8-7) to let their 3-pointers fly. They’re certainly dangerous. But they did enter Thursday’s matchup with losses in seven of their past nine games.

LSU was in much better shape. It just needed to collect Tennessee’s misses and minimize its turnovers to get the win, which it did, for the most part, in the second half. The Tigers may have allowed the Lady Vols to shoot 11 of 29 from beyond the arc, but they also gave up only seven offensive rebounds and coughed up just four possessions across the third and fourth quarters.

Freshman forward ZaKiyah Johnson added 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds, while Grace Knox — another freshman forward — chipped in 13 points and nine boards. Sophomore point guard Jada Richard added nine points.

Tennessee had three players in double figures. Its leading scorer was Jaida Civil, a freshman guard who finished with 17 points.

“We were moving the ball as a team,” Caldwell said. “ I think we were doing a really good job on the offensive glass. They obviously made the adjustment. That was harder for us coming out (of halftime), and they really picked up their effort at the rim, and we gave up a lot of second-chance points.”

The two teams traded hot shooting stretches in the first half. Tennessee struck first, using a trio of 3-pointers to string together a 9-0 run halfway through the first quarter. LSU then responded in the second by collecting misses and using them to build a 14-0 blitz, but it just couldn’t shake the turnover issues that the Lady Vols both forced and turned into points.

The Tigers led just 43-42 at halftime, but they began the fourth quarter with a much more commanding 70-59 advantage, in large part because they turned the ball over only once in the third. Williams — who became the 17th player in LSU history to eclipse 1,500 career points on Thursday — either scored or assisted seven of the 12 field goals LSU converted in that frame.

“I thought Mikaylah Williams really, really had a good game,” Mulkey said.

According to ESPN, Mulkey is now the first coach in SEC history to lead a team to at least 25 wins in each of the first five seasons of their tenure. Mulkey has eclipsed that number of victories in 23 of the 26 seasons of her head coaching career.

LSU also honored seniors Izzy Besselman and Amiya Joyner on Thursday. Besselman is a former walk-on guard who’s missed the last two seasons while battling a heart condition. She checked in to the game to a loud ovation in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter, making her first appearance in a game since March 24, 2024.

Joyner is a 6-foot-2 forward who joined the Tigers ahead of this season as a transfer from East Carolina. She’s started each of the past four games, and on Thursday, she played eight minutes.

The Tigers will now finish in the top four of the SEC’s regular-season standings for the fifth consecutive year. They won’t start their conference tournament run until the quarterfinal round tips off next Friday in Greenville, South Carolina.

Before then, though, LSU will play one more regular-season game: a road matchup with Mississippi State that will tip off at 3 p.m. Sunday.

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Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, a longtime Oak Ridge lawmaker, is retiring

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

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Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, a longtime Oak Ridge lawmaker, is retiring

Randy McNally, the longtime Republican lawmaker from Oak Ridge and leader of the Tennessee Senate since 2017, is retiring, he announced on the Senate floor. He will not seek reelection in 2026.

His retirement marks the end of a 47-year tenure in the state legislature, where he made waves for East Tennessee and rose to the second-highest ranking role in the state as lieutenant governor.

“This is a very difficult thing to do,” McNally told his colleagues Feb. 26. “I’ve decided not to run for reelection in November. My aim each day was to leave my state and my community a little better than I found them. Together, I believe we have done just that. Tennessee’s success is due in no small part to the people I have served alongside every day.”

McNally cited health concerns as the reason for his retirement, adding he wants to make the most of the coming years.

The Anderson County resident was the highest-ranking East Tennessean in the state government, elected by his colleagues to lead the State Senate and manage policy and budget priorities.

McNally, 82, represents the 5th Senate District, which includes all of Anderson and Loudon counties, as well as a sliver of Knox County stretching from downtown up to Sharp’s Ridge north to Powell and in the county’s west side through Karns and Hardin Valley.

“My public service has been a team effort every step of the way,” McNally said on social media. “I offer my deepest thanks to the constituents I have served and to the members and staff with whom I have collaborated.”

That means the Aug. 6 primary election for his seat is wide open. The general election is Nov. 3.

McNally had taken initial steps to run for reelection by pulling a nominating petition. He is the only Republican in the district to have done so.

There’s no clear successor for lieutenant governor. Top contenders include Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, and Commerce Committee Chairman Paul Bailey, R-Sparta. The Senate Republican Caucus will hold elections to select a successor.

Well-wishes for McNally have begun to flow.

“(McNally) has been a trusted friend and a steady conservative leader for Tennessee,” U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty said on social media. “From his time in the House of Representatives to his service as lieutenant governor, Speaker McNally has never wavered in his commitment to the betterment of our state. Thank you for your years of service and wishing you well in your next chapter.”

Randy McNally’s long history in the Tennessee legislature

McNally was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1979 and served there for eight years before moving on to the state Senate. He became Tennessee’s lieutenant governor in 2017.

McNally made a name for himself in the late 1980s through his participation in Operation Rocky Top. He worked undercover with the FBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service to expose illegal activities among state officials.

During his time in office, McNally at times went against members of his party by showing reluctance to support bills he feared would cause unnecessary conflict, particularly those that critics said targeted the LGBTQ community.

In 2023, McNally was the was criticized for comments he left on sexual Instagram photos posted by a young man who is gay. McNally stood by his comments, saying he tries to support all constituents.

USA TODAY-Network Tennessee contributed to this report.

Allie Feinberg is the politics reporter for Knox News. Email: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com; Reddit: u/KnoxNewsAllie

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