Will Titans 'shock' NFL by making this first-round draft pick?

Many members of the NFL community believe that a Tennessee Titans franchise that hired Robert Saleh as its new head coach earlier this winter will ultimately make Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love the fourth overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. 

It sounds like some think the Titans could go in an entirely different direction. 

How Titans could "shock" NFL Draft analysts

On Thursday morning, NFL insider Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom US shared that some think the Titans could "shock draft boards" and grab Miami Hurricanes pass-rusher Rueben Bain Jr. instead of Love on the night of April 23. 

For a mock draft posted this past Tuesday, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. noted that Bain's 30⅞-inch arms "caused quite the stir" at the scouting combine. One longtime evaluator who spoke with La Canfora suggested concerns about those measurements are silly. 

"Go check his wingspan differential," the evaluator said about Bain. "His arms are not going to be a problem. This kid did nothing but produce." 

For what it's worth, Kiper predicted that the Titans will draft Love and that Bain will fall to the Kansas City Chiefs at selection No. 9. That said, Saleh has a defensive background, and he served as the San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator this past season. 

"I have to believe Saleh is considering him with that pick," a different evaluator told La Canfora about Bain.

Titans not a lock to take Jeremiyah Love?

NFL beat writers from The Athletic seem to agree that the Titans running up to the podium to select Love is not a guarantee. In The Athletic's latest mock draft that was posted on Thursday, Joe Rexrode predicted that the Titans will take Texas Tech Red Raiders edge-rusher David Bailey over both Love and Bain. Those writers also had Bain going to the Chiefs, and they linked Love with the Baltimore Ravens at pick No. 14. 

Current Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll previously had running back Saquon Barkley as a weapon when the two were with the New York Giants. As much as Daboll may enjoy working with a dynamic playmaker such as Love, Saleh may ultimately get his way regarding Tennessee's first-round draft pick.