The Tennessee Titans made some big moves during the 2026 NFL Draft. Tennessee made some surprising picks, including the shocking selection of Carnell Tate at the top of the draft. The Titans entered the draft with needs at almost every position on the roster. There is no question that the team got a lot better during the draft.
Not every successful draft pick has a monster season as a rookie. But Titans fans shouldn’t have to wait long for their top draft picks to make a big impact.
Which Titans rookies will have the biggest impact this fall? And if everything goes well, could the Titans compete for a playoff spot in the AFC?
Here are three bold predictions about how Tennessee’s rookie class will perform during the 2026 season.
Carnell Tate will have most receiving yards of any rookie receiver
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The Titans delivered the first big surprise of the draft by taking Tate with the fourth overall pick.
In retrospect, the wide receiver position was an obvious need in Tennessee. The Titans added Wan’Dale Robinson during NFL free agency, giving the team at least one reliable target for Cam Ward. But everyone else on the depth chart was a huge question mark.
Tate projects as Tennessee’s new leading receiver and should be a priority for opposing defenses throughout his rookie season.
How good of a rookie season would Tate need to have to lead the NFL in receiving yards?
Tetairoa McMillan led all rookies in 2025 with 1,014 receiving yards. Before him it was Brian Thomas Jr. who had 1,282 receiving yards in 2024. And Puka Nacua feels like a bit of an outlier in 2023, hauling in 105 receptions for 1,486 receiving yards.
ESPN’s Mike Clay released some initial projections for the 2026 season following the draft. He projects that Tate will manage 75 receptions for 1,057 receiving yards and four touchdowns off a whopping 123 targets.
Based of Clay’s projections, Tate has a solid chance to make it happen. He is above other top receivers like Makai Lemon (801 receiving yards) and Jordyn Tyson (956 receiving yards).
To make this bold prediction even more spicy, let’s say that Tate also leads all rookies in receptions too.
Anthony Hill Jr. will take over at MIKE by the end of the regular season
Tennessee’s defense was nothing to write home about in 2025. They ranked towards the bottom of the league in points allowed per game (28.1) and turnovers forced (14), which shows how little they impacted the game. Though in fairness, the offense did not do them any favors.
But now Robert Saleh is in town to save the defense. He will be calling defensive plays as head coach, which by itself could be a big improvement for the unit.
The addition of new players like linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. could have a big impact, too.
Hill is everything a defensive coach wants in a rookie linebacker. He is a three-down player who diagnoses plays well, flies to the ball quickly, and delivers reliable tackles. He is also quite the playmaker, logging 31.5 tackles for loss, 17 sacks, and eight forced fumbles during his three season at Texas.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com’s pro comparison of Bobby Wagner really says it all.
Ultimately, Hill has the flexibility needed to play any off-ball linebacker spot on Tennessee’s defense. But given his high upside, it would be shocking if Saleh did not slot him in at the MIKE. That should free up Cedric Gray, Cody Barton, and James Williams to take care of the other two spots in Tennessee’s base defense.
That MIKE job should be Hill’s at some point during the regular season, perhaps even by Week 1.
Keldric Faulk establishes himself as TFL monster during rookie season
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The Titans made another big addition to their defense by adding Faulk at the bottom of the first round.
Titans GM Mike Borgonzi gushed about Faulk after the draft, explaining why he is a great fit in Tennessee’s defensive scheme.
“Faulk really fits his defense. He’s long, can play outside, and inside. Looking back to some of Saleh’s defenses, he reminded me a little bit of [Arik] Armstead when he had him there in San Francisco,” Borgonzi said, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport.
Faulk still has some room to develop as a pass rusher. But he should provide some immediate value when stopping the run.
He played incredibly well against the run on the edge at Auburn. Faulk even scored run defense grades of at least 83.4 over his final two collegiate seasons. He also posted 16 tackles for loss and nine sacks during that span.
If the Titans do truly see Faulk as a similar player to Armstead, he should see some snaps on the interior. That should give him plenty of opportunities to rack up tackles for loss and sacks just like he did at Auburn.
It will be interesting to see how Tennessee deploys Faulk during his rookie season.
The Tennessee Titans made some big moves during the 2026 NFL Draft. Tennessee made some surprising picks, including the shocking selection of Carnell Tate at the top of the draft. The Titans entered the draft with needs at almost every position on the roster. There is no question that the team got a lot better during the draft.