The 2026 NFL Draft is just a couple of days away, and with the No. 4 pick, the Tennessee Titans are at the center of more than their fair share of rumors.

The Titans are coming off a 3-14 season that saw the dismissal of coach Brian Callahan and the hiring of former New York Jets coach Robert Saleh to replace him. The draft, which is being held in Pittsburgh, begins April 23 at 7 p.m. CT, and the Titans hold eight other picks, from Rounds 2 through 7.

One year after selecting quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick, there’s a lot more mystery related to what the Titans will do, and what the teams picking ahead of them will leave on the board.

Throughout the draft process, they have been most frequently connected to three players: Ohio State edge defender Arvell Reese, Texas Tech edge defender David Bailey and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. As the draft has drawn closer, Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles has joined that pack, especially as a consensus started to form about Reese and Bailey being the likely Nos. 2 and 3 picks, respectively. (Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is widely assumed to be the No. 1 pick.)

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The Jets, picking No. 2, still seem likely to pick one of the dazzling edge rushers. But rumors have started to swirl about the No. 3 Arizona Cardinals, both whether they want to make the pick at all, and if they’d be more willing to bet on Love than one of the defenders or offensive linemen available to them.

These questions are only exacerbated by recent moves from teams like the New York Giants — who now possess two top-10 picks and have been connected to players like Love and Styles throughout the draft process — and by rumors about teams with multiple picks later in the first round that might be willing to move up, most notably the Dallas Cowboys.

It’s the time of year where rumors surface by the minutes and hours, not by days. Keep yourself posted for the latest mock drafts, NFL draft rumors, trades, analysis and more.

Tennessee Titans NFL draft live updates: Latest rumors about draft trades, NFL mock drafts, predictions, analysis and more

Daniel Jeremiah published his final mock draft this evening. He has the Titans taking Sonny Styles, linebacker out of Ohio State, at No. 4. Notably, he has the Titans passing on Jeremiyah Love, with the Notre Dame running back going to the New York Giants at No. 5.

In his analysis, Jeremiah says Styles is the «perfect match for the Fred Warner role in Robert Saleh’s defense.» San Fransisco’s Warner has been named All-Pro four times (2020, 2022-2024) in his career. Saleh was the 49ers’ defensive coordinator from 2017-2020 and then again in 2025.

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard was in attendance at practice today. With both Pollard and Tyjae Spears on the roster, does it make sense for the Titans to select Jeremiyah Love at No. 4?

Last season Pollard rushed for 1,082 yards and five touchdowns while adding 33 receptions for 206 yards. Spears pitched in 283 rushing yards with two touchdowns and had 45 receptions for 264 yards.

Love would surely provide an upgrade in the backfield, but running back is low on the Titans’ list of positional needs, and upgrades on defense could ultimately trump Love’s undeniable upside.

ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller released his final mock draft on April 22.

Miller projected the Titans to select Jeremiyah Love, his top-ranked player in the draft. Miller said that the Titans and GM Mike Borgonzi would be interested in trading down, but find themselves without a sensible trade to make at No. 4, with both Arvell Reese and David Bailey likely off the board.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler added that the Titans have considered Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, per a source, while one of Reese or Bailey would be of interest if available. Fowler also mentioned Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano as a potential option for Tennessee.

As draft plans remain fluid across the league, the Dallas Cowboys and co-owner Stephen Jones have cemented a trade with the Tennessee Titans is not on the table for draft night. Jones confirmed to reporters at a press conference on April 22 that the Cowboys would not look to trade into the top five, meaning one less interested party for the Titans’ No. 4 overall selection.

Titans GM Mike Borgonzi hasn’t shut down the idea of a trade back in the draft, but he’s also been quick to herald the talent pool set to be available if the Titans remain at No. 4.

«I think we’re going to remain flexible where we’re at because I think there’s a handful of players we really like at four,» Borgonzi told reporters on April 16.

Entering the 2026 NFL Draft Louisville wide receiver Chris Bell is ahead of schedule in his rehab, according to Ian Rapoport. Bell was a highly touted draft prospect before tearing his ACL in November, but is already running over 18 miles per hour as he continues his recovery, Rapoport reported citing Bell’s agent and doctor.

Bell is projected as a second or third rounder, and with wide receiver among the Titans’ top needs, he may just find himself on GM Mike Borgonzi’s draft board come April 24.

A potential draft target for the Titans at No. 4, Jeremiyah Love said today that he had a great pre-draft visit with Tennessee. He said there were «great vibes» with the team and facility and that Cam Ward was a «great guy and a great quarterback.» He also clearly knows about the history of the running back position with the Titans.

“I’ve always known the Titans to have good running backs,» Love said. «If I (were) to get drafted there I would continue that legacy.”

Love mentioned that he’s been rumored to be drafted by the Titans, Cardinals, and Giants.

The Titans’ NFL Draft options are slowly being whittled down. If either of Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese or Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey is available at No. 4, it seems likely the Titans will grab one. Most think the Titans’ conversations primarily revolve around edge rushers and receivers.

Here’s a new wrinkle. ESPN’s Dan Graziano says the Titans may also trade down:

«I have been told the Titans also would like to trade down from No. 4; but if they can’t, the pick is likely to be an edge rusher or a wide receiver. So, if Bailey is still on the board at No. 4, he’d be a strong candidate to go to Tennessee. If not, I expect the Titans to either trade down or take whichever wideout (Ohio State’s Carnell Tate or Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson) they have ranked the highest,» Graziano wrote for ESPN on April 22.

After weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks of build-up about the Titans picking Jeremiyah Love or an edge rusher, just about every prognosticator is switching things up 36 hours before the draft starts. Both ESPN’s Peter Schrager and NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein have the Titans picking Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles at No. 4, a move that feels a little bit out-of-nowhere and a lot of a bit misguided logically.

Styles is a great prospect. There’s a reason folks are talking about him being a top-five pick as an off-ball linebacker. But… c’mon. He’s an off-ball linebacker. The most valuable middle linebackers are about as valuable as a really good No. 2 receiver or a below-average No. 1 running back. And sure, Titans coach Robert Saleh loves great middle linebackers, but he’s also developed great middle linebackers out of free agent dustbin pickups and mid-round draft selections. If there’s one thing he’s proven able to do, it’s make a great middle linebacker without having to invest heavy resources into the position.

The speculation makes sense on the surface level. But it starts to fall apart when the simplest logic is presented: If the Titans stick and pick at No. 4, that means picking Sonny Styles would mean passing on at least one of Love, Arvell Reese or David Bailey. That’s… not good business.

Wednesday morning news roundup

Tuesday was a slower day on the rumor mill than Monday, with much of the speculation revolving around the New York Jets at No. 2. For most of the draft cycle, it was a foregone conclusion that the Jets wanted to pick Ohio State’s Arvell Reese. Then the priority seemed to shift toward Texas Tech’s David Bailey. Now the lever is ticking back toward Reese, with pundits arguing about how secretive the Jets are being.

How does this affect the Titans? Well, Bailey is more of a sure-thing prospect, at least when it comes to positional fit. He’s less of a projection and more of a plug-and-play option. Reese, who’ll likely be playing a new position as a pro, is a high-ceiling prospect with great traits, but also plenty of question marks.

ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. released the final update to his Big Board, his ranking of the top players in the draft, on Tuesday morning. Mendoza is No. 1; potential Titans targets Jeremiyah Love, Reese and Bailey are ranked Nos. 2, 3 and 5 respectively.

Mike Tomlin appears to have found his next job after his nearly two-decade stint coaching the Pittsburgh Steelers came to an end in January. Per a report from Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, Tomlin will join NBC as a studio analyst for its Sunday night pregame show, «Football Night in America.»

Tomlin went 193-114-2 in 19 seasons in Pittsburgh, coaching the team to a Super Bowl championship in 2008 and another appearance in 2010.

Sports Illustrated’s Connor Orr proposed an interesting trade scenario for the Tennessee Titans at No. 4. In his mock draft, published Tuesday morning, Orr has the Titans moving back from No. 4 to No. 13 in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams, in this situation, are trading up to acquire RB Jeremiyah Love. The Titans, for moving out of the slot, give up picks Nos. 4 and 101 to receive picks Nos. 13, 61 and 93 as well as a first-round pick in 2027.

Orr has the Titans selecting Southern Cal WR Makai Lemon with the No. 13 pick.

What say you, Titans fans? Is the haul worth the downgrade from Love to Lemon?

Monday morning rumor bin: ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Jeremiyah Love, David Bailey, Titans and Cardinals

Writing in his ESPN draft rumors file, Adam Schefter reported that there is a belief around the NFL that the Cardinals are more interested in drafting Love with the No. 3 pick than had otherwise been anticipated. He also reported that in the event the Jets pick Reese and the Cardinals pick Love, the Titans might be willing to pass on Bailey for a trade or another player. It’s a complicated wrinkle to draft season this late in the process.

Instinct is to say it’s hard to imagine the Titans passing on Bailey or Reese, and that Love would have to be the pick over Styles if both edge rushers are gone. If the Titans really believe these things, it’s hard to believe they’d be saying them to national reporters this close to the draft. Same goes for the Cardinals. But the NFL is a league where keeping secrets is mighty hard.

Tennessee Titans NFL draft needs

The Titans are going into the draft with significant needs at edge rusher, guard, center, wide receiver and defensive back. They also could stand to improve at spots like running back, tight end and linebacker, and they could benefit from more depth on the offensive and defensive fronts.

Titans mock draft roundup

Love is the most commonly selected player in Titans mock drafts, with experts including ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, The Ringer’s Todd McShay, ESPN’s Matt Miller and FOX Sports’ Geoff Schwartz making the pick. Bailey and Styles still have their camps as well, most notably with The Athletic’s Dane Brugler and ESPN’s Jordan Reid picking Bailey and CBS Sports’ Emory Hunt and The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner selecting Styles.

The case for Jeremiyah Love

First and foremost, Love is an excellent running back in the open field. According to Pro Football Focus, he forced 118 missed tackles on 361 carries the past two seasons, working out to one missed tackle forced every three rushes. For context, Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs forced missed tackles once per 3.6 carries in college, and Christian McCaffrey (49ers) did so at a rate of one for every 5.3 carries. 

It’s not hard to figure out the formula of how Love converts missed tackles into big gains. The 4.36 speed takes over, and Love dazzles. Consider, as example, his national breakout moment, a 98-yard touchdown run in Notre Dame’s 27-17 win over Indiana in the first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff.

The Titans haven’t had this sort of breakaway threat since prime Derrick Henry, or this sort of speed in the backfield since Chris Johnson’s best seasons.

The case for Arvell Reese, David Bailey

Saleh historically has preferred to build his defenses around a four-man base rush that doesn’t have to overly rely on blitzing. In 2022 and 2023, he fielded top-five defenses as Jets head coach while ranking 32nd and 31st in the NFL in blitz rate. Winning pass rush reps with your front four is central to this ideology, and that means packing your starting lineup with not just talent, but a diversity of talents. 

Jeffery Simmons, John Franklin-Myers and Jermaine Johnson II all possess immense power, and while Simmons is a gifted athlete on the interior, the unit was missing a true speed rush threat. Bailey, who ran a helmet-rattling 4.5-second 40-yard dash and had a broad jump of 10 feet, 9 inches at the 2026 NFL scouting combine, is the athletic marvel this group was missing, and a productive one at that.

Bailey’s quickness and explosiveness, if it translates to the pros, will require extra attention from running backs and tight ends who stay in to block on passing downs.

Reese ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the combine with a 1.58-second 10-yard split. By comparison, all-world running back prospect Love’s 10-yard split timed in at 1.55 seconds, a negligible difference when it comes to creating burst despite Reese outweighing Love by 30 pounds. 

Micah Parsons, for what it’s worth, boasted a 10-yard split of 1.59 seconds at his pro day in 2021. 

Reese’s quickness and explosiveness, assuming it translates to a new position, replicates what Reese can provide.

NFL draft order 2026

  1. Las Vegas Raiders
  2. New York Jets
  3. Arizona Cardinals
  4. Tennessee Titans
  5. New York Giants
  6. Cleveland Browns
  7. Washington Commanders
  8. New Orleans Saints
  9. Kansas City Chiefs
  10. New York Giants
  11. Miami Dolphins
  12. Dallas Cowboys
  13. Los Angeles Rams
  14. Baltimore Ravens
  15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  16. New York Jets
  17. Detroit Lions
  18. Minnesota Vikings
  19. Carolina Panthers
  20. Dallas Cowboys
  21. Pittsburgh Steelers
  22. Los Angeles Chargers
  23. Philadelphia Eagles
  24. Cleveland Browns
  25. Chicago Bears
  26. Buffalo Bills
  27. San Francisco 49ers
  28. Houston Texans
  29. Kansas City Chiefs
  30. Miami Dolphins
  31. New England Patriots
  32. Seattle Seahawks

NFL draft 2026 best players available

Here are the top 25 players available, according to the consensus big board rankings.

  1. QB Fernando Mendoza
  2. LB Arvell Reese
  3. Edge David Bailey
  4. RB Jeremiyah Love
  5. LB Sonny Styles
  6. OT Francis Mauigoa
  7. WR Carnell Tate
  8. S Caleb Downs
  9. DL Rueben Bain Jr.
  10. CB Mansoor Delane
  11. OT Spencer Fano
  12. WR Makai Lemon
  13. OT Monroe Freeling
  14. WR Jordyn Tyson
  15. CB Jermod McCoy
  16. IOL Vega Ioane
  17. TE Kenyon Sadiq
  18. S Dillon Thieneman
  19. OL Kadyn Proctor
  20. Edge Keldric Faulk
  21. Edge Akheem Mesidor
  22. WR Omar Cooper Jr.
  23. S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
  24. WR K.C. Concepcion
  25. OT Blake Miller

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.



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