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Making Cam Ward's life easier with Titans' 7-round NFL mock draft
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- Making Cam Ward's life easier with Titans' 7-round NFL mock draft
The Tennessee Titans' search for their next coach continues, but preparations for the 2026 NFL Draft wait for no one.
The Titans own the No. 4 pick in April's draft to go along with picks Nos. 35, 66, 101, 140, 142, 182 and 238. After taking quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 selection in 2025, the team's objective in 2026 has to be building around him and strengthening the roster in areas that have been ravaged by injuries, trades and bad investments in recent years.
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This means three main priorities: pass catchers, cornerbacks and edge rushers.
In this early edition of the Titans ' mock draft, let's prioritize two of those areas of need above all else: Building a stronger offense around Ward with more perimeter weapons, and rebuilding the secondary after constant turnover doomed the defense in 2025.
Round 1, pick 4: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
When in doubt, draft a wide receiver from Ohio State. Tate caught a staggering 75% of the passes thrown his way. For context: Tetairoa McMillan , the first true receiver picked in 2025, caught 62% of the passes thrown his way in college at Arizona . And Tate wasn't exclusively hauling in gimmes; his average depth of target in 2025 was 14.6 yards downfield. He's a red zone warrior who wins almost all of his contested catch opportunities, but he's open so often that he rarely needs to flex those muscles. Sure, coming from Ohio State's loaded offense insulated Tate a little bit, but he'll fit right in as Ward's No. 1 receiver of the future.
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Round 2, pick 35: Chris Johnson , CB, San Diego State
Shh . . . don't tell anyone about Johnson, lest he sneak into the first round (where he belongs). Johnson, a 6-foot coverage specialist from the smaller school ranks, allowed only 18 completions on 43 targets, with four interceptions and five more pass breakups. Quarterbacks who threw at him posted a passer rating of 16.1 in 2025. Remember: If a quarterback throws nothing but incompletions, his passer rating is still 39.6. Johnson made quarterbacks look two times worse than if they spiked the ball every play.
Round 3, pick 66: Chris Brazzell II, WR, Tennessee
In Tate, the Titans pairs Ward with an all-around playmaker. In Brazzell, let's give Ward a field-stretching specialist. Among Power Four players in 2025, only likely first-round pick Makai Lemon caught more deep passes than Brazzell, who pairs his 6-5 frame with likely sub-4.50 speed to blaze past defensive backs. A receiver room of Tate, Brazzell, Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike is a young one, but it's one to feel good about developmentally.
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Round 4, pick 101: Malik Muhammad, CB, Texas
Muhammad didn't put up the same ball-hawking numbers in 2025 that he did in 2024, when he logged nine pass breakups. But he held receivers to just 8 yards per completion in 2025, ranking in the top-five among Power Four cornerbacks. Pair Johnson and Muhammad with a veteran nickel corner, and the Titans have a developmental secondary to go along with the developmental receiving corps.
Round 5, pick 140: Pat Coogan, C, Indiana
Whether the Titans retain center Lloyd Cushenberry III or not, bringing in a long-term investment as an interior line depth piece is crucial in this draft. Coogan, a Notre Dame transfer, has played for the national title in back-to-back years, and he was the Rose Bowl MVP as a center. It's hard not to think highly of that résumé.
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Round 5, pick 142: Nadame Tucker, OLB, Western Michigan
Beware the one-year wonder, especially the one-year wonder at a smaller school. But Tucker's one year at Western Michigan was awfully wondrous — 14 sacks, 61 total pressures — including seven pressures and two sacks against a power opponent at Michigan State. Tucker played about 3.5 times more snaps in 2025 than he did in three years combined at Houston , so he'll have some growing to do. But that didn't stop the Titans from gambling on Oluwafemi Oladejo at the same position in 2025.
Round 6, pick 182: Taylen Green , QB, Arkansas
Let's not do that thing where we mock-draft a quarterback exclusively to talk about his non-quarterback traits. If the Titans draft a Day 3 quarterback this year, it should be to nurture him as Ward's long-term backup. Green can be that. But let's not ignore Green's 6-6 frame and 4.40 speed, either. He can be a backup quarterback who'll also come in handy as a wildcat quarterback, and potentially an extra tight end or receiver in the right packages.
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Round 7, pick 238: Marvin Jones Jr. , OLB, Oklahoma
End the draft by taking a gamble on talent. Jones is a former five-star recruit who never could put it together production-wise at Georgia, Florida State or Oklahoma. He's still a big, powerful, rangy rusher who's the son of an 11-year pro. Maybe he never puts it together. But this is the time of the draft to gamble on traits.
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.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans 7-round mock draft to make Cam Ward's life much easier in 2026
