J.C. Latham at the 2024 NFL Draft; photo by Ben Liebenberg for the NFL

The Train Daddy is back with sports news, life lessons and politically incorrect talk. All aboard!

Let me say this before we ramble about the Tennessee Titans’ draft picks: shout-out to the NAIA, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, for having some integrity. Take notes, NCAA. In a unanimous vote, the NAIA banned transgender athletes from women’s sports, making it the first collegiate sports organization to take such a step. It’s simple: only biological women can compete in women’s athletics.

The governing body for mostly smaller colleges is responsible for over 83 thousand student-athletes competing in 27 sports across the 250 NAIA colleges across the nation.

That’s amazing news! Biology matters in sports, and it’s insanity allowing biological dudes to compete with biological women in sports where gender separation is the norm. I’ve been rambling about this topic for nearly 10 years in these articles and I won’t stop until female athletics gets its full integrity back. You hear that, NCAA?

Enough of that—let’s talk Titans! Because you sure don’t want me to talk about the Nashville Predators after that absolute embarrassment of a game 4 overtime playoff loss in Nashville to Vancouver. That put the Predators down 3 games to 1 in its opening round series against the Canucks. I am still crying about that.

The Tennessee Titans have officially wrapped up their 2024 NFL Draft and walked away with seven new players. This was a huge step in the rebuilding of a roster and team that is bound to look very different under General Manager Ran Carthon and new Head Coach Brian Callahan.

Overall, the class seems adequate. They didn’t take many risks, and stuck with talented, physical players who were productive in college. With that said, I would have attempted to trade that number 7 overall pick and stack up a few extra selections, given how the Chargers and Giants picked. But we got what we got. Let’s look at the players.

Let’s start with the big boy—in round one pick with number 7 overall, the Tennessee Titans selected J.C. Latham, OT out of Alabama. J.C. started his pro career with a bang on live TV, giving the commissioner a giant bear hug and lifting him off the ground. Roger Goodell went from white to purple in the face all while smiling, but things could have been worse, given that the commissioner reportedly had back surgery just weeks earlier.

Photos by Alika Jenner (above) and Ben Liebenberg (below) for the NFL

Many Titans fans expected tackle Joe Alt, as did just about all of the mock drafts, but he went to the Chargers at the five pick overall. There is some concern with this pick; although J.C. is a physical monster who should pan out nicely for this offensive line, there is risk. This is a player who played right tackle for Nick Saban at Alabama. Now, entering his NFL career, he may be asked to play left tackle. There is no room for error here. It better be a smooth transition for Latham, or the Titans are in trouble.

Let’s be honest, though, Titan nation. Feel at ease! Daddy Bill Callahan, the offensive line guru, probably had a lot to say in this decision. Some reports also indicate that the Titans actually had Latham as their guy over Joe Alt. If it’s true that Callahan wanted Latham over everyone else and had him as the top tackle, I fully trust in his judgment. He is one of the smartest offensive-line brains in the history of the game. Let’s get to work, and hopefully Latham makes Will Levis’ life just a little easier here in year 2 for the quarterback.

In the second round of the draft the Titans went defense and drafted T’Vondre Sweat, DL out of Texas. This man is a tree trunk of a human at 6’4″ and nearly 370 pounds. The Titans drafted near 700 pounds of man in the first two picks alone!

Sweat is a big man who will create problems in the middle. He is hard to move and is probably the best run-stopper in this class. Big man can scoot and can get to the quarterback. Sweat and Big Jeff Simmons could be a problem for offensive lines. Ran Carthon sees Sweat as a three-down player who is explosive and can push a pocket. Some critics feel this was a reach for the Titans, but you should feel comfortable, Titan nation, as the team certainly did its homework. They had a Top 30 visit with the defensive lineman and even sent a contingent of officials to Texas prior to the draft to meet with Sweat and his family. They clearly felt comfortable with him. (Let’s just not talk about the DUI thing!)

In the fourth round the Titans got a steal. Linebacker Cedric Grey out of North Carolina certainly has a chance to start for this Titans linebacker group, a group needing help after losing Azeez. By all accounts, Grey fell in this draft and the Titans took advantage. Grey is a fast-paced player who chases down the action, according to analysts. He gets downhill and is a good tackler to go along with above-average coverage skills. I love this pick and it very well could be the steal of the draft for this team.

But the next pick could also be that pick we look back on and say “what a steal!” The Titans selected Jarvis Brownlee, a physical cornerback out of Louisville, with their next pick. He fits in perfectly with the system that Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson is trying to build.

Today’s NFL needs a physical secondary not afraid to get nasty with it, and Brownlee has the goods. This secondary could be, as I said, nasty! You have Sneed and Chidobe on opposite sides with McCreary and Brownlee on the inside. Brownlee, by all accounts, excels playing inside. It could be a perfect fit for what could be a very physical secondary.

In the sixth round of this draft the Titans grabbed a wide receiver. It’s a little difficult to get excited for a midget wide receiver in Jha’Quan Jackson standing 5’9″. Is midget an offensive word these days? Munchkin?

All I know is there is very little to be excited about until he shows it. He did play college ball with Tyjae Spears out of Tulane, and both players made it known they are thrilled to be reunited. I thought it was also cool that Jackson is the nephew of NFL legend and Hall of Fame player Ed Reed.

With that said, Jackson brings little but special-teams potential and some speed. Maybe he pans out as something more. I hope so. But Jackson will probably be fighting for his life to even make the roster come training camp.

Let’s end this with the last two picks, both taken in the seventh round and both defensive players. The Titans went with defense on five out of their seven selections. The Titans took a safety out of Miami, a player now being labeled as a linebacker. James Williams is a bad dude, standing 6’4″ and 230 pounds. He is physical and wants to hit people. He is about to get that opportunity. Go earn it!

The Titans also selected another large dude in Jaylen Harrell, a 6’4″, 247-pound OLB out of Michigan. I like his style. He is ready to battle, and he shared a story with the media about his dad, who went undrafted and ended up playing a few seasons for the Lions. Harrell adopted his dad’s killer mentality of “they have to take it from me!” Go get it, bro!

The Titans clearly addressed the offensive line, defensive line and linebacker positions in this draft, exactly what needed to be done. If this team is to get better in 2024 it will start in the trenches with all these big-bodied dudes Ran Carthon just drafted!

That’s how I see it. I hope this draft class works out, because the state of this Titans team currently depends on it. I truly have a good feeling about these guys, but the search isn’t over. Ran has some work left in finding a few gems out there.

Looking forward to the start of camp and this coming football season. That’s all I have for you this issue. It’s time for the Z to roll into the station. Choo-choo and, as always, Titan Up!