A-
Tennessee Titans
The Titans robbed the room for Caldwell. Final grade: A-.
by Mack the knife ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
The rest of the league will want that one back. Jeff Caldwell tumbling to the Titans in the Round 7 slot is a gift they did not have to think twice about. Just about everything broke right, and the A- follows.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. Every board in the league had Heidenreich lower, and that gap is the story.
They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it.
Bottom line, with Denzel Boston leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 29 they get a weapon on the perimeter. A clean fit for the roster.
Emmanuel Pregnon at slot 35 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Anthony Hill Jr. at the Round 2 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Mike Washington Jr. in Round 3, Pick 2 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
By-the-book stuff, Ted Hurst at pick 89 squarely in line with his ranking. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Fair-plus on Logan Jones, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Malik Muhammad in pick No. 106. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Zakee Wheatley at the 112th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Dametrious Crownover at pick No. 143 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They went early on Kaleb Elarms-Orr in the 173rd overall pick, and the value did not follow. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A straight-up fair deal on Matt Gulbin at the 187th pick, value and slot in agreement. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Dae'Quan Wright in No. 194 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Steal is underselling it; Jeff Caldwell at slot 225 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Eli Heidenreich at the Round 7 slot is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.