The tide has turned on the Tennessee Titans’ pick in the first round of 2026 NFL mock drafts. Early in the process, they all had the Titans taking Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr., but lately, the most popular
pick has been Texas Tech’s David Bailey. That was the case today in Field Yates’s 2026 NFL mock draft over at ESPN.
I’m still team get all Cam Ward the weapons this offseason, but it is hard to ignore the fact that pass rush has dominated the last two Super Bowls. The Titans desperately need help on that front. If they have the chance to add an elite EDGE guy in this draft, that is going to be really hard to pass up.
One thing that we will all be keeping an eye on if the Titans do go with Bailey in the first round is how many receivers are picked before the Titans are on the clock again. Yates has five receivers going in the first round of his mock.
One other thing to note, Yates has Jeremiyah Love going ninth to the Kansas City Chiefs here. Pairing Love with Patrick Mahomes could be a nightmare for the rest of the AFC. Love might be the best overall player in this draft.
Here is what Yates had to say about the Bailey pick:
The Titans could easily go wide receiver with this pick to further support quarterback Cam Ward, but Bailey addresses another roster hole that new head coach Robert Saleh would surely be thrilled to tackle. Bailey led the FBS in sacks (14.5) during his lone season at Texas Tech after three seasons at Stanford. A number of those sacks came from his lightning-fast first step — the best of any collegiate rusher. And he has the instincts to get his hands up in passing lanes.
