We’re in the last days of draft season now, which means a lot of final mock drafts are beginning to trickle out. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, author of The Beast draft guide and leading expert in his field, put out a monster on Wednesday: all 257 picks. In it, he assembles an eclectic group of new Tennessee Titans that would be sure to rub most Titans fans the wrong way. But it might be something you’d be wise to prepare yourself for, because a lot of fundamental boxes still get checked here.

The controversial process behind Dane Brugler’s Titans mock draft

Here is who Brugler selected for the Titans in each round. I would tell you how some of these names managed to fall into Tennessee’s hands in the first place (particularly the first two picks…), but then you wouldn’t have a reason to click on the article and show Dane some love.

• R1: EDGE David Bailey
• R2: OT Max Iheanachor
• R3: CB Keionte Scott
• R4: C Connor Lew
• R5: S VJ Payne
• R5: G Billy Schrauth
• R6: WR Kendrick Law
• R6: DT Jordan van den Berg
• R7: LB Deontae Lawson

I am not here to tell you this draft has a lot of eye appeal to the average football enjoyer. It does not. This is as meat-and-potatoes as it gets. But allow me to introduce you to the General Manager of the Tennessee Titans, this is Mike Borgonzi. If you haven’t noticed, he’s a principled football man. He talks a big game about building from the trenches-out. He has also left himself some seemingly deliberate holes at three line positions: speed end, center, and right guard.

This is not how I would go about drafting for the Titans if you handed me the controls. But putting myself inside Borgonzi’s mind, I see the process that Dane is employing here. I have planted my flag for a long time now that if Bailey is there at 4th overall, the Titans will take him. He has the length and speed that head coach Robert Saleh has always coveted. And he slots in perfectly to the last position they need in order to do what he has explicitly said he wants to do: rush with four and win.

Three of the next five picks are offensive linemen, one at each position of likely need in the next two seasons. Take the 2026 blinders off, and you’ll see what may be coming down the tracks for this roster. LT Dan Moore’s contract has a team out next spring, and they could be looking to move off the expensive veteran if he isn’t playing all the way up to his price tag (or if they have a younger, cheaper option available!). Meanwhile, JC Latham at RT has a big year ahead to solidify himself as a starting tackle in this league once and for all. If either of those situations go poorly, being proactive at tackle will come in handy big time.

Along the interior, I think it’s fair to assume the Titans will look to draft their long-term starters of the future at both center and right guard in the next two drafts. Grabbing a corner on Day 3 makes a lot of sense for this team too, who still needs young cost-controlled depth in that room. The last part of this that I think makes sense is taking a LB flier in the 7th. The word on the NFL streets is that a lot more of the 6th and 7th rounders will struggle to make rosters this fall. Taking somebody with special teams upside will be the clearest path to justify keeping them to develop.

Here’s where this mock loses me: I do not like the Payne swing as a fit for this team. I think his play style paired with Kevin Winston Jr. would clash. And while Law is the kind of WR you can see OC Brian Daboll being a fan of, he is the opposite of the archetype of WR this roster needs to add right now. He would struggle mightily to ever see playing time.