The dust has barely settled on the 2026 NFL Draft, and while rookies across the league are already lacing up for minicamps, the Tennessee Titans are still at the center of a heated debate. The team’s draft class has drawn mixed reviews from analysts, but according to Mike Sando of The Athletic, NFL executives see things a little differently—offering some unfiltered insight that puts the Titans' haul in a fresh light.

At the heart of the conversation is wide receiver Carnell Tate, whom Tennessee snagged with the No. 4 overall pick. For a second-year general manager like Mike Borgonzi—whose profile has grown amid the team president's resignation—Tate is being viewed as a safe, smart choice. "Here is a guy that is never going to screw up," one executive noted. "He is a guy you are going to want on a second contract. They have had horrible receivers there for a decade-plus. He doesn’t have any injury history like Jordyn Tyson, and those were the only receivers worthy of a top-10 pick."

The Titans' pick sent immediate ripples through the draft room. Shortly after Tennessee selected Tate, the Kansas City Chiefs traded up three spots to No. 6 to grab cornerback Mansoor Delane. The message was clear: Tate was on Kansas City's short list, and once he was off the board, the Chiefs made their move. That connection runs deep—Borgonzi, a former longtime Chiefs executive, described Tate as a receiver who can threaten all three levels of a defense, a phrase that sounds straight out of Andy Reid's playbook.

Not every executive was completely sold, though. "Solid player," another exec said of Tate. "Not explosive fast, but he’s strong and tough. I’d like him to have more instincts and a little more burst." Still, the consensus seems to be that Tennessee addressed a glaring need with a reliable, durable talent.

The Titans didn't stop there. They traded up four spots to grab edge rusher Keldric Faulk at No. 31, adding another potential cornerstone to their defense. Interestingly, when four executives were asked to predict the top 10 picks at the combine, two had the Titans selecting Tate, while the other two had them taking Faulk in that spot. One general manager even waffled between the two—showing just how tight the evaluations were on these prospects.

For Titans fans, this draft class might not be flashy, but it's built on substance. In a league where consistency is king, Tennessee is stacking players who fit a winning formula. And if the executives are right, this could be the foundation of something special in Nashville.