NASHVILLE – The draft picks are in, eight of them in all:
Round 1 (No. 4): WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State
Round 1 (No. 31): Edge Keldric Faulk, Auburn
Round 2 (No. 60): LB Anthony Hill, Jr., Texas
Round 5 (No. 142): G Fernando Carmona, Jr., Arkansas
Round 5 (No. 165): RB Nick Singleton, Penn State
Round 6 (No. 184): DT Jackie Marshall, Baylor
Round 6 (No. 194): C Pat Coogan, Indiana
Round 7 (No. 225): TE Jaren Kanak, Oklahoma
And now, the draft grades are also in.
Here’s a look at how some of the analysts graded the 2026 NFL Draft for the Titans:
Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News
Grade: A+
What Iyer said: GM Mike Borgonzi built up offseason momentum to do right by new defensive-minded coach Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and second-year franchise QB Cam Ward. Getting Tate was better than reaching for a running back early, and Singleton is a sleeper there later. Faulk and Hill can change the defense, and Carmona leads further offensive line upgrades. The Titans are good enough now to sneak into the wild-card hunt.
Chad Reuter, NFL.com
Grade: A-.
Day-by-day grades:
Day 1: B+
Day 2: A-
Day 3: A
What Reuter said: The Titans’ selection of the draft’s top receiver was a surprise, not because Tate’s talent didn’t merit it, but because top defenders Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles were still available. Tennessee swapped mid-round picks with the Bills to move up for Faulk, who fits Robert Saleh’s defensive scheme perfectly because of his strength and length on the edge. The Titans found great value in their only Day 2 selection by taking Hill, an athletic, hard-hitting middle linebacker who should find the field early on. The Titans grabbed fifth-round picks in this draft from the Ravens and Rams for Dre’Mont Jones and Roger McCreary. Carmona is a future potential starter inside with starting experience at tackle, as well. Coogan’s leadership and stout blocking can help him compete for playing time this season. Finding Singleton in the fifth should pay dividends, because he’s a good dual-threat back who played on a bad Penn State team in 2025.
Mel Kiper, ESPN
Grade: C+
What Kiper said: Top needs entering the draft: Edge rusher, guard, center, wide receiver, linebacker.
The Titans fired their head coach in the middle of Cam Ward’s rookie season, hired Robert Saleh as the new one, brought in Brian Daboll to run the offense and then spent a ton of money in free agency to try to right this ship. This had to be the Project Get Ward Help draft for Tennessee.
Ward finished last in QBR among qualified passers in Year 1 (33.2), and while he made some throws that reminded everyone why he was the No. 1 pick in 2025, he was sub-60% in completion rate and threw seven INTs. Where were the playmakers, though? Chig Okonkwo led the team with 560 yards and signed in Washington. Calvin Ridley played only seven games and caught 17 passes. The top two wide receivers were Day 3 rookies, Elic Ayomanor (515 yards) and Chimere Dike (423). While I like the idea of a young quarterback growing with young receivers, Tennessee needed a higher-caliber pass catcher. And while Wan’Dale Robinson is a speedy difference-maker out of the slot, he isn’t a WR1.
Tate is. He’s a polished route runner who displays fantastic body control and sure hands down the field, helping him to 17.2 yards per reception and nine touchdowns in 2025. He slots in as an immediate impact player. There was a good case to be made that Arvell Reese should have been the pick at No. 4, but I’m not going to knock general manager Mike Borgonzi for prioritizing getting Ward support. Nicholas Singleton is another piece in that effort; the fifth-round pick came at decent value and brings a nose for the end zone (45 career touchdowns). He will slide in somewhere with Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears and Michael Carter.
Tennessee went to work on defense quickly from there. It traded up to No. 31, essentially moving back from the fourth to the fifth round to jump four spots to get Keldric Faulk. There are questions about Faulk’s production (two sacks last year after seven in 2024), but there aren’t any about his physical traits. I’m putting some stock in Saleh being able to maximize Faulk’s power and 6-foot-6, 276-pound frame. And Anthony Hill Jr. can serve as a backup linebacker and maybe even push to start ahead of Cody Barton.
The Titans also landed a backup guard in Fernando Carmona and another option at center in Pat Coogan, but this class didn’t pack much punch beyond Tate. If Faulk can turn up the sack totals as a rookie, then this grade would improve, but that’s a big if right now.
Pro Football Focus
Grade: B-.
What PFF said: Highest-graded pick (2025): WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State Buckeyes (88.6)
Tate: Tate isn’t a name we often saw linked to Tennessee, but if the goal is to surround Cam Ward with talent and give him a real chance to develop, this move works toward that objective. Tate was the safest projection among the top wide receiver prospects, given Jordyn Tyson’s injury history. He’s coming off a 2025 season at Ohio State in which he was extremely efficient, generating 3.02 yards per route run as the No. 2 option behind Jeremiah Smith.
Faulk: This is a bit lower than where Faulk was expected to come off the board, prompting the Titans to move back into the first round to add him along the defensive line for new head coach Robert Saleh. Faulk wasn’t an overly productive pass rusher for Auburn, but he’s young with good size and athleticism to go along with PFF grades above 80.0 against the run in each of the past two seasons.
Hill: Hill is a strong athlete with good length who fits best as a WILL linebacker in a 4-3 scheme, where he can play in space and avoid consistent block engagement.
Carmona: Carmona played 790 snaps and earned a 71.2 PFF grade in 2025, ranking 76th among 537 qualifying interior linemen after transitioning inside to guard. His run blocking was the stronger phase of his game, as he posted a 71.3 grade that ranked 66th at his position, backed by a 9.0% defeated block rate that ranked 31st. In pass protection, the results were more uneven. His 72.3 pass-blocking grade ranked 224th among his peers, and he allowed pressure at a 3.6% rate, which ranked 309th, reflecting inconsistency despite his tackle background.
Singleton: Singleton is a gifted athlete, particularly for his size. He has the physical tools to be a productive NFL back, but inconsistent patience and creativity with the ball limit his ceiling. He does offer legitimate third-down potential as a capable receiver and generally reliable pass protector, though he must eliminate the occasional negative play in pass protection.
Marshall: Marshall provided Baylor with a versatile defensive line presence over the past three seasons, as he logged at least 294 snaps both over and outside the tackle. His quickness stands out, but his 2025 production declined against both the run and the pass, and his 16.8% missed tackle rate highlights an area that requires improvement.
Coogan: Coogan played for two contenders in Notre Dame and Indiana before anchoring the Hoosiers’ title run with a 78.0 PFF overall grade. He has been reliable in pass protection over the past two seasons, allowing just one sack, but his shorter arm length could present challenges transitioning to the next level.
Kanak: Kanak followed an unconventional path to tight end, as he transitioned from a dual-threat quarterback and linebacker in high school to linebacker and special teams roles before a move to tight end in 2025. Despite limited experience at the position, he produced 44 receptions for 530 yards and offers added value on special teams, which strengthens his case for a roster spot.
Nate Davis, USA Today
Grade: C+.
What Davis said: First-round WR Carnell Tate and DE Keldric Faulk should play big snaps starting in Week 1. Second-round LB Anthony Hill might just make a push for Defensive Rookie of the Year given the way players at his position – to say nothing of Hill’s inherent ability – tend to thrive in HC Robert Saleh’s scheme. Yet second-year GM Mike Borgonzi’s selection of Tate at No. 4 was telling. He projects as a very good player, probably the cleanest wideout prospect in this draft. He’s not Calvin Johnson … and maybe not even perennial Pro Bowl material. But picking him is a clear indication that the priority here was helping second-year QB Cam Ward, which Tate should absolutely do, and not giving Saleh more defensive shock troops off the top. Yet Titans fans will be left wondering for some time whether Borgonzi should have figured out a way to deal up one spot for Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love, who went No. 3 to Arizona … where he seems miscast at present.
Carter Bahns, CBS
Grade: B.
What Bahns said: The Titans saw the bevy of teams with two first-round picks and decided to get in on the action. A late trade with the Bills gave them the No. 31 pick, which they used to further reconstruct Robert Saleh’s defensive front by taking Keldric Faulk.
Earlier, it was no surprise to see Carnell Tate go in the top 10, but few would have thought the Titans would be the team to land him. That doesn’t make it a bad pick for Tennessee, though. With Jeremiyah Love off the board, the Titans shifted their focus from running back to wide receiver in the search for weapons to pair with Cam Ward. That’s exactly what they got in Tate, who could become the second-year quarterback’s favorite target as a rookie.
Saleh finally got his running back on Day 3. Nicholas Singleton is not the same kind of runner as Love but was a longtime college star thanks to his combination of size (6-foot) and speed (4.35 seconds in the 40-yard dash). He will be a really fun ballcarrier who can take some pressure off Ward and the passing game.
Matt Verderame, Sports Illustrated
Grade: A.
What they said: Tennessee was busier than anybody in free agency and kept rolling in the draft. After taking Tate to give second-year quarterback Cam Ward an elite perimeter talent, general manager Mike Borgonzi traded back into the first round and selected the 21-year-old Faulk to play alongside Jeffery Simmons and John Franklin-Myers. Tate is a stud, having caught 51 passes for 875 yards and nine touchdowns in 2025. In the second round, Hill is a terrific fit in coach Robert Saleh’s defense, giving Tennessee an early starter at the second level.
Eric Froton, NBC Sports
Grade: B.
What Froton said: Tennessee gets their potential franchise WR1 in Tate, followed by trading up for intriguing 20-year-old Edge setter Keldric Faulk all the way down at 31 (20th industry). LB Anthony Hill Jr. was another strong pick at 60 (49 industry), while Nicholas Singleton with the 165th selection (133rd industry) is a former five-star RB prospect who could potentially challenge for carries as soon as his foot injury heals. Both Carmona at 142 (243rd industry) and Jackie Marshall with the 184th (no industry rank) were reaches, so it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows from a value standpoint. However taken as a whole, I think Tennessee addressed key weaknesses with quality players.
Charles McDonald, YahooSports!
Grade: A.
What McDonald said: This feels like a true foundational draft for the next era of the Titans. Carnell Tate going fourth overall felt a little rich, but now that the final haul of players is in, that pick feels like a necessary cherry on top for a strong class. Trading back into the first for Keldric Faulk and getting Anthony HIll Jr. at the end of the second round are two incredibly legit, high-upside projects for Robert Saleh to work with. They also got a nice little pick at center in the sixth round in Indiana’s Pat Coogan. It’s hard not to be excited after this haul; it could be the base of the team for a long time if players hit their development curves.
Tim Crean, Clutch Points
Grade: A.
What Crean said: Best Pick: WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State (Round 1, Pick 4)
Worst Pick: TE Jaren Kanak, Oklahoma (Round 7, Pick 225)
Most Interesting Pick: EDGE Keldric Faulk, Auburn (Round 1, Pick 31)
Robert Saleh and Brian Daboll know they need to help Cam Ward, so drafting Carnell Tate made a lot of sense. And you almost never go wrong drafting a first-round Ohio State wide receiver. After that, trading back into Round 1 for the raw but gifted Keldric Faulk was a stroke of genius. The Titans can wait on him to develop, and between his character and Saleh’s coaching, chances are he will come good.
There honestly weren’t many mistakes here for the Titans. They got value and good players along the way, and mid-round talents like LB Anhtonhy Hill Jr. and C Pat Coogan have a chance to be solid (or better) starters sooner rather than later.
Tim Bielik, Cleveland.com
Grade: B+
What Bielik said: Breakdown: Tennessee delivered the first curveball of the draft by taking Ohio State WR Carnell Tate fourth overall. Tate immediately becomes an important weapon for Cam Ward. I also liked their next two picks in edge rusher Keldric Faulk and LB Anthony Hill Jr. In addition, RB Nicholas Singleton in the fifth round was a nice sleeper pick to me.
