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The 2026 NFL Draft is just a couple of days away, and with the No. 4 pick, the Tennessee Titans are at the center of more than their fair share of rumors.
The Titans are coming off a 3-14 season that saw the dismissal of coach Brian Callahan and the hiring of former New York Jets coach Robert Saleh to replace him. The draft, which is being held in Pittsburgh, begins April 23 at 7 p.m. CT, and the Titans hold eight other picks, from Rounds 2 through 7.
One year after selecting quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick, there's a lot more mystery related to what the Titans will do, and what the teams picking ahead of them will leave on the board.
Throughout the draft process, they have been most frequently connected to three players: Ohio State edge defender Arvell Reese, Texas Tech edge defender David Bailey and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. As the draft has drawn closer, Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles has joined that pack, especially as a consensus started to form about Reese and Bailey being the likely Nos. 2 and 3 picks, respectively. (Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is widely assumed to be the No. 1 pick.)
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The Jets, picking No. 2, still seem likely to pick one of the dazzling edge rushers. But rumors have started to swirl about the No. 3 Arizona Cardinals, both whether they want to make the pick at all, and if they'd be more willing to bet on Love than one of the defenders or offensive linemen available to them.
These questions are only exacerbated by recent moves from teams like the New York Giants — who now possess two top-10 picks and have been connected to players like Love and Styles throughout the draft process — and by rumors about teams with multiple picks later in the first round that might be willing to move up, most notably the Dallas Cowboys.
It's the time of year where rumors surface by the minutes and hours, not by days. Keep yourself posted for the latest mock drafts, NFL draft rumors, trades, analysis and more.
Writing in his ESPN draft rumors file, Adam Schefter reported that there is a belief around the NFL that the Cardinals are more interested in drafting Love with the No. 3 pick than had otherwise been anticipated. He also reported that in the event the Jets pick Reese and the Cardinals pick Love, the Titans might be willing to pass on Bailey for a trade or another player. It's a complicated wrinkle to draft season this late in the process.
Instinct is to say it's hard to imagine the Titans passing on Bailey or Reese, and that Love would have to be the pick over Styles if both edge rushers are gone. If the Titans really believe these things, it's hard to believe they'd be saying them to national reporters this close to the draft. Same goes for the Cardinals. But the NFL is a league where keeping secrets is mighty hard.
The Titans are going into the draft with significant needs at edge rusher, guard, center, wide receiver and defensive back. They also could stand to improve at spots like running back, tight end and linebacker, and they could benefit from more depth on the offensive and defensive fronts.
Love is the most commonly selected player in Titans mock drafts, with experts including ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah, The Ringer's Todd McShay, ESPN's Matt Miller and FOX Sports' Geoff Schwartz making the pick. Bailey and Styles still have their camps as well, most notably with The Athletic's Dane Brugler and ESPN's Jordan Reid picking Bailey and CBS Sports' Emory Hunt and The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner selecting Styles.
First and foremost, Love is an excellent running back in the open field. According to Pro Football Focus, he forced 118 missed tackles on 361 carries the past two seasons, working out to one missed tackle forced every three rushes. For context, Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs forced missed tackles once per 3.6 carries in college, and Christian McCaffrey (49ers) did so at a rate of one for every 5.3 carries.
It’s not hard to figure out the formula of how Love converts missed tackles into big gains. The 4.36 speed takes over, and Love dazzles. Consider, as example, his national breakout moment, a 98-yard touchdown run in Notre Dame's 27-17 win over Indiana in the first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff.
The Titans haven’t had this sort of breakaway threat since prime Derrick Henry, or this sort of speed in the backfield since Chris Johnson’s best seasons.
Saleh historically has preferred to build his defenses around a four-man base rush that doesn’t have to overly rely on blitzing. In 2022 and 2023, he fielded top-five defenses as Jets head coach while ranking 32nd and 31st in the NFL in blitz rate. Winning pass rush reps with your front four is central to this ideology, and that means packing your starting lineup with not just talent, but a diversity of talents.
Jeffery Simmons, John Franklin-Myers and Jermaine Johnson II all possess immense power, and while Simmons is a gifted athlete on the interior, the unit was missing a true speed rush threat. Bailey, who ran a helmet-rattling 4.5-second 40-yard dash and had a broad jump of 10 feet, 9 inches at the 2026 NFL scouting combine, is the athletic marvel this group was missing, and a productive one at that.
Bailey’s quickness and explosiveness, if it translates to the pros, will require extra attention from running backs and tight ends who stay in to block on passing downs.
Reese ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the combine with a 1.58-second 10-yard split. By comparison, all-world running back prospect Love’s 10-yard split timed in at 1.55 seconds, a negligible difference when it comes to creating burst despite Reese outweighing Love by 30 pounds.
Micah Parsons, for what it’s worth, boasted a 10-yard split of 1.59 seconds at his pro day in 2021.
Reese’s quickness and explosiveness, assuming it translates to a new position, replicates what Reese can provide.
Here are the top 25 players available, according to the consensus big board rankings.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans NFL draft live tracker: Trades, rumors, mock drafts, top prospects
Continue reading...
The Titans are coming off a 3-14 season that saw the dismissal of coach Brian Callahan and the hiring of former New York Jets coach Robert Saleh to replace him. The draft, which is being held in Pittsburgh, begins April 23 at 7 p.m. CT, and the Titans hold eight other picks, from Rounds 2 through 7.
One year after selecting quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick, there's a lot more mystery related to what the Titans will do, and what the teams picking ahead of them will leave on the board.
Throughout the draft process, they have been most frequently connected to three players: Ohio State edge defender Arvell Reese, Texas Tech edge defender David Bailey and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. As the draft has drawn closer, Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles has joined that pack, especially as a consensus started to form about Reese and Bailey being the likely Nos. 2 and 3 picks, respectively. (Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is widely assumed to be the No. 1 pick.)
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: Never miss a Titans story with Talkin' Titans, sent straight to your inbox
MEET THE GM: The untold stories of Mike Borgonzi's journey to Tennessee Titans
The Jets, picking No. 2, still seem likely to pick one of the dazzling edge rushers. But rumors have started to swirl about the No. 3 Arizona Cardinals, both whether they want to make the pick at all, and if they'd be more willing to bet on Love than one of the defenders or offensive linemen available to them.
These questions are only exacerbated by recent moves from teams like the New York Giants — who now possess two top-10 picks and have been connected to players like Love and Styles throughout the draft process — and by rumors about teams with multiple picks later in the first round that might be willing to move up, most notably the Dallas Cowboys.
It's the time of year where rumors surface by the minutes and hours, not by days. Keep yourself posted for the latest mock drafts, NFL draft rumors, trades, analysis and more.
Tennessee Titans NFL draft live updates: Latest rumors about draft trades, NFL mock drafts, predictions, analysis and more
Monday morning rumor bin: ESPN's Adam Schefter on Jeremiyah Love, David Bailey, Titans and Cardinals
Writing in his ESPN draft rumors file, Adam Schefter reported that there is a belief around the NFL that the Cardinals are more interested in drafting Love with the No. 3 pick than had otherwise been anticipated. He also reported that in the event the Jets pick Reese and the Cardinals pick Love, the Titans might be willing to pass on Bailey for a trade or another player. It's a complicated wrinkle to draft season this late in the process.
Instinct is to say it's hard to imagine the Titans passing on Bailey or Reese, and that Love would have to be the pick over Styles if both edge rushers are gone. If the Titans really believe these things, it's hard to believe they'd be saying them to national reporters this close to the draft. Same goes for the Cardinals. But the NFL is a league where keeping secrets is mighty hard.
Tennessee Titans NFL draft needs
The Titans are going into the draft with significant needs at edge rusher, guard, center, wide receiver and defensive back. They also could stand to improve at spots like running back, tight end and linebacker, and they could benefit from more depth on the offensive and defensive fronts.
Titans mock draft roundup
Love is the most commonly selected player in Titans mock drafts, with experts including ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah, The Ringer's Todd McShay, ESPN's Matt Miller and FOX Sports' Geoff Schwartz making the pick. Bailey and Styles still have their camps as well, most notably with The Athletic's Dane Brugler and ESPN's Jordan Reid picking Bailey and CBS Sports' Emory Hunt and The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner selecting Styles.
The case for Jeremiyah Love
First and foremost, Love is an excellent running back in the open field. According to Pro Football Focus, he forced 118 missed tackles on 361 carries the past two seasons, working out to one missed tackle forced every three rushes. For context, Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs forced missed tackles once per 3.6 carries in college, and Christian McCaffrey (49ers) did so at a rate of one for every 5.3 carries.
It’s not hard to figure out the formula of how Love converts missed tackles into big gains. The 4.36 speed takes over, and Love dazzles. Consider, as example, his national breakout moment, a 98-yard touchdown run in Notre Dame's 27-17 win over Indiana in the first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff.
The Titans haven’t had this sort of breakaway threat since prime Derrick Henry, or this sort of speed in the backfield since Chris Johnson’s best seasons.
The case for Arvell Reese, David Bailey
Saleh historically has preferred to build his defenses around a four-man base rush that doesn’t have to overly rely on blitzing. In 2022 and 2023, he fielded top-five defenses as Jets head coach while ranking 32nd and 31st in the NFL in blitz rate. Winning pass rush reps with your front four is central to this ideology, and that means packing your starting lineup with not just talent, but a diversity of talents.
Jeffery Simmons, John Franklin-Myers and Jermaine Johnson II all possess immense power, and while Simmons is a gifted athlete on the interior, the unit was missing a true speed rush threat. Bailey, who ran a helmet-rattling 4.5-second 40-yard dash and had a broad jump of 10 feet, 9 inches at the 2026 NFL scouting combine, is the athletic marvel this group was missing, and a productive one at that.
Bailey’s quickness and explosiveness, if it translates to the pros, will require extra attention from running backs and tight ends who stay in to block on passing downs.
Reese ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the combine with a 1.58-second 10-yard split. By comparison, all-world running back prospect Love’s 10-yard split timed in at 1.55 seconds, a negligible difference when it comes to creating burst despite Reese outweighing Love by 30 pounds.
Micah Parsons, for what it’s worth, boasted a 10-yard split of 1.59 seconds at his pro day in 2021.
Reese’s quickness and explosiveness, assuming it translates to a new position, replicates what Reese can provide.
NFL draft order 2026
- Las Vegas Raiders
- New York Jets
- Arizona Cardinals
- Tennessee Titans
- New York Giants
- Cleveland Browns
- Washington Commanders
- New Orleans Saints
- Kansas City Chiefs
- New York Giants
- Miami Dolphins
- Dallas Cowboys
- Los Angeles Rams
- Baltimore Ravens
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- New York Jets
- Detroit Lions
- Minnesota Vikings
- Carolina Panthers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Cleveland Browns
- Chicago Bears
- Buffalo Bills
- San Francisco 49ers
- Houston Texans
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Miami Dolphins
- New England Patriots
- Seattle Seahawks
NFL draft 2026 best players available
Here are the top 25 players available, according to the consensus big board rankings.
- QB Fernando Mendoza
- LB Arvell Reese
- Edge David Bailey
- RB Jeremiyah Love
- LB Sonny Styles
- OT Francis Mauigoa
- WR Carnell Tate
- S Caleb Downs
- DL Rueben Bain Jr.
- CB Mansoor Delane
- OT Spencer Fano
- WR Makai Lemon
- OT Monroe Freeling
- WR Jordyn Tyson
- CB Jermod McCoy
- IOL Vega Ioane
- TE Kenyon Sadiq
- S Dillon Thieneman
- OL Kadyn Proctor
- Edge Keldric Faulk
- Edge Akheem Mesidor
- WR Omar Cooper Jr.
- S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
- WR K.C. Concepcion
- OT Blake Miller
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans NFL draft live tracker: Trades, rumors, mock drafts, top prospects
Continue reading...
