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New Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh.

Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh is taking a bit of a different approach with his drafted rookies, and it all stems from a personal experience that sticks with him from his time with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

He served as the team’s linebackers coach from 2014-2016, and witnessed a ‘scarring’ situation with Dante Fowler Jr. during the first season of his career.

“Call it a scar, (but) I was on the staff that saw Dante Fowler tear his ACL on the first rep of rookie minicamp, and so I’ve just taken the philosophy that these guys have had a lot of stress over the last month,” Saleh told the media. “Their bodies aren’t ready for football. So we’re just trying to see where they’re at so that we can properly get them acclimated once they get here with the veterans.”

Titans HC Robert Saleh Eases Rookie NFL Draft Selections In

The way Saleh does things has drawn some questions because it’s not typical. Some first-year players get thrown into the fire immediately, but that’s far from the case in Nashville.

But one thing to clarify is that this approach does not include the undrafted free agents who did not have the same type of intensive process that Tennessee’s draft picks had. But they will still spend a lot of time meeting with the rest of the staff outside of the practice field.

“When they go through the (NFL Draft) process, especially the (Top) 30 visits, they’ve been doing a lot of traveling,” Saleh continued. “So, over the weekend, with our draft picks, we’re going to be doing more baseline checking with them. So they’ll be in the weight room with the strength and conditioning coaches.”

Titans 2026 NFL Draft Selections

The Titans had a total of eight picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, also adding 11 undrafted free agents into the fold. Here’s a look at each selection the team made.

• Round 1, pick No. 4: WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State Buckeyes
• Round 1, pick No. 31: DE Keldric Faulk, Auburn Tigers
• Round 2, pick No. 60: LB Anthony Hill Jr., Texas Longhorns
• Round 5, pick No. 142: G Fernando Carmona, Arkansas Razorbacks
• Round 5, pick No. 165: RB Nicholas Singleton, Penn State Nittany Lions
• Round 6, pick No. 184: DT Jackie Marshall, Baylor Bears
• Round 6, pick No. 194: C Pat Coogan, Indiana Hoosiers
• Round 7, pick No. 225: TE Jaren Kanak, Oklahoma Sooners

Most analysts gave the Titans somewhere in the ballpark of a ‘B-‘ grade, which would be fair when assessing this class as a whole. Eric Froton of NBC Sports gave the team a ‘B’ grade, noting the Titans made a number of smart picks, but also made some questionable selections toward the end.

“Tennessee gets their potential franchise WR1 in Tate, followed by trading up for intriguing 20-year-old Edge setter Keldric Faulk all the way down at 31,” Froton wrote.

“LB Anthony Hill Jr. was another strong pick at 60 (49 industry), while Nicholas Singleton with the 165th selection (133rd industry) is a former five-star RB prospect who could potentially challenge for carries as soon as his foot injury heals. Both Carmona at 142 (243rd industry) and Jackie Marshall with the 184th (no industry rank) were reaches, so it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows from a value standpoint. However taken as a whole, I think Tennessee addressed key weaknesses with quality players.”

While the Titans’ decisions here are debatable on paper, only time will tell how things pan out with each of these players with the preseason not far off the horizon.