2026 NFL Draft Grade: Tennessee Titans -- C

The Tennessee Titans entered the 2026 NFL Draft with one of the league's most defined rebuilding roadmaps. New head coach Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, and general manager Mike Borgonzi inherited a roster with gaping holes at wide receiver, along the interior offensive line, at linebacker, and at tight end. The team's pre-draft needs sheet listed cornerback as a critical need, with wide receiver, guard, linebacker, and tight end all ranked as high priorities. The Titans held significant draft capital and cap space, and the expectation was that Borgonzi -- a disciple of the Chiefs' draft-oriented approach -- would methodically plug those holes.

What we got instead was a class that is something of a mixed bag. It has a legitimate star-level talent in the receiver corps, what looks like the long-term answer at middle linebacker, and a pair of interior offensive line additions that could reshape the unit. But the aggressive trade-up for an edge rusher in the first round, a puzzling early running back pick, and a defensive tackle selection at a position of strength that completely missed the board all pull the class's overall grade down. When the math settles, the Titans end up with a C (56.4) -- a class that will live and die on the production of its top picks, because the bottom of the haul is a serious concern.

Pick-by-Pick Breakdown

Pick 4 (Round 1) -- Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State Grade: B (71.0)

The Titans went into the draft desperate for a true WR1. They emerged with a player who has every chance to become exactly that. Tate is the kind of polished, pro-ready receiver that Daboll's offense requires -- a precise route runner who separates early and velcroes the catch point. Draft analysts had him as a top-20 prospect overall, so grabbing him at No. 4 required a slight reach, but the Titans identified their guy and went and got him. In a receiver room that currently features Calvin Ridley on the back nine, Wan'Dale Robinson, and a collection of unproven depth pieces, Tate immediately becomes the most dynamic pass-catching weapon on the roster. This is the foundational offensive piece the rebuild needed.

Pick 31 (Round 1) -- Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn Acquired via New England Patriots -- From NE via BUF Grade: D (43.0)

This is where the draft gets confusing. The Titans traded up to grab Faulk, a high-motor Auburn edge rusher, at the back end of the first round. On paper, edge is a clear need for Saleh's 4-3 front -- the departure of Arden Key left the group critically thin. But the value here is genuinely problematic. Most boards had Faulk as a mid-second-round talent, and the reach map shows that better-graded edge rushers like Cashius Howell, Gabe Jacas, and R Mason Thomas all came off the board later in the first and early second rounds. Faulk has length and power that fit the LEO role in Saleh's scheme, but taking him here -- especially with the trade capital surrendered -- is the kind of aggressive need-filling that can backfire if he doesn't hit immediately.

Pick 60 (Round 2) -- Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas Acquired via Buffalo Bills -- From BUF via CHI Grade: A- (83.0)

And then the Titans absolutely nailed one. Hill is a dynamite linebacker prospect who many evaluators had as a top-50 player in this class, and to get him at pick 60 is a genuine win. The Titans' linebacker room was a collection of solid role players like Jack Gibbens but lacked sideline-to-sideline speed and coverage range. Hill provides that instantly. He's a three-down linebacker with the kind of closing burst and instincts that Gus Bradley can build a defense around. This pick fills a clear hole with a player who represented fair value at the slot, and it stands as the class's best pick on both merit and value.

Pick 142 (Round 5) -- Fernando Carmona, OG, Arkansas Acquired via New York Jets -- From NYJ via BAL Grade: C- (53.0)

Interior offensive line was a high-priority need, and Carmona is a big-bodied guard who can move people in the run game. But there is a significant value gap here -- most boards had Carmona as a sixth-round target, and the Titans grabbed him at the top of the fifth. The need was real (the guard room behind Peter Skoronski and Cordell Volson was thin), but reaching 20-plus slots ahead of where evaluators graded him is a risky play. Carmona has the tools to develop into a starter, but the Titans paid a premium for that upside.

Pick 165 (Round 5) -- Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State Acquired via Chicago Bears -- From CHI via BUF Grade: D (40.0)

This pick is hard to justify. The Titans already have a crowded backfield with Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears, Michael Carter, and Julius Chestnut on the roster. Running back was not a high-priority need -- listed as medium on the pre-draft sheet -- yet Borgonzi invested a fifth-round pick to reach nearly 50 slots ahead of where Singleton was graded by most analysts. Singleton is a talented runner with breakaway speed, but using draft capital on a position that wasn't a pressing need while reaching significantly for the player is a puzzling allocation of resources. This is the kind of pick that looks worse the deeper you dig.

Pick 184 (Round 6) -- Jackie Marshall, DT, Baylor Grade: F (25.0)

The worst pick of the Titans' class, and it's not particularly close. Defensive tackle was listed as a low-priority need for Tennessee, given that Jeffery Simmons anchors the interior and the team has Jordan Elliott, Timmy Horne, and Solomon Thomas as rotational depth. Despite that, the Titans reached 111 slots ahead of where Marshall was ranked by most draft media -- an absolutely massive value gap. The reach map shows an entire second tier of interior defensive linemen -- Rayshaun Benny, Skyler Gill-Howard, Jordan Van den Berg, Tim Keenan III -- all of whom were available and went later in the draft as better value selections. This pick is a head-scratcher at every level.

Pick 194 (Round 6) -- Pat Coogan, C, Indiana Acquired via Baltimore Ravens -- From BAL via NYJ Grade: A- (83.0)

The Titans bookend their worst pick with one of their best value selections of the entire draft. Center was a critical need area, with the Titans lacking a proven long-term answer at the pivot after Kevin Zeitler departed. Coogan was graded as a sixth-round talent by most evaluators, and the Titans grabbed him right in that range. He is a technically sound, intelligent center who can handle protection calls -- exactly what Daboll's offense needs to function. This is the kind of pick that doesn't make headlines but makes a roster better. It's efficient, need-based, and fair-valued.

Pick 225 (Round 7) -- Jaren Kanak, TE, Oklahoma Acquired via Kansas City Chiefs -- From KC via DAL Grade: C- (53.0)

Tight end was a high-priority need, and Kanak is an intriguing athlete who brings the movement skills that Daboll's offense demands from the position. He is more of a developmental project at this stage, but in the seventh round, taking a swing on a toolsy prospect at a position of need is exactly the right approach. The value gap is significant -- most boards had Kanak as a late-round priority free agent -- but in Round 7, you are chasing traits. The Titans got a player with a real chance to contribute in a thin tight end room.

Overall Grade: C (56.4)

The best pick in this class is Anthony Hill Jr. in the second round -- an immediate coverage upgrade at linebacker who should start from Day 1 and give the Titans the kind of athletic, rangy presence they have lacked in the middle of the defense. Carnell Tate is the other foundational piece, giving Daboll a proper WR1 to build the passing game around. Pat Coogan and Fernando Carmona (despite the reach) at least address the interior offensive line with bodies, and Jaren Kanak is a worthwhile flier at tight end.

The worst pick is Jackie Marshall in the sixth round, a selection that combined a low-priority position with a massive value reach and ignored a deep group of better-graded interior defensive linemen still on the board. Keldric Faulk at No. 31 is also a concern -- aggressive trade-up, below-grade value, and the board did not force their hand the way they seemed to think it did. Nicholas Singleton at Pick 165 is the other head-scratcher, investing real draft capital in a crowded backfield with a significant reach.

On balance, this class lands solidly in the average-to-below-average tier. The Titans filled their biggest holes at receiver, linebacker, and center. They added two players who look like long-term starters. But the value discipline was inconsistent, and the misses in the middle rounds will sting if Faulk doesn't develop into a double-digit sack player. For a team with the most cap space in the league and a new regime stamping its first draft, the Titans will need their top picks to hit big for this class to be remembered as a success. The grade says C, and the tape backs it up.

Pick-by-Pick Summary