Titans' 2026 Draft Prospects: Sonny Styles and Key Targets

Tennessee finishes 3-14, holds the No. 4 overall pick. Here's what GM Mike Borgonzi should know heading into April.

The Tennessee Titans' 3-14 record in 2025 was historically bad — but not quite bad enough. Despite leading the NFL's race to the bottom for much of the season, the Titans lost a four-way tiebreaker with the Raiders, Jets, and Cardinals — all of whom also finished 3-14 — and dropped to the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The tiebreaker was settled by strength of schedule; the Titans, with a .574 strength of schedule, officially had the toughest schedule in the NFL in 2025.

So while the original article's claim of back-to-back No. 1 overall picks is wrong, Tennessee still has a premium pick and significant draft capital to continue its rebuild under head coach Robert Saleh and GM Mike Borgonzi. The 2026 NFL Draft is set for April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.

Sonny Styles: The Most Exciting Prospect in the Class

The article correctly identifies Sonny Styles as a top target — but gets almost every detail wrong about him. Styles is not 6'2" and 228 pounds. He measured in at 6-5, 244 pounds at the combine. He's enormous for a linebacker, and his combine performance was nothing short of historic.

Styles posted a 43.5-inch vertical jump — the highest by any player 6-4 or taller and any player weighing 240 or more pounds at the combine since at least 2003. His broad jump of 11 feet, 2 inches led all combine participants on Thursday. His 40 time? The article claims 4.45 seconds, which is actually close — Styles ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash, tying for the fastest time among all defensive linemen and linebackers who participated.

Styles entered the combine as a projected top-10 pick, and his historic workout only strengthened that case. As for college production: the article claims "12.5 tackles for loss," which is fabricated. In 14 starts for the Buckeyes last season, Styles had 82 tackles (6.5 for loss), one sack and one forced fumble.

The Bobby Wagner comparison cited in the article also doesn't reflect current analyst takes. NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah compares Styles to 49ers linebacker Fred Warner, and even more eye-catching, his combine testing was so explosive that his numbers drew comparisons to Pro Football Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson.

The article also claims "believed to be interest from the Titans at pick No. 4" based on a Reddit discussion — that's not a credible sourcing. As of now, Yahoo Sports' latest mock draft projects Styles to go No. 12 to the Cowboys, which would put him out of reach at four unless Tennessee trades up or the board falls unexpectedly.

The Jermaine Johnson Trade: What Actually Happened

The article says Johnson recorded "8.5 sacks in 2024." This is wrong on two counts. Johnson tore his Achilles in Week 2 of 2024 and missed the rest of that season. Johnson's best season came in 2023, when he posted a career-high 7.5 sacks and was named to the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement. In 14 games in 2025, he finished with only three sacks and six quarterback hits, later admitting his performance wasn't up to his standard.

The trade structure also wasn't a simple acquisition of depth. The Jets and Titans agreed to a rare player-for-player trade, with New York sending Johnson to Tennessee for defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat. The Titans gave up a promising young interior lineman to get a reclamation-project edge rusher. The trade reunites Johnson with Titans coach Robert Saleh, who coached the Jets when they selected Johnson with the 26th overall pick in the 2022 draft. The trade cannot be processed until the start of the league year on March 11.

What's Actually Next for the Titans

With the No. 4 pick and edge-rush need partially addressed by the Johnson trade, Tennessee's biggest glaring need that could be addressed early is a pass rusher who can join Jeffery Simmons in leading the defensive front. However, the Johnson acquisition may shift the Titans' focus at No. 4 toward offense — potentially a top offensive tackle or a wide receiver to support second-year QB Cam Ward.

The combine made one thing clear: this is a deep and talented draft class at the top, and with the fourth pick, Tennessee will have elite options regardless of position.

The 2026 NFL Draft begins April 23 in Pittsburgh.