GM Mike Borgonzi and the Tennessee Titans needed another strong rookie draft class after a pretty solid result in 2025.
That 2025 group yielded starters at quarterback, safety, tight end, wide receiver, slot cornerback, and a former All-Pro kick returner. It was going to be hard to top that, but the Titans' 2026 Draft class is off to a strong start.
Dane Brugler recently announced his All-Rookie team after the first month of the season, and the Titans had four players who made the cut.
4 Titans rookies make The Athletic's All-Rookie Team
The only first-teamer was Carnell Tate, and it looks like it will only go up from here. Despite the team's slow start, the fourth overall pick is somehow only 20 receiving yards behind Denzel Boston, who leads all rookies. Considering that Tate has been open all year long, it stands to reason that this is just the beginning for the Titans rookie, and now that he has had his breakout game, both he and the team will have more confidence in that connection as the season continues.
One player who just missed first-team honors was linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. To show you how close it was and how highly Brugler thinks of the rookies at this position, he led off his second-team analysis with this quote, "Being on the second team at this position is no slight."
Hill's big "problem" right now is that he isn't making plays. Being a good tackler and stacking up a nice box score is impressive, but what really separates the standout linebackers from the good linebackers is the ability to make impact plays (TFLs, fumbles, INTs, PBUs, etc.). Hill has all of the skills to do that; he just has to be patient and take advantage of the chances he gets going forward.
Fernando Carmons was another breakout Titans rookie before injury
The Titans' other second-team rookie was Fernando Carmona, who would probably have been on the first-team list if he were healthy. Remember, he was hurt on the first snap of the game against the New York Giants in Week 3, so he made it this high in the rankings after just two games.
Finally, Keldric Faulk was an honorable mention on the list, and that is exactly what Titans fans should have been hoping for. Faulk is one of the youngest players in the NFL, and he was drafted because of what he could develop into long-term. He looks better each week and has more and more flashes, and there is no reason to expect his development to slow down any time soon.
This team is going to continue to get better as the season goes on. How many wins they get out of it isn't something anyone can predict, but there are already clear indicators of success like Tate's development, the offensive line becoming one of the best in the league by some metrics, the defense holding Derrick Henry to one of the worst days of his Baltimore Ravens career, the total points the defense has allowed, etc.
Robert Saleh said it best when he said the team has to find ways not to lose before they can find ways to win. Right now, the team is losing games because of the mistakes they make in critical moments. Once they get over that hurdle, this team could be fun to watch for the first time in half a decade. A big part of that growth is going to be the development of these young players, and so far this staff is doing a very good job with that.
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