The 2026 NFL Draft is in the books with three days of shockers, twists, turns, and everything in between. Tennessee participated in the festivities with 8 selections. The popular thing to do is come back after three seasons to find how a draft class fared. Well, we’re skipping the wait to break out the red Sharpies and issue draft grades for the 2026 Titans rookie class!
Note: All statistics are courtesy of the college football version of Pro Football Reference
Tennessee Titans 2026 NFL Draft Grades: Trench Kings Carry The Day For New Coaching Staff
First Round (1.4) Carnell Tate | WR | Ohio State
Tate was the first receiver off the board in a major surprise over front-seven prospects like Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles. The selection makes complete sense as Tate is a true three-level receiving threat while free agent signing Wan’Dale Robinson is a slot-only receiver. Calvin Ridley will likely be gone in 2027, leaving only Robinson as the lead dog while youngsters like Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike develop slowly. Tate is an extremely talented receiver with elite route-running and hands. There are questions about his speed, but he’s so consistently open that it doesn’t matter. It remains to be seen if he becomes more than a WR1 like the tippy top of receivers, but at minimum, he should be a solid number two. OC Brian Daboll will have a field day coming up with different play designs with his new receiver room.
Tate Draft Grade: A
First Round (1.31) Keldric Faulk | EDGE | Auburn
Tennessee traded into the first round, sending their second round selection (35th overall), 3.66, and 4.101 to the Bills for 1.31, 2.69, and 5.165. With the 31st selection, the Titans took Keldric Faulk, an underdeveloped EDGE prospect who had limited production on the Plains. Faulk has all the physical tools teams covet in pass rushers, but Auburn failed the young man amid turmoil in their program. There are flashes of his talent, and Coach Saleh is known for developing star pass rushers with skill sets similar to Faulk’s. At this point in the first round, it’s worth a look to see if he develops into something more than an elite run defender. He was mooted to go much higher in the first round but slipped into the Titans’ hands.
The trade itself cost minimal resources, but perhaps GM Mike Borgonzi sensed a run on EDGE coming with six going in the next 24 selections behind Faulk. It could be speculated that he wouldn’t be there at 35. Time will tell if he was right in selecting the Auburn pass rusher over more developed prospects. Faulk produced 9.10 on the RAS scale.
Faulk Draft Grade: A
Second Round (2.60) Anthony Hill, Jr | LB | Texas
The Titans once again struck a trade to move up and snag a fast, athletic front-seven player. This time, they made a deal with the Bears to trade up from 69th overall to 60th to land Hill. For their contributions, the Bears were rewarded with a fifth-round selection (144th), which they later used to trade up in the draft (ironically, for another Texas Longhorn, CB Malik Muhammad).
The former Longhorns linebacker is an impressive athlete who tested very well during the process, earning a 9.81 RAS. He’s an ultra-athletic off-ball linebacker who needs to slow down and diagnose properly before attacking the ball. Coach Saleh has a history of developing attacking linebackers into highly paid stars. Hill could be his next success story while wearing the green dot. He’ll likely back up starters Cedric Gray and Cody Barton in 2026, but could start in 2027 if Barton is released from his obligations to Tennessee.
Anthony Hill, Jr Scouting Report
Hill Draft Grade: B
Fifth Round (5.142) Fernando Carmona | Guard | Arkansas
Carmona started his career at San Jose State before transferring to Arkansas in 2024. He transitioned inside to guard in 2025 after playing tackle for the three seasons prior. He’s a better fit at guard because of his power and limited athleticism at tackle. He plays with an edge at all times, resulting in a highly distasteful move in which he stepped on a Texas Tech player’s ankle while at SJSU. Tennessee needed guard depth since Kevin Zeitler is a free agent. Carmona is a fearsome competitor who competed in every drill at the 2026 Combine (a rare feat accomplished by only five others).
He’ll likely serve as competition to Cordell Volson for starting reps at right guard. It is certainly interesting that the Titans chose not to address their guard depth until this late in the draft. He scored an 8.42 on the RAS scale. There were better options on the board, especially as several much more touted IOLs went in the 16 picks behind Carmona.
Carmona Draft Grade: C
Fifth Round (5.165) Nicholas Singleton | RB | Penn State
Singleton injured his foot during the Senior Bowl, so he missed a significant portion of the draft process. While healthy, he’s a powerful runner who has the athleticism to hit home runs on any carry. He’ll compete with oft-injured Tyjae Spears for the RB2 role behind starter Tony Pollard. His injury knocked his stock down a couple of rounds. Penn State’s 2025 season was a nightmare for everyone, struggling for bowl eligibility, and Singleton’s production fell off badly. He rushed for over 3,461 yards and 45 touchdowns while posting 102 receptions for 987 yards and nine touchdowns. The former PSU runner ranks highly on the all-time rushing charts at the program and proved to be a true dual-threat runner. He holds the record for total touchdowns, rushing touchdowns, and all-purpose yards. If he’s healthy, this could be a steal in the fifth round.
Nicholas Singleton Scouting Report
Singleton Draft Grade: B+
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Sixth Round (6.184) Jackie Marshall | IDL | Baylor
Marshall is another Saleh-inspired selection who scored an impressive 8.77 RAS in offseason testing. He’s an athletic, versatile chess piece on the interior who could spell the starters along the defensive line while he develops. 2024 was his best statistical season, posting 42 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks. He missed the 2023 season due to injury, making his 2024 campaign all the more impressive. The former Baylor defensive lineman played a variety of roles for another bald coach, Dave Aranda. A smooth transition to bald defensive mastermind Robert Saleh should be a benefit for the athletic interior defender. He’s worth a dart throw at this point in the sixth round.
Marshall Draft Grade: C
Sixth Round (6.194) Pat Coogan | C | Indiana
The Titans finally address their glaring need for a center in the sixth round after a run on at the position began in the fifth round. There were a total of six centers taken in the fifth and sixth rounds, all within 100 picks of each other. Tennessee needed to land one before the carousel ended at the position. He’ll compete with journeyman veteran Austin Schlottman for the starting job.
While he isn’t the most physically imposing prospect, he has competed at the highest levels of college football. Coogan achieved a rare feat in his career, earning the Rose Bowl MVP. The prestigious award wasn’t given to an offensive lineman since 1944, during the height of World War 2. He transferred from Notre Dame to Indiana before the 2025 season, anchoring the reigning national champions. Coogan ranked
Coogan Draft Grade: B
Seventh Round (7.225) Jaren Kanak | TE | Oklahoma
Kanak is an intriguing two-way athlete who converted to tight end after spending three seasons at linebacker for the Sooners. He was part of a position group that had an astounding 21 players drafted, including seemingly every other pick on Day 2. What’s hilarious is that Kanak had more production in one season (44-533) than Jacksonville’s second-round selection, Nate Boerkircher (38-417), did in four. He also outpaced Houston’s second-round tight end selection, Marlin Klein, who could only muster 364 yards and a single touchdown in two seasons. He’ll also have something to discuss with new teammate Keldric Faulk, whom he met when their college teams met up last fall.
All jokes aside, he’s an undersized tight end at 6’2 234 with outstanding testing numbers. The former high school quarterback converted to linebacker before his freshman season in Norman, before switching back to offense in 2025. He’ll compete for a roster spot with Kylen Granson and holdover David Martin-Robinson at training camp. He could be especially valuable given his athleticism in a hybrid TE/FB role, which no other tight end on the roster could adeptly fill. The former linebacker ranked 258th on the LWOS Top 300 Big Board.
Kanak Draft Grade: B
Overall Grade
A-