For a long time, draft season was the season in Duval County. The question of “Which college prospects are going to turn around my Jacksonville Jaguars?” came to mind well before the end of each regular season.
No more! The 2026 draft cycle has been boring as heck — but in a good way. Liam Coen won enough games in his first season to earn the No. 24 pick, which James Gladstone already promised ahead of time to the Cleveland Browns for Travis Hunter. The Jags don’t have a first-rounder, but it seems
like as good a year as any not to have one, considering the lack of sizzle at the top of the 2026 draft class.
Jacksonville will wait a while until the “on the clock” ticker turns teal. Meanwhile, the rival Tennessee Titans are picking in formerly familiar territory to the Jaguars. General manager Mike Borgonzi and head coach Robert Saleh have the 4th overall pick on Thursday night.
Before Jaguars fans begin tracking the draft’s fallers and best available prospects, they’ll watch the Titans make a hugely significant decision.
Will Tennessee draft an offensive weapon to pair with quarterback Cam Ward, or a defensive centerpiece to weaponize under Saleh?
Hopefully, it’ll be the former.
Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love can score points from anywhere on the field. That immediately makes him worth considering with the 4th pick. A strong running game can certainly help a young quarterback… but is a star rusher really necessary? Ward can generate plenty of explosive plays himself in the passing game (if/when his supporting cast improves). If I were a Titans fan, I’d rather find a “singles and doubles” back later in the draft than splurge early for a home run hitter. Love would just be taking the ball away from a promising but still-developing passer who deserves to be built around.
Ohio State WR Carnell Tate has the kind of hands that will make him any quarterback’s best friend. That immediately makes him worth considering with the 4th pick. Along with his ball skills, he also brings body control and football IQ to the table. Tate is a pro-ready wideout in the same mold as his former college teammate Emeka Egbuka… however, like Egbuka, he doesn’t quite have the athleticism to be among the first prospects selected in the draft, even in a class with few blue-chippers.
Love plays a position with a very short shelf life. Tate projects more as a good No. 2 receiver than a volume-hogging alpha. Beyond those two playmakers, the Titans could look to upgrade their offensive line, but that’d be considered a sizable reach given the lack of any elite tackle prospects. It seems Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is the only offensive prospect who should definitely be taken in the top five.
Looking at the other side of the ball… I shudder at the thought of Miami EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. wearing a Titans jersey. The former Hurricane is a power rusher in the same mold as Brandon Graham or Melvin Ingram. He may not have prototypical measurements, but that doesn’t stop him from destroying backfields and dominating games. I suppose Saleh and his staff prefer defensive ends with longer arms, because otherwise, I don’t see why Bain-to-Tennessee wouldn’t be among the most popular prospect-to-team mock fits out there.
Ohio State EDGE/LB Arvell Reese and Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey are projected to go 2nd and 3rd overall in some order. If either made it to the 4th pick, they’d make a ton of sense for Saleh’s defense, which relies on four pass rushers to get home.
Ohio State LB Sonny Styles and Ohio State S Caleb Downs (lotta Buckeyes to parse through!) should also be in consideration as high-floor, high-ceiling defenders who are already elite against the run and getting there against the pass. Linebacker and safety may not be premium positions, but Styles and Downs figure to be instant contributors with the potential to earn future Pro Bowl nods. Styles could be especially effective slotting in next to third-year pro Credric Gray at the second level.
As a Jaguars fan, I’m hoping to see the Titans reach for an offensive player rather than letting a stud defender fall into their laps. Tennessee ought to select its favorite front-seven player with the 4th overall pick.
Only a few more days until we find out what they, and the rest of the league, will actually do in the first round!
