It's mock draft season, and just about every mock draft we've seen so far predicts that the Tennessee Titans will draft either Rueben Bain Jr. out of Miami or David Bailey out of Texas Tech. It's no secret that the Titans need some serious help on the edge. It was a massive weakness for them in 2025, and those two are the top-ranked edge rushers in the 2026 NFL Draft class.
However, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has changed his tune a bit. In his latest mock draft, he's sticking with the Titans picking up a defensive player, but he's throwing a new name into the hat: Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese.
Reese's instincts and burst are all over the tape. I'm still ranking him as a linebacker at the moment, and he could help Tennessee there. But new coach Robert Saleh might very well move him to the edge, where he played the majority of the time in 2025. Although the Titans' 42 sacks tied for 12th most last season, 11 of them came from defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons on the interior. The edge is a weakness. Reese could be a high-impact player in this unit no matter where he lines up.
Reese played in just six games during his freshman year at Ohio State. He suffered a concussion and did not record any statistics. Over the next two years, though, he became an indispensable part of the Buckeyes' defense. He recorded 112 tackles (52 solo), two pass deflections, and seven sacks. Of his seven sacks, 6.5 of them came in 2025. The Buckeyes may not have made it to the National Championship in 2025, but Reese was still part of the 2024 team that brought home the trophy.
At 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds, Reese already has good size, and he's proven that he can line up in different spots and be utilized in multiple ways. Robert Saleh's defensive mind may just have an idea for how to bring out the best in Reese's raw talent. Reese is unpolished, raw, and has a ton of upside and potential. If Saleh can tap into that and give Jeffery Simmons the help he needs on the edge, the Titans' defense could be a force in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Titans see new name predicted in latest Mel Kiper mock draft