NFL mock draft post-combine: Can Arvell Reese, David Bailey still fall to Titans?
INDIANAPOLIS ― The invisible line that separates the first half of the first round from the second half of the round in the 2026 NFL Draft feels awfully thick.
The 2026 NFL scouting combine has come and gone, and the separation between the top 10-15 prospects in the class and the next 30 or so players on the board appears pronounced. For teams like the Tennessee Titans that usually would be in a beneficial position looking for a trade down from No. 4, the room for flexibility is pretty narrow.
Top prospects at non-premium positions like RB Jeremiyah Love, LB Sonny Styles and TE Kenyon Sadiq confirmed their top prospect bona fides with impressive combine showings, while would-be risers at more premium positions such as quarterback, receiver and edge defender didn't do much to muddy up the top of the board.
The result is a shortage of top-end talent, and an even more pronounced shortage of top-end talent at the most important positions. That's not a great recipe for teams picking outside the top 10 or teams in the top 10 that might want to leverage their draft slot for a stockpile of assets.
With this gap in mind, here is The Tennessean's post-NFL combine mock draft.
2026 NFL mock draft: Post-combine edition
1. Las Vegas Raiders ― Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
Rubber-stamp it. The clearest, most obvious no-brainer at the top of a draft since . . . Joe Burrow? Andrew Luck? Matthew Stafford? Point is, it has been a while since the combination of natural 1-1 talent has been met with a lack of 1-1 competition. Mendoza and the Raiders find themselves in that position.
2. New York Jets ― Arvell Reese, LB/Edge, Ohio State
Pass rush was already a huge need for the Jets before they traded Jermaine Johnson II to the Titans. Now they can pick Reese, the high-upside converted linebacker and develop him into a rush specialist who thrives with quick, twitchy traits.
3. Arizona Cardinals ― Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
Love is probably the most complete running back prospect to enter the league since Bijan Robinson, but he's a little more comparable to Robinson's draft classmate Jahmyr Gibbs, the Detroit star. As a new regime re-invents Arizona's offense, Love gets to be the central point.
4. Tennessee Titans ― David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech
NFL.com's player comparison for Bailey is Nik Bonitto, Denver's All-Pro and Pro Bowl pass rush ace. In short, he's tough to block. He knows how to fight through and get around blocks on his way to the quarterback. He was college football's most productive rusher in 2025, and he backed that up by running a 4.5-second 40-yard dash at 251 pounds. Bailey won't draw the kind of hype that top-of-the-draft pass rushers like Will Anderson Jr., Aidan Hutchinson and Myles Garrett drew, but if the Titans land a Bonitto-type game-changer, that's worthy of the draft positioning.
5. New York Giants ― Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami
It'd be easy for the Giants to snag a receiver and build up some skill depth. But expect Giants coach John Harbaugh to favor the responsible approach and solidify the protection in front of young quarterback Jaxson Dart.
6. Cleveland Browns ― Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
And now it's time for the opposite rationale. The Browns have big needs across the offensive line, but new coach Todd Monken needs a smooth, physical field stretcher who can win in all three levels. Bet on the top pass catcher on the board, especially with another first-round pick to play with later.
7. Washington Commanders ― Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
Styles put together one of the five or so best combine performances of all time to go with one of the most solid seasons by an inside linebacker in recent memory. Coach Dan Quinn has a centerpiece to build around.
8. New Orleans Saints ― Rueben Bain Jr., DL/Edge, Miami
Cameron Jordan is the perfect mentor for Bain, the most powerful pass rusher and disruptive run stopper off the edge in the class. Forget the conversations about Bain moving inside for now and let him get after it alongside Jordan.
9. Kansas City Chiefs ― Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
Sometimes football is simple. The idea "give Patrick Mahomes more time to create" is one of those times. Find a place for Fano up front, and bounce back offensively.
10. Cincinnati Bengals ― Caleb Downs, safety, Ohio State
That's a fourth Buckeyes player in the top 10. Downs is an all-around playmaker. Much like Styles going to Washington, Downs landing in Cincinnati is a chance to pair a three-level player with a unit that needs help in all three levels.
11. Miami Dolphins ― Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
McCoy's still working his way back from an ACL injury 14 months ago, but he claims he's back to full speed. The NFL world will see how true that is at the Vols' pro day on March 31. But if he's to be trusted, the Dolphins snag a No. 1 corner outside the top 10.
12. Dallas Cowboys ― Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
While McCoy may be the superior athlete, Delane is the draft's best cover corner. He shut down the entire SEC in 2025, and the Cowboys want to harness that sort of take-half-the-field-away skill in a competitive NFC East.
13. Los Angeles Rams ― Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
Every draft has at least one "the rich get richer" moment. Here's our 2026 edition. The Rams pair an MVP quarterback and two all-world receivers with the fastest tight end in NFL history. Good luck defending this L.A. offense.
14. Baltimore Ravens ― Peter Woods, DL, Clemson
The Ravens have built an empire out of picking top-10 talents who don't get picked in the top 10. Here, they land a player who back in September had legitimate buzz as a No. 1 pick contender. Feels like a Ravens pick if there's ever been one.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers ― Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami
Mesidor heads northwest from Coral Gables and ends up in Tampa, where his tenacious style of play and bully-ball mentality brings some life back to a pass rush that coach Todd Bowles loves to showcase.
16. New York Jets ― Makai Lemon, WR, Southern Cal
Reese gives the Jets the playmaker they need on defense. Lemon is the foil that Garrett Wilson has desperately needed on the Jets' offense. There's still no real answer to be found at quarterback, but the receiving corps gets better nonetheless.
17. Detroit Lions ― Keldric Faulk, DE, Auburn
Faulk wasn't a particularly productive pass rusher in college, but he has the big, powerful frame that'll fit in Detroit's blue-collar philosophy on defense and will force offenses to put a little bit of attention on the side of the field where Hutchinson isn't.
18. Minnesota Vikings ― Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
Don't be surprised if Hood flies up draft boards as the third CB in the class. For as hopeful as Titans fans might be that he falls into the second round, Hood would be a major asset in Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores' unit.
19. Carolina Panthers ― Kayden McDonald, DL, Ohio State
How'd this be for an interior combo? Derrick Brown is one of the NFL's best interior defenders, and now he gets a dominant space eater to play alongside and give offenses headaches up the middle.
20. Dallas Cowboys ― T.J. Parker, Edge, Clemson
Anyone who the Cowboys draft off the edge is going to be compared against Micah Parsons, and that's unfair. But Parker is at least a worthy first-round pick who'll be able to grow into his role and should make a difference as a contributor early on.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers ― Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
Sure, Tyson could be a top-10 talent. He could also be a nightmare evaluation because of his medical history. The Steelers take a chance here on the potential that's too tantalizing to ignore in the back half of the round.
22. Los Angeles Chargers ― Vega Ioane, OL, Penn State
The trick to writing mock drafts in 2026 is to always pair the Chargers with the best available offensive lineman. Ioane, the consensus best guard available, fits the criteria here.
23. Philadelphia Eagles ― Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
The contingency plan for the future at tackle begins. Lomu is the second Utah tackle off the board, but he's the one with more left tackle snaps and the conventional build for the blindside.
24. Cleveland Browns ― Kadyn Proctor, OL, Alabama
This time, the Browns go O-line. Questions will swirl about Proctor's best placement, whether it's left tackle, right tackle or guard at the next level. But he's a superb athlete, and let's be real: The Browns could use help at all five line spots, so it's not as if positional fit is a huge problem right now.
25. Chicago Bears ― Cashius Howell, Edge, Texas A&M
Howell has an impressive blend of speed and flexibility off the edge, and he used it to give headaches to SEC offensive coordinators and line coaches in 2025. He doesn't have ideal size and length, but he knows how to get home.
26. Buffalo Bills ― Caleb Banks, DT, Florida
Maybe this is the year the Bills address the receiver need. Maybe it isn't. It's never a bad idea to get stouter in the trenches, and Banks has the remarkable blend of athleticism and power to strengthen those trenches as Buffalo aims to get better against the run.
27. San Francisco 49ers ― Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
Coach Kyle Shanahan piecemealed his way through a tattered roster in 2025, and this was particularly evident at wide receiver as injuries and absences took their toll. Boston is more than just a body, but sometimes a body is all the 49ers need to make a playoff team all that much stronger.
28. Houston Texans ― Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
Speaking of teams that sometimes just need a body, the Texans' full-scale rebuild of their offensive line continues with another swing at a talented blocker, this time the extra-long athlete from Georgia.
29. Los Angeles Rams ― Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
Go ahead and give the Rams their A+ draft grade here. After snagging Sadiq early, they go and get a one-time top-10 prospect with NFL bloodlines to help reload their secondary. These are the improvements that earn coach Sean McVay's team "Super Bowl favorites" labels.
30. Denver Broncos ― Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech
No one ever doubts the Broncos' pass rush. Hunter strengthens the space-eating functions of the front. Especially if John Franklin-Myers leaves in free agency, this is a way to keep one of the league's most pronounced strengths a pronounced strength.
31. New England Patriots ― Gennings Dunker, OT, Iowa
The Patriots caught a lot of flak for their blocking struggles in the Super Bowl. One way to fix blocking struggles is to pick a lineman from Iowa. Dunker has the personality, demeanor and look to fit in on a Mike Vrabel team.
32. Seattle Seahawks ― Chris Brazzell, WR, Tennessee
Tall, fast man go long. It's a luxury pick for the defending Super Bowl champion, but having a player like Brazzell, who can extend the field vertically and draw safety attention away from Jaxon Smith-Njigba, is a valuable luxury.
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: Mock draft 2026: Are Titans tempted by Jeremiyah Love, Sonny Styles?
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