The Tennessee Titans made a surprising move by trading back into the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to select Auburn edge Keldric Faulk with the 31st selection in the first round.After selecting Carnell Tate early, general manager Mike Borgonzi adds a much needed edge for Robert Saleh’s defense, giving the Titans potentially two impact plates heading into Day 2 of the draft. With the surprising move, fans were caught a bit off guard by the move giving up picks 35, 69, and 165 to secure a defense with some upsideHere's how fans reacted to this move for an edge rusher. #Titans spending extra capital to move back up but haven't addressed at least 1 of potentially 2 OL spots that probably needed to draft starters.
Feelsbad a little.— Dern Sharts (@xMillerTime9x) April 24, 2026Mike Borgonzi at work folks:#Titans make a multi-pick trade with the Bills to snag a second first-round pick and scoop up Auburn edge Keldric Faulk.They address two key needs adding a WR and edge in the first round @WSMVhttps://t.co/av9FZkrauw— Lauren Walsh (@lauwalsh10) April 24, 2026Keldric Faulk will make his NFL debut just two days after his 21st birthday. Really young w/ traits. Outstanding run defender.
Not much pass rush production. Good athlete for 276 lbs. The question: can he develop a pass rush? #Titans bet yes. pic.twitter.com/dJJa0snsIw— Sam Phalen (@Sam_Phalen) April 24, 2026The #Titans are trading up with the #Bills to pick 31 to select Auburn DE Keldric Faulk pic.twitter.com/BzMzrHkuJY— Cole Brennan (@cdbfootball) April 24, 2026Keldric Faulk is a MONSTER against the run 😈 Fits perfectly on Robert Saleh’s defense 🔥 #Titans#TitanUp(🎥 @NFL_DF) pic.twitter.com/R74F1m3cZH— SharmSports (@SharmSports) April 24, 2026I like what the #Titans did… filled two big needs IMO.
Now let this new coaching staff do their thing.— Kayla Anderson (@KaylaAndersonTV) April 24, 2026As a lifelong Titans fan I have NEVER felt worse about the team. Does the front office realize that the goal is to play for the Super Bowl and not for first overall picks in the draft? #Titans— Greg Wasielewski (@GregWaz24) April 24, 2026And now y'all can stop with the BS that we need to only focus on helping Cam, they traded back up for Faulk for a reason. It could have easily been Reese and Cooper/Boston.
We'll see which combo is better. #Titans— MJ (@TheMJTake) April 24, 2026If you told me the #Titans traded with Chiefs or Cowboys and got Tate and Faulk I would be happy! All in all Draft Day 1 has been saved!— Titans Traffic Update (@TitansTraffic) April 24, 2026Kendrick Faulk is the prototype edge rusher. Big, long, and strong.
Pairing him with the other big edges the #Titans have in Jermaine Johnson, and Femi Oladejo is intriguing to me. Plus knowing TN can kick Simmons or Franklin-Meyers outside to make a “power edge” is exciting to…— Howie The Titan (@howie_thetitan) April 24, 2026So far I’ve at least gotten the positions right! 💪🏽👀 #mockdraft#titans#carnelltate#keldricfaulk#titanupwithkobehttps://t.co/ftHPmqlqQh— Kobe Finna Allen (@ChampagneKobe1) April 24, 2026Keldric Faulk is 6-5 7/8 and 276. Sure doesn't seem like the wide-9 they are missing. #Titans are big at edge with Jermaine Johnson (6-5, 254), Femi Oladeji (6-3, 259) and Faulk.
Stock up for Jacob Martin (6-2, 242)?— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) April 24, 2026I knew Saleh was going to take one look at that arm length and not be able to resistFits a need for the #Titans. Young with a ton of room to develop, and I would bet on Saleh to get it out of him. He needed to be in this type of defensive structure. https://t.co/jGAkIiHyQG— Cade Smith (@cadesmith__) April 24, 2026#Titans trade with the #Bills to get back in the 1st round, select Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk 31st overall. Click below to check out his draft profile:https://t.co/lxMoWxOf0V— Jon Burton (@JonBurton3234) April 24, 2026This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Tennessee Titans select Keldric Faulk: Here's how fans reacted