During the 2026 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans made a bold move by trading back into the end of the first round to select Auburn defensive end Keldric Faulk.
Trading back into the round to secure the fifth-year option on a player who may need a year of seasoning before reaching his full potential was a strong play by general manager Mike Borgonzi, who not only secured a player who has tremendous upside, but he is an outstanding fit for Robert Saleh’s scheme. And as Turron Davenport pointed out, he has already started to develop.
No. 31. Tennessee TitansKeldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn
Faulk has been a recipient of some tough coaching from defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton and assistant Tanzel Smart. “Don’t get me wrong, I love what I did in college, but if I could have just got off the rock like how I am now, man, it would have been a really, really fun couple years.” Faulk has already improved his ability to get off the line thanks to technique work he has done before practice with fellow rookie Jackie Marshall and Smart. Faulk finished minicamp with a couple of sacks on the final day.
Faulk could be a tremendous value for the Titans after he fell during the draft after opening the 2025 campaign as a projected Top 10 pick. Big and physical, he has an outstanding skill set but appeared to underperform in 2025, though some of those struggles could be attributed to the scheme and what he was asked to do.
Now, with the combination of Saleh and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, who understand how to take advantage of his abilities, Faulk should be able to step into the Titans’ defense and make an impact.
This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Keldric Faulk started to hit his stride toward the end of Titans’ OTAs
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