Mel Kiper gives Titans fans 2 reasons to smile in final NFL mock draft
As the Tennessee Titans finish their prep for the 2026 NFL Draft, ESPN NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr., has two gifts to give coach Robert Saleh and company.
Mel Kiper Jr. , ESPN's longtime NFL draft guru, gives Tennessee Titans fans two reasons to be happy in his final mock draft of the 2026 NFL Draft cycle. In a two-round mock draft offering for ESPN.
com , Kiper once again forecasts the Titans will pick Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the No. 4 pick in the first round, then he comes back and gives them UCF edge defender Malachi Lawrence in the second round, No. 35 overall.
Speaking about the Love pick, Kiper mentions a few rationales. First, he points to the obvious: top edge rushers David Bailey and Arvell Reese are already off the board in this mock draft, going to the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals respectively. Second, Kiper views Love as more than a standard running back investment, emphasizing Love's breakaway ability and versatility as an option who can be split out wide in certain formations.
As for Lawrence, Kiper has the Titans selecting him as a speed rush threat off the edge. Lawrence is the seventh pass rush specialist selected in Kiper's two-round mock, and someone who Kiper identifies as capable of filling the Titans' need opposite Jermaine Johnson II. Kiper, for what it's worth, correctly forecasted the Titans' decision to pick OLB Oluwafemi Oladejo in the second round last April.