NASHVILLE — Titans General Manager Mike Borgonzi just confirmed the “phone lines are open” for the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. After back-to-back 3-14 seasons, Tennessee owns a top-five selection for a second straight year, and Borgonzi made it clear he will not pass on elite talent to fill a specific position of need. The Titans haven’t had a true superstar since the Derrick Henry era, and with head coach Robert Saleh entering a critical second year, the pressure to hit on this pick is massive.
Best Player Available vs. Premium Positions
The debate in Nashville has reached a boiling point: Do you take the generational running back or the elite pass rusher? Jeremiyah Love comes off a 2025 season where he torched defenses for 1,372 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. While many old-school scouts view running back as a non-premium position, Borgonzi’s history in Kansas City suggests he values impact over optics. However, the Titans defense struggled to collapse the pocket last year, and Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. looms as a terrifying alternative. Bain took home ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors after a season where he led the nation in quarterback pressures.
Borgonzi addressed concerns regarding Bain’s physical profile, specifically his arm length, during a recent press conference. The Titans hosted the Miami star on a top-30 visit, and the GM seemed unfazed by the measurements. He noted that production on tape outweighs the stopwatch and the measuring tape every time. The Titans finished near the bottom of the league in sacks last year, and adding a player who won 23.5% of his pass-rush reps in college could change the defensive identity overnight.
“We’re taking the best player available regardless of premium position. You can never have enough pass rushers. But at the end of the day, the phone lines are open. We want a player who changes the game the moment he steps on the field.”
— Mike Borgonzi, Titans General Manager
The Love vs. Defense Dilemma
The scouts are split. ESPN’s Field Yates reports that many league executives believe Love is the favorite for Tennessee. He is a dynamic threat who caught 27 passes last year, showing he can stay on the field for all three downs. This versatility would give Saleh a weapon to ease the burden on a young offensive line. On the other hand, Jordan Reid points to Borgonzi’s 16 years with the Chiefs, a team that almost exclusively targeted “premium” spots like edge rusher and tackle in the early rounds.
Tennessee fans remember the 2025 season well—specifically how Ashton Jeanty put up massive numbers for the Raiders without translating those stats into wins. The Titans cannot afford an empty-calorie season. If they stay at No. 4, they are guaranteed one of the three highest-graded prospects on their board. If a quarterback-hungry team calls to move up, Borgonzi could stockpile picks to rebuild a roster that has looked thin for twenty-four months.
Playoff Implications / What’s Next
The Titans are in a division where the Texans and Colts have established young, high-octane offenses. To compete in the AFC South in 2026, Tennessee needs a defensive front that can disrupt CJ Stroud or a playmaker who can keep pace in a shootout. If Borgonzi chooses Bain, he’s betting on Saleh’s ability to develop a dominant defensive line. If he chooses Love, he’s handing the keys of the offense to the most explosive runner since 2020. The next three weeks will determine if Nashville finally finds the spark it has missed since the turn of the decade.
