Let’s help the Tennessee Titans get better.

The 2025 NFL season has three games remaining before the playoffs begin, so the 2026 NFL Draft order is hardly set. The Titans (2-12) figure to be picking somewhere in the top five, and still have a punching shot at the No. 1 pick. But let’s not get bogged down too deep into the details just yet. Instead of working through draft order scenarios and strength of schedule tiebreakers, let’s familiarize ourselves with a couple of names who make sense as potential targets, examine positions where it’ll make sense for the Titans to be vigilant and priorities to build around rookie quarterback Cam Ward.

Here is a way-too-early swing at a seven-round mock draft for the Tennessee Titans, with the draft order set thorough Week 15.

Tennessee Titans 7-round mock draft: December 2025Round 1, pick 3: Rueben Bain Jr., OLB, Miami

It’s easy to do a disservice to Bain here. We can talk about how the best move is for the Titans to trade back and acquire more picks. We can talk about how Bain’s shorter stature and shorter arms make him a tough sell as a top-five pick off the edge. We can talk about how measurements and testing are likely to push him down boards, and the Titans might be better served picking a tools-ier prospect like Ohio State’s Arvell Reese.

Let’s instead say this: Squint while watching Bain’s tape and it’s easy to see a player not all that different from L.A. Rams standout Jared Verse. He plays with power, but he can dip around tackles with speed and bend in an impressive way. He plays well against top competition and he way hyper productive throughout 2025. The Titans need a powerful, versatile, game-changing presence off the edge, and while Bain maybe doesn’t have the A1 potential of recent top-five picks like Aidan Hutchinson or Will Anderson Jr., he’s an automatic upgrade at one of the Titans’ three primary areas of need.

Round 2, pick 34: Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee

Here comes the second area of need. The Titans are desperate for youth and top-line talent on the perimeter, and Hood has the length and cover skills the Titans covet. He had a great year for Tennessee as a tackler near the line of scrimmage, an underrated skill for a cornerback, and did as good of a job as anyone when it comes to preventing completions and limiting yards after the catch.

Round 3, pick 65: Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia

And here’s that third need. The Titans need explosiveness at receiver, and maybe more than anyone in this class, Branch possesses the uncanny agility and wiggle needed to turn short passes into long gains. More than three quarters of his receiving yards this season came after the catch. No receiver in college football forced more missed tackles on screen passes. He’s not a big guy, but he adds an element to the Titans offense that hasn’t been tapped into in years.

Round 4, pick 103: Davison Igbinosun, CB, Ohio State

Cornerback: A need so big, the Titans double up in roughly the first 100 picks. Igbinosun is experienced, with four years as a starter between Ole Miss and Ohio State, and he put up his best year in 2025. He’s dealt with penalty issues in his career, but he also has a knack for getting his hands on the football. He’ll need the right system, but the raw talent is there.

Round 5, pick 142: Logan Jones, C, Iowa

When the opportunity is there to pick a four-year starter at center from Iowa, you take it. The Titans need to further strengthen the middle of the offensive line, and ― not to stereotype, but ― a two-time All Big Ten center from Iowa’s system is about as safe of an investment as you’ll find. Maybe he needs a little time to adjust to pro size and speed, but it’s fair to bet on his pedigree.

Round 5, pick 144: John Henry Daley, DE, Utah

There’s no guarantee that Daley, a third-year sophomore, declares for the draft. But the 2025 All Big 12 edge rusher showed flashes of production that could entice him. He’s a bit of a one-year wonder to this point, but when that one year consists of 10 sacks and 47 pressures, you think about turning pro.

Round 6, pick 181: Bryce Lance, WR, North Dakota State

The Titans dip into the FCS here to grab a receiver with a familiar name. The younger brother of quarterback Trey Lance, Bryce Lance emerged as a 1,000-yard receiver with 17 touchdowns in 2024, then followed that up with 1,000 more yards and eight more touchdowns in 2025. He’s long, productive and has athletic pedigree. Easy gamble from the lower levels.

Round 7, pick 243: Luke Altmyer, QB, Illinois

No, this isn’t a pick to replace Ward. Not even close. Altmyer has some interesting skills, and a long track record as a starter in college. He’s got “this guy could last as an NFL backup for years” written all over him, and it’d be interesting to see the Titans try to develop a young bench player alongside Ward.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at  nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.