“We are all prideful, we are all competitors. I know I’m a good football coach, and I know that I am going to be a good head coach. But this is certainly not the result I anticipated.” — Brian Callahan, after a Titans season that felt like watching zombies fumble tackles. Callahan strode into 2025 determined to rip up the script. Let’s see how he might navigate the draft to turn around Tennessee after a 3-14 2024 season.
Instead of chasing highlights with a top pick, we swapped the 1st overall pick to the Browns, reeling in nine selections—six on defense—to resurrect a unit that ranked dead last in splash plays. Think less single‑star rebuild, more squad‑wide upgrade: each rookie is a brick in a new fortress around Nissan Stadium. Let’s dive into how Music City’s next legends are being assembled.
Callahan’s masterstroke: From basement to beast mode
Callahan wiped the slate clean, turning weakness into a weaponized blueprint. This isn’t just a draft class; it’s a tactical overhaul designed to make offenses quake. Each addition tackles a specific hole—from the edge rush to the secondary—while injecting grit, speed, and swagger into a defense that once felt street‑legal only in highlights.
Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State (Round 1, Pick 2)
When Abdul Carter storms off the edge, linemen swear they feel the ground shake. In 2024 he notched 61 pressures and 12 sacks—an 18.5 percent pressure rate that sat third in FBS—plus 39.5 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles over three seasons. His burst off the snap is lethal, his bend uncanny, his motor relentless.
Off the field he’s a film‑study junkie known for rattling his weight room like a metronome. And as he once whispered after a season‑clinching strip, “This world is merciless, and it’s also very beautiful.” Carter’s blend of violence and discipline promises to redefine what “edge” means in Tennessee.
Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri (Potential Browns Swap-Round 2, Pick 33)
At 5’11”, 208 lbs, Luther Burden III darts through coverage like he’s carving knife routes into butter. His 2023 line—86 catches, 1,212 yards, 9 TDs—was just a teaser; in 2024 he added 61–676–6 plus 115 rushing yards and a punt‑return touchdown. Over three years, he totaled 192 receptions, 2,263 yards and 21 receiving scores, pairing alchemy in space with a blocker’s toughness when the pile piles up.
Trusted as a captain at Missouri, he anchors the slot and boundary alike, turning broken plays into chain‑moving magic. Expect him to slip open on third down and set drives alight.
Donovan Ezeiruaku, Edge, Boston College (Round 2, Pick 35)
Donovan Ezeiruaku exploded for 15.5 sacks in 2024, vaulting past BC’s record and surfacing as a Ted Hendricks Award finalist and ACC Defensive Player of the Year. At 6’3”, 255 lbs, he blends power rushes with a sneaky swim‑and‑rip that leaves tackles clutching air. Across 46 games, he totaled 28 sacks, 36.5 TFL, and eight forced fumbles, a testament to his nose for disruption.
Scouts rave about his football IQ—he times slide protections like a linebacker—and his relentless pursuit on screens. In Tennessee, he’ll rotate opposite Carter, creating a nightmare front that forces QBs to read hot or get flattened.
Cam Jackson, DT, Florida (Round 4, Pick 103)
When Cam Jackson plants his 338‑lb frame in the middle, blocking lanes implode. In 2024, he logged 37 tackles, two sacks, and three pass breakups, but his true value lies in the two‑gap mastery that ate blocks and liberated linebackers. A transfer from Memphis, he’s polished his technique under Florida’s watchful staff, emerging as a senior leader who’s never lost a man‑to‑man scrap.
His pancake count is legendary—every snap feels like a sack in slow motion. In Nashville’s revamped front, he’s the anchor who turns perimeter rushers into interior wrecking balls.
Smael Mondon Jr., LB, Georgia (Round 4, Pick 120) (acquired from the Seahawks)
Smael Mondon darts sideline‑to‑sideline with 4.49 speed and hits like a vintage Ford F‑150. Over 49 games, he amassed 211 tackles, eight sacks, and five PBUs, ringing up two CFP rings along the way. A Second‑Team All‑SEC pick in 2023, he boasts instincts that sniff out screens and zone‑blitz slides before the snap. His leadership shone through as Georgia’s anchor, and he carries that polish—and swagger—right into Nashville’s linebacking corps. When he blitzes off the slot, offenses will wonder if he teleported, and when he drops back in coverage, tight ends will curse their life choices.
Cameron Williams, OT, Texas (Round 5, Pick 141)
Repping the offense—because you still need to block those edge fiends—Cameron Williams remade himself from 370 lbs to a 6’7”, 318‑lb road grader. In 2024 he snapped off 975 plays for Texas, earning rave reviews for run‑drive pop and surprising agility in pass sets. His raw power is matched by a high‑ceiling technique coachable enough to project as a left tackle or guard. Turning pizza‑powered mass into lean maul juice, he’s the type of mauler who’ll stall rushers long enough for Tannehill to find Burden streaking down the seam.
Eli Cox, IOL, Kentucky (Round 5, Pick 167) (acquired from the Chiefs)
On Day 3 you need dependable glue, and Eli Cox fits that role like a glove. A two‑time captain with a 5.02 forty and 25 bench reps, he started 47 of 55 games at center and guard, anchoring Kentucky’s ground assault.
His football IQ is off the charts—snap‑count timing, blitz pickups, combo blocks—making him an immediate plug‑and‑play for a line needing Day 1 vet savvy. He won’t wow with splash stats, but he’ll hold the line and free Jackson and Carter to wreck the edge.
Robert Longerbeam, CB, Rutgers (Round 6, Pick 178)
Robert Longerbeam turned heads at Rutgers with a 4.39 forty and sticky coverage that yielded five interceptions and 27 pass breakups over five seasons. He tracks the ball like a heat‑seeking missile and thrives in press schemes, mirroring targets off the line before rerouting routes. In the nickel, he’ll shadow slot burners; outside, he’ll mirror boundary threats. His physicality in run support—throwing blocks aside like toddlers—cements him as a true two‑way corner, filling depth and special‑teams roles with aplomb.
Isas Waxter, CB, Villanova (Round 6, Pick 188) (acquired from the Cowboys)
Small‑school star Isas Waxter brings a rare blend of FCS dominance to the pros: three forced fumbles, eleven pass breakups and consistent All‑American nods in ’23–’24. A 4.56 forty and 35‑inch vertical backed a season where he blanketed targets en route to CAA honors. His journey from Villanova to this mock draft embodies resilience—you don’t get there on measurables alone; you earn it with grit. He’s projected as a special‑teams ace who can develop into a rotational CB down the line.
Brian Callahan’s symphony of destruction?
This isn’t just a roster refresh—it’s a culture reboot. Callahan’s blueprint channels the Titans’ DNA: physicality, resilience and a dash of Southern swagger. Picture the “Flameheads” roaring back, decked in Blue and White, as Carter and Ezeiruaku turn backfields into viral memes. Imagine T‑Rac high‑fiving fans after Mondon’s thunderous takedown, or Jackson’s pancake block igniting a stadium chant. With $41.2 M in cap room, this class grows alongside veteran vets, ready to sharpen edges and feast on mismatches.
Rebuilds can be messy—sweaty, cuss‑filled, projector‑screen screaming affairs. But in Nashville, they’re also poetic. Each pick is a stanza in a song that’s hummed since the Oilers first charged the field. It’s raw, it’s beautiful, and it’s just beginning. When Callahan deadpans “If we’d just punted on 1st & 10 every time, we might’ve won the game,” you’ll laugh. Then you’ll watch. Because this defense? Punt it? Nah. They’re here to conquer.
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