With the No. 31 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans have selected Auburn defensive end Keldric Faulk, becoming the next first-round pick to join the Titans after they picked WR Carnell Tate No. 4 overall.
The Titans picked Faulk after trading up with the Buffalo Bills to No. 31 overall. The Titans gave up picks Nos. 35, 66 and 101 in exchange for picks Nos. 31, 69 and 165. As a result of the trade, the Titans will only have one pick on Day 2 of the NFL draft.
Faulk, at 6-foot-5 and 274 pounds, is a power rusher off the edge, filling a need the Titans have for edge defender but not finding the bendy, hyper-athletic type of rusher the Titans were thought to be coveting. Faulk only registered two sacks in 2025 at Auburn despite hype that had him as a potential top-10 pick coming into the season.
MOCK DRAFT: Our final Tennessee Titans 7-round mock draft prediction. Is Jeremiyah Love the pick?
SUBSCRIBE TO TALKIN' TITANS NEWSLETTER: Get every Titans story and exclusive Titans content sent straight to your inbox!
Around the time general manager Mike Borgonzi was hired in 2025, he and Titans president of football operations expressed a goal of developing through the draft and doing so by averaging 10 selections per year over the first three years of their partnership. The Titans drafted nine players in 2025, one below goal, with six of those players selected between Round 4 and Round 6.
Improving roster depth at top and bottom has been a major emphasis since the Titans hired coach Robert Saleh and his new staff in January. Over the last few months, the Titans have signed 19 outside free agents and counting along with adding two contributors via trades. Some of these players are expected to be starters, including big names like DL John Franklin-Myers, CBs Alontae Taylor and Cor’Dale Flott and WR Wan’Dale Robinson, but many have been signed as rotational and depth pieces who’ll raise the floor of the roster more than they’ll contribute as frontline competitors.
The Titans biggest needs include edge defender, wide receiver, guard, center and defensive back.
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 draft Keldric Faulk in NFL draft after trading back into first round