The conundrum for drafting players for NFL teams is always: Do we draft the best player available or what we need the most?
For the Tennessee Titans, they must select the best player available on the big board.
Titans Must Address Edge Rusher This Offseason
The Titans enter the 2026 offseason with a long list of positions of need. The most glaring is to find another pass rusher to play alongside Jeffery Simmons. New Head Coach Robert Saleh has a defense that will force rapid changes to the roster from a personnel standpoint.
The Titans already moved former second-round pick T’Vondre Sweat earlier this offseason in a trade for Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson. Tennessee has spent the scouting phase of the offseason evaluating edge rushing talent in the draft, and there are risks everywhere they look.
There is no denying the on-field production of Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr., but his measurables aren’t just bad — they are historically bad. Bain measured in with the first percentile of arm length for edge rushers in the NFL combine since 2010.
Another highly touted edge rusher is David Bailey of Texas Tech.
On tape, Bailey is by far the most explosive pash rusher in the class. He led all of Division I in sacks with 14.5 during his senior season, but there is a large downside to his play. He is non-existent in the run game. His frame will not allow him to set the edge, and it will be exploited at the next level.
Given the lack of certainty with the options provided, the Titans need to shift their focus to taking the best player on their draft board.
Who Is the Best Player in the Draft?
There are 1A and 1B in this draft class competing for the best player: running back Jeremiyah Love from Notre Dame and linebacker Sonny Styles from Ohio State.
They play on different sides of the ball but in positions that are often not taken high in the draft due to the idea that their value can be found later on.
There are reasons to draft either player, but both are as skilled in their positions as any prospect can be.
Why the Titans Should Draft Jeremiyah Love
With the hiring of Saleh, the Titans brought in former Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll to be the offensive coordinator. Daboll will have some tools to start with in Nashville as Cam Ward will enter his second season, but they desperately need to get him weapons.
Who better than to draft the class’s best offensive player in Jeremiyah Love?
Love has all the traits that a team could ask for in a modern-day back. His 4.36 40-yard dash highlights his elite breakaway speed. His vision allows him to always find yards on broken plays and catch passes out of the backfield.
Drafting a running back early has always been considered malpractice due to many not being able to sustain their prime over a long career, but the Titans desperately need Love’s explosiveness.
Love would allow the Titans to return to play action plays more often, which Ward thrived in during his rookie season. While Tony Pollard had a good season for the Titans in 2025, Love would bring a new dynamic to the Titans while being eight years younger.
If the Titans consider using the No. 4 overall pick on offense, it has to be Love.
Why the Titans Should Draft Sonny Styles
Saleh is bringing a new defensive scheme to Nashville, and there isn’t a better fit in the entire draft than Styles. He is an athletic freak, as he posted a score of 9.99 out of 10 in RAS (Relative Athletic Score). This makes Styles one of the most athletic linebackers to enter the NFL Draft in recent history.
Styles does anything and everything at the position. He can attack the gaps to stop a run play, drop back into coverage on third downs, or blitz the quarterback.
Not only is he explosive in all of these areas, but he is also always making the right decision on the field.
The Titans as a whole are a very young defense that will need another leader in the locker room. Styles can be that guy and more for this defense.
He would partner up with one of the best young linebackers, Cedric Gray, who was second in the league in solo tackles last season with 97.
Styles would completely change the defense for the Titans at the fourth overall pick. If the Titans are considering adding a defensive player, Styles’ name has to be the one.
Titans Have Plenty of Options
The Titans are in a spot where they need to take the best available player to help build the backbone of the franchise.
There will be options on both sides of the ball, but it is ultimately up to General Manager Mike Borgonzi to make the call to Pittsburgh, where someone’s NFL dream will become a reality as they become a Tennessee Titan.
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