The Tennessee Titans head into the upcoming season with a decision to make regarding Jake Locker and if he will be the franchise's quarterback in the forseeable future. Ken Whisenhunt has not been shy in hedging his bets, and it's possible the new head coach could look toward the 2014 NFL Draft to find a capable backup for the oft-injured Locker or even somebody to take over for him down the road.
Now a starting NFL quarterback such as Locker is usually a pretty popular player. When he's not starring in commercials off the field or taking home the biggest paycheck on the team, chances are you can find the starter taking care of his best friends on the team: the offensive line. That's what makes Titans guard Chance Warmack's comments on NFL Network's "Path to the Draft" on Friday all the more interesting.
While discussing potential draft picks for the team, the conversation turned to Warmack's former teammate at Alabama, quarterback AJ McCarron.
"I hope we get him. I don't know what round we can get him in, but I definitely want him in Tennessee," Warmack said. "He's a winner. He's a great guy to be around and he'll help the locker room. He's not selfish as a quarterback and he's going to make the right plays on the field. If he doesn't start, when he gets drafted by the Tennessee Titans he'll definitely help."
After saying all that, things could be just a tad awkward for Warmack when he returns to Tennessee and bumps into Locker.
Of course, Warmack probably isn't giving an indictment of Locker's ability to lead the club to wins, but it nevertheless remains an interesting thing to say heading into a big year for the quarterback. It's also no surprise to see him lobby so hard for a signal-caller he won a pair of national titles with at Alabama in McCarron.
"I had a chance to see him at the A-Day (spring) game and told him I hope we draft him," Warmack added. "I mess with him from time to time, but you'll definitely see a big smile on my face if we pick him up. I'll definitely be happy."
Warmack might want to send a text to Locker to clear anything up if he is going to end up blocking for him early in the season this year.
McCarron wasn't the only former Crimson Tide player that Warmack chatted about on the show. Turning into an extra-large version of NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock, the Titans' starting guard also evaluated a few of the potential first-round picks Alabama has in the draft this year.
"Honestly I think he should go no later than the first round, like the 20th pick," Warmack said about offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio. "He plays dirty and with an edge on him. That's what you need with a tackle. You can plug him in at left or right and he's really athletic. I haven't seen a guy like that since Andre Smith at Alabama."
On linebacker C.J. Mosley: "One thing that stands out the most is his intelligence. You can plug him into a 3-4 or a 4-3 and he'll be tremendously good on your defense. He's a team player who is really communicative in practice and on the field during a game. I had a chance to go against him in practice and he had me spinning a couple of times when we hit each other."
On safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix: "He's a head-hunter, he'll knock you out point-blank. He's really, really fast and has tons of athleticism. He picks up the coverages really quickly and knows what the quarterback is thinking and who's he's going to pass to. He's always making big plays."
Nick Saban probably agrees with Warmack's scouting reports, but probably wants to tell the guard to avoid calling a safety a "head-hunter" in today's NFL. The second-year offensive lineman might also want to avoid making eye contact with Locker when he shows up for mini-camp too.
Follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter @BryanDFischer.
