Latest Titans mock draft from Dane Brugler lands Cam Ward valuable first rounder reinforcements that raise two big questions

It’s getting late early for the Tennessee Titans in 2025, which means draft season is already creeping into view with five weeks of regular season football left to play. And with draft season comes everybody’s favorite subgenre: mock draft season. The Athletic’s draft expert and overall industry leader Dane Brugler just dropped his first big mock of the year this week, and in it he has the Titans making a blockbuster trade down from the top pick.

But is his mock trade enough? And are the two first rounders he picked for Tennessee the right kind of prospects for this stage of team building? Let’s dive in:

A Titans first overall pick needs to mean a bidding war

Dane Brugler’s Mock Draft 1.0 has the Titans trading down from the first overall pick, and as long as they stay in that top position, every other mock devised this season will too. They are amongst the most likely trade-down candidates in recent draft history.

Speaking of history, it’s trying to repeat itself in the 2026 NFL Draft in some interesting ways. I wrote about that here, and why the Titans are finding themselves in an eerily similar situation to exactly 10 years ago.

Titans GM Mike Borgonzi would have the benefit of many QB-needy teams in position to make a move this offseason, should he be in a position to deal his first pick. The Jets, Browns, Saints, Rams, Raiders, Steelers, and Cardinals all come to mind as teams who are likely to be in the market in some capacity. And a handful of them (Cleveland, New York, Los Angeles) have multiple 2026 first round picks to play with in trade offers.

In Brugler’s mock, he has the Browns jumping up from the fifth pick to the first to select their QB of the future. But he has them sending just pick 5, pick 26, and “probably a 2027 Day 2 selection” for the move. You can read more about the trade value math on such a trade and how it compares to past trades for the first overall pick right here. Needless to say, this haul would be really disappointing if you ask me. There are two trade demands the Titans must make outlined in that article, and this trade satisfies neither of them.

But that’s not what Dane Brugler primarily brings to the table here anyways. He’s the expert on the prospects, and he handpicked a pair of them for the Titans as a result of this trade. Here’s who he chose, and the question I have about each:

The right kind of prospects for this Tennessee roster

With the fifth overall pick, Brugler has the Titans selecting Auburn EDGE Keldric Faulk. “One of the areas where they need reinforcements is on the edge,” Brugler wrote, “where Faulk shows a ton of promise. He is an impressive athlete, at 6-6 and 270 pounds, with the point-of-attack strength to create movement and shed blocks. Because of his young age, football character and sky-high tools, Faulk has a profile that is very similar to that of Mykel Williams from last year’s class.”

I love that he brings up 2025 prospect Mykel Williams in this write-up, because that is exactly the kind of Rorschach Test of a player it seems Faulk is going to be. There’s a simple question with a guy like him: are you as a program capable of figuring out how to develop and maximize this guy? Of course, that’s a question you have to ask with every prospect to an extent. But when a guy’s profile is built on upside, versatility, and moldability, it’s paramount that you feel equipped to maximize them in the state that your team currently finds itself.

I’m just not so sure the Titans are in a spot to pass up a higher-floor, more clearly defined prospect like Miami’s EDGE Reuben Bain (as they do in this mock) to swing on the upside of a profile like Faulk. In terms of the coaching staff that will take him on next spring, I quite literally do not know if they’re in a spot to maximize him. We have to wait for them to hire somebody to know that. But if you’re somebody who was generally tantalized by Mykel Williams last year (as I was), you’re going to have a hard time not getting too high on a guy like Faulk. The possibilities feel endless.

Next, with the 26th overall pick, Brugler has the Titans selecting Texas A&M WR K.C. Concepcion. “Whether lined up outside or in the slot,” Brugler explains, “Concepcion is a dangerous snatch-and-go receiver who ranks top 10 in the FBS in yards after catch per reception (7.6). Adding a high-upside pass rusher and an electric pass catcher, as the Titans have done in this mock, would be a great step forward.”

Expected to measure in the 5’11” 190lbs range, he’s not your traditional “Number 1 X receiver” body type. And that’s going to be the big question about the receiver help this team goes out and gets Cam Ward for Year 2: what archetype of player do you want? Do they need to go find a physically dominant, big-bodied guy to hold down that X position? Or should they try to find a shiftier, quicker player that can bring some electricity to the catch and run game?

If you ask me, just go and find the best football player. Welcome to the modern NFL, folks. Size and speed don’t necessarily rule the roost any longer. They’re important to have on the roster, of course, but your best receiving threat doesn’t need to be the biggest and the fastest. The Amon-Ra St. Brown’s, Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s, and Malik Nabers’ of the world are doing just fine in 2025. So go and find Cam Ward the best ball player available, and worry about roles later.