Going into Week 12, the Tennessee Titans hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. They are sitting dead last in The Athletic’s power rankings, and nothing about the way they are playing suggests a late-season surge is coming. If they end the year on the clock, the real question becomes what they should do with that top pick.
The smart move is simple. They should trade down with a quarterback-needy team. There is no chance Tennessee takes a quarterback after spending the number one pick on Cam Ward in 2025. They need help all over the roster. Trading down and stacking multiple picks makes far more sense than staying at one and taking an edge rusher like Rueben Bain Jr.
A team like the Las Vegas Raiders is the ideal target. They need a quarterback, they cannot keep going year to year without someone they trust under center, and they have ten draft picks in 2026. If Tennessee can pull a deal that nets the Raiders’ first this year, another first next year, and several mid-rounders, that is the kind of haul the Titans need to rebuild their roster.
If that trade partner also holds a top ten pick, the Titans’ best move becomes obvious. They should draft Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.
Why Jeremiyah Love fits exactly what the Titans need
The fit checks every box. Tennessee’s run game has been awful. They rank dead last in rushing yards per game at just 78.9, and they sit 26th in yards per carry at 3.9. They need a real difference-maker, and Love is exactly that.
He is the most dynamic offensive weapon in the 2026 class. Tony Pollard, the Titans’ current starter, has only three runs of 15 yards or more this season. Love has 17. He is averaging 6.4 yards per carry and brings the kind of explosive playmaking this offense simply does not have right now.
His speed and power combination separates him from most backs. Very few players accelerate as quickly as he does. He has 544 breakaway yards according to Pro Football Focus, which shows he can flip field position any time he touches the ball. When you add in his elite contact balance and the 50 forced missed tackles he has already created, you are looking at a back with legitimate top-tier NFL upside.
The best player in college football.
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) October 22, 2025
LOVE conquers all 🫶#GoIrish☘️ | @JeremiyahLove pic.twitter.com/kQQ7St5ZYH
He also helps in the passing game. Tennessee uses its backs as outlet receivers, and Pollard and Tyjae Spears both have at least 18 catches this year. Love fits the same mold. He is averaging a career high 2.6 receptions per game and has dropped only one pass all season. Ward needs an outlet he can trust, and Love gives him that immediately.
Drafting Love also helps Ward become the quarterback the Titans expected when they drafted him. Defenses would have to focus heavily on stopping the run, which opens throwing lanes. With a threat like Love behind him, the play-action game also becomes far more dangerous and creates more big plays. When you combine that with the extra draft capital from trading down, the path for Tennessee is clear.
If the Titans want to rebuild the right way, trading down and walking away with Jeremiyah Love is the move that puts them on the right track.