Titans Combine Intel: Real Love for Jeremiyah, a second round dream is dead, and a free agent who can book his ticket to Nashville

Here are all the things I learned at the Combine that Titans fans need to know.

Easton Freeze — Tennessee Titans Beat Writer
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The 2026 NFL Combine is behind us, and there’s a lot to unpack from the week I just spent in Indianapolis. Many late night conversations took place, and I have some information to share as a result. Here are the important things I learned that I feel most confident about as it pertains to the Tennessee Titans:

Arvell Reese the pass rusher

We came into Combine week with Ohio State defender Arvell Reese very high on the consensus board, but the big question everybody has been asking is what position he will play at the next level. His sample as a true EDGE in his one year as a college starter is limited (less than 100 snaps), but his efficiency is very high. He’s a freaky athlete with a lot of the tools you’d want at the position, and the surplus value of a pass rusher as compared to a standup linebacker is dramatic. But any team drafting him to be a full time rusher is making a projection nonetheless.

I’ve come home from the Combine confident that the majority of the league views Reese as a pass rusher in the NFL. It’s crystal clear that Reese views himself this way too. I asked Titans GM Mike Borgonzi point blank what he thinks his role will be, and he did not hesitate to say he thinks he will be a pass rusher. He weighed in at 241lbs with 32 1/2 inch arms, and his versatility will likely lead to his next coaching staff using him in creative ways, but I feel good about him doing what felt rather obvious to me going into this: if you can rush the passer good, you’re going to be asked to rush the passer.

He’s a lock top-5 draft pick to me, and I’d frankly be a bit surprised to see him there at 4 for the Titans.

Jeremiyah Love love is real

Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love stole the show last week. If there is such thing as a coming out party for a prospect anybody paying attention had as a consensus top-3 player this entire time, that’s what we saw with him in Indy.

Love ran a blazing 4.36s 40-yard dash, the same time we saw Jahmyr Gibbs run at 15 pounds heavier than the Lions star. It’s crystal clear how much the league loves this guy regardless of the quality of the class around him. He’d be a top-10 pick in any given year. But what makes him such an interesting discussion this spring is the juxtaposition of he and other elite non-premium players (like LB Sonny Styles and S Caleb Downs) up against the top premium positions, which narratively lost a bit of their luster last week.

The narrative flavor of the week has little impact on how these players are actually slotted on draft boards. But it was heavily rumored last week that the Titans in particular view Love as the best football player in this class. GM Mike Borgonzi spoke glowingly of him at the podium, evoking Jahmyr Gibbs’ name unprompted. The idea of adding a versatile weapon like that to Cam Ward’s offense is intoxicating to fans, and I don’t doubt that the Titans really do love him. His ability in the passing game may very well be what convinces his next team to draft a running back, devalued as the position may be, as early as the top 6. I have a hard time seeing him get past Washington at this stage.

It’s difficult to find the line in the sand where a non-premium position becomes so much better than the top premium positions, that positional value is tossed out the window. Perhaps Love is the exception here who clears that bar. The question you have to ask yourself is whether you think Mike Borgonzi is the kind of guy to go against his fundamentals and take a running back fourth overall. My answer today is that I still really do not think so.

Carnell Tate’s draft ceiling in question

Carnell Tate is viewed by many as a “Combine loser” today, and that is very silly if you ask me. He ran a 4.54s 40-yard dash, which was slower than a lot of people were expecting apparently. I went into it expecting him to be somewhere in the high 4.4’s-to-low 4.5’s, and more importantly, speed is not an issue you see for him on tape. His size and prowess as a route runner make this a non-issue. Is he blowing by defenders getting wide open down the field? No, but he was an effective threat at all three levels of the field nonetheless.

So the empty chit chat surrounding his testing speed is relatively meaningless to me. Here is what I find meaningful: the buzz in Indy makes Tate seem like he’s in somewhat of a secondary tier behind the top non-premium positions (Love, Styles, Downs) and most if not all of the premium ones (Mendoza, Reese, Bailey, Bain). He may even end up behind an offensive tackle or two when it’s all said and done, because it’s pretty clear to me after this week that the league is higher on a handful of these OT’s than a lot of folks on the outside looking in. So while I’m not ruling out Tate as an option at 4th overall entirely, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel a lot less likely today than it did a week ago.

The Omar Cooper Jr. dream is dead

Many a mock draft has sent Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr. to the Titans at the top of the second round. Most mock draft simulators will happily give him to you at the 35th overall pick. And while I too enjoyed mocking him to the Titans to address receiver with their second pick, my strong suspicion heading into Combine week was resoundingly confirmed: Cooper Jr. will be gone before the Titans get a change to take him on Day 2.

This is a first round receiver. He’s such a rock-steady Z receiver prospect on tape, and his measurements, testing, and character reports all checked out. As it turns out, a player that the majority of the league was talking about as one of their favorite Round 2 options isn’t somebody who will make it to Round 2 in the first place.

John Franklin-Myers can book his flight to Nashville

There may never have been a more obviously telegraphed free agent signing than DT John Franklin-Myers to the Titans this month. At this point I will be real surprised if he ends up elsewhere. You don’t have to have access to privileged information behind the scenes to see this one, but it bears mentioning nonetheless.

Franklin-Myers has been a productive starter along the Broncos’ ferocious front the past two seasons. In 31 starts he has 14.5 sacks, 92 pressures, and 41 stops. His contract is up and he’s a hot name in free agency as one of the only DT options of note. He’s turning 30 this year, but is still playing at a high enough level that I’d bet his projected market of $6.1 million AAV according to overthecap.com ends up being an underestimate. But the Titans have a ton of money, a big need, and a lot of personal connections that make this a no-brainer.

When Tennessee traded DL T’Vondre Sweat to the Jets for EDGE Jermaine Johnson this week, it doubly impacted JFM’s odds to head to Nashville. Not only does Sweat’s departure create a need on the interior DL, but Johnson is JFM’s former teammate and immediately started recruiting him to Tennessee. JFM himself already strongly hinted at his desire to follow Robert Saleh, DL coach Aaron Whitecotton, and assistant DL coach Tanzel Smart before the Combine. there’s just too much smoke here for there not to be fire.

Side note: look up photos of JFM and imagine what he and Jeffery Simmons will look like next to each other. They’re built very similarly, so it makes sense that JFM offers inside-out versatility.

Alec Pierce is (and always was) a Colt

We’ll keep this one short and sweet. The Colts are keeping free agent WR Alec Pierce. I’ve been preaching since day 1 of free agency that this was a pipedream, because Pierce is exactly the kind of receiver that teams never let hit the market. They made it clear through the media weeks ago that their 1A/1B priorities this spring were Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce. This past week it was an open secret that the Colts will keep him one way or another, whether that’s on a franchise tag or a long term deal.

The idea that WR Michael Pittman Jr. (currently under contract) is infinitely more available than “free agent” Alec Pierce this spring remains rock solid. So if Pittman tickles your fancy, keep an eye on him instead.

Titans’ plan at center

This last note is a lot less of an explicit thing I heard (like the topics above) and much more of a collective tea leaves reading, but I wanted to bring it up here anyways. Mike Borgonzi made a new hole on his roster last week when he cut C Lloyd Cushenberry, a decision you can read more about right here.

The Titans know they need a long-term solution here if Cam Ward is to be this franchise’s future, and that’s why a young contender or two may be in the mix. I won’t be surprised to see 2025 rookie Jackson Slater and/or a rookie from this upcoming draft class thrust into the competition in the summer.

But I expect the plan to be finding a veteran option to pencil in as the new starter. Ravens C Tyler Linderbaum remains the belle of the ball, and he’s expected to receiver north of $20 million AAV. I still think that will come from the Ravens, but if the Titans decided to flex their cap space muscles, it’s not inconceivable to think they could steal him. Other options such as Bills C Connor McGovern, Panthers C Cade Mays, and former Commanders C Tyler Biadasz (who was shockingly cut last week) are firmly in the mix of realistic options in my opinion.

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