Tennessee

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.

Source link

Click to comment

Tennessee

Tennessee mom loses leg in attack by her own pit bull that left limb ‘basically hanging off’

Published

5 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee mom loses leg in attack by her own pit bull that left limb ‘basically hanging off’

A Tennessee mom was forced to have her leg amputated after her pit bull savagely locked its jaws around the limb, leaving it “hanging on by a thread” as she tried to break up a dogfight inside her home.

Amanda Mears, 42, was preparing to take her mixed American Pit Bull-American Staffordshire, named Dennis, out for a walk when the dog lunged at Ralphie, an American Bully, after he escaped from a bedroom where he had been kept inside her Murfreesboro home, according to The Mirror.

As Mears, a health care worker, tried to intervene in the vicious attack, Dennis clamped onto her left leg and refused to release his grip, prompting her to choke the animal with her other leg to break free.

“When he charged at my other dog, Ralphie, I got in between them, and that’s when Dennis latched on to my leg and would not let go,” she told the outlet of the terrifying Dec. 10 incident.

“I was a bit scared, but I’ve broken up dog fights before, and I didn’t feel any pain because of the adrenaline. I ended up having to hook my right leg and my arms around him and choked him out to get him off me.”

She said the pit bull also bit her left hand and crushed the bone in her right arm — injuries she didn’t even realize she’d suffered amid her chaotic attempt to pry her dog’s jaws loose while also yelling at her 10-year-old son to stay in his room.

Once Mears finally broke free, she was rushed to a Nashville hospital, where her mangled leg was practically “hanging off.” Doctors told her she could either amputate the limb or undergo a series of painful surgeries over the next two years, the outlet reported.

“I wasn’t able to stand up because my leg was basically hanging off,” Mears, who has four dogs and also homes canines abandoned by their previous owners, recalled.

“I decided to have my leg amputated because to save my leg, I’d have had to have 12 more surgeries over the next two years and I would be in constant pain.”

Mears had her leg removed below the knee three days later and underwent surgery on her arms, according to a GoFundMe launched to help with her medical expenses.

She is also expected to be fitted for a prosthetic.

After spending a week in the hospital, the single mom chose to euthanize Dennis to keep her son safe.

“Dennis has always been the sweetest dog; he’d never been aggressive before,” she told the outlet.

“I decided to have Dennis put down, which was hard. He was my best friend, and I raised him from two weeks old. It was a decision that hurt, but it was not a difficult decision.”

Source link

Tennessee

Tennessee football beats out Ohio State for a top transfer portal target

Published

17 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee football beats out Ohio State for a top transfer portal target

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Tennessee football beat out Ohio State for transfer edge rusher Chaz Coleman, giving the Vols one of the top players in the portal.

Coleman spent one season at Penn State. With the Nittany Lions, the former four-star prospect collected eight tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and a forced fumble in nine games.

Coleman is a native of Warren, Ohio. His offer sheet out of Harding High School included Ohio State, Missouri, Illinois, Ole Miss and Kentucky, among others.

In Coleman’s lone season at Penn State, the Nittany Lions saw a plethora of change.

Former head coach James Franklin was fired in mid-October after a 3-3 start. After finishing the season with an interim staff, Penn State hired Matt Campbell as its next head coach.

The change in staff also led to the departure of Jim Knowles — Penn State’s defensive coordinator who served in that role at Ohio State from 2022-24. He’s not at Tennessee.

Source link

Tennessee

Tennessee lawmakers discuss priorities for upcoming session

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee lawmakers discuss priorities for upcoming session

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Tennessee lawmakers are preparing to discuss hundreds of bills as the state legislature convenes, with mental health funding emerging as a priority for two lawmakers.

State Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville, and state Sen. Becky Massey, R-Knox County, said mental health care funding will be a focus of upcoming legislative conversations.

“It’s been a big topic,” McKenzie said.

“That’s going to be very top of my mind as far as working and advocating for that,” Massey said.

Massey, who chairs the Transportation Committee, said the state needs more money for road expansion. She expressed concerns about insufficient funding for billion of dollars worth of road projects.

“People are paying less to drive on our roads and the cost of building roads are going up. So your gas tax is going down, the cost of building roads is going up,” Massey said.

McKenzie stressed the need for more public education funding following the first year of families using state dollars for private school through the voucher program.

“In Knox County, our numbers are up. Actually, in Memphis, their numbers are up, so I think some of the changes we’ve made in regard to public education and putting a few more dollars in, I think we can continue that process,” McKenzie said.

State House Speaker Cameron Sexton has said he wants to at least double the voucher program to offer it to 40,000 to 50,000 families. Both Massey and McKenzie expressed skepticism about the expansion.

“This isn’t about those kids in failing schools, this is about their friends, the rich or almost rich, that are just wanting a check from the government,” McKenzie said.

Massey cited revenue concerns about the expansion.

“I’m not getting the vibes that there is going to be enough revenue to do that because we’ve got other funding needs also,” Massey said.

Massey added the state could expand the program this year, but perhaps to 5,000 more families.

The General Assembly will reconvene next Tuesday.

Source link