Titans GM highlights two Day 3 draftees who could immediately challenge for starting roles, bringing toughness, intelligence, and experience to the roster.
The Tennessee Titans had a surplus of picks on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
It started with Arkansas guard Fernando Carmona and Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton in the fifth round. Tennessee also had two sixth-round picks and spent them on Indiana center Pat Coogan and Baylor defensive tackle Jackie Marshall.
Tennessee ended the draft with Oklahoma tight end Jaren Kanak.
I broke down the other Titans draft picks in this piece I did earlier, with my favorites highlighted. I leaned toward Carnell Tate, Keldric Faulk, Anthony Hill Jr. and Singleton as the ones to keep an eye on.
While I think Singleton has the potential to be one of the best Day 3 picks the Titans made, General Manager Mike Borgonzi discussed two that he believes will be in competition for a starting role as rookies.
Borgonzi thought Carmona and Coogan had the potential to compete for a starting job right away.
"Yeah, I mean, listen, these guys have played a lot of football, both of them," Borgonzi said. "They really do fit the definition. I always say the tough, smart, dependable. I mean, they epitomize it, those two guys. Like I said, they've had a lot of snaps here in college football. They're physically, you know, where they're at right now, their size. I think they can come right in here and compete."
One thing that Carmona and Coogan have in common is that they both had multiple stops in their college careers.
Carmona started out at San Jose State, gaining valuable experience at left tackle for the Spartans. He then moved to the interior of the offensive line later on at Arkansas. Carmona started 49 games during his college career.
The position that Borgonzi was talking about for Carmona when it comes to competing for the starting job was most likely at right guard. It would be quite the task if Carmona were able to beat out Peter Skoronski at left guard.
Cordell Volson is the player that Carmona would have to compete with. Volson is fresh off a season-ending injury at the Cincinnati Bengals, but is still projected to start for the Titans this season.
Coogan's college career began at Notre Dame.
He didn't see any legit playing time until his sophomore season at Notre Dame in 2023. He started 26 games for the Fighting Irish before transferring to Indiana in 2025. He started all 16 games for the Hoosiers last season.
Coogan's competition will be Austin Schlottmann. Schlottmann doesn't have a ton of starting experience, having done so in only four games for the New York Giants. However, when Schlottmann started, he was productive.
Schlottmann didn't allow a single sack and was flagged three times for penalties while also allowing three quarterback hits.
At the bare minimum, prospects like Carmona and Coogan can sit behind Schlottmann and Volson to gain experience in the hopes they can start in the near future.
At best, the Titans nailed Day 3 of the draft and found multiple starters.