What pre-draft scouting reports said about Titans edge Kendric Faulk

The Tennessee Titans were busy during Round 1 of the 2026 NFL draft on Thursday night in Pittsburgh, making a total of two picks after trading back into the tail end of the round to select Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk.

>While Faulk fills a need in their defensive front and gives head coach Robert Saleh another potential impact player, the move to trade back into the round was a bit of a surprise for a player who had not received much pre-draft buzz in connection to the Titans.

>Not familiar with Keldric Faulk? Here's a look back at what the pre-draft scouting reports had to say about him.

Dane Brugler, The AthleticFrom Dane Brugler:

A three-year starter at Auburn, Faulk played primarily 4i-/five-technique in former defensive coordinator DJ Durkin’s three-man fronts, while also lining up wide and inside the A-gap. He entered the 2025 season with high first-round grades from NFL scouts, but neither his impact nor his production matched those lofty expectations. Despite the lack of flash, he still earned All-SEC honors in 2025 and played an unselfish role in the structure of the scheme.

>A king-sized edge defender, Faulk is long, athletic, and strong. He is a straightforward pass rusher, and there isn’t much deception in his initial plan or counters. However, though he lacks explosiveness for early wins, he is fluid in his attack and thuds with his hands to create knockback at contact. He stacks and sheds efficiently from different alignments to detach in the run game. He needs better consistency with his pad level and instincts, but rarely misses tackles and offers position flex along the line.

Lance Zierlein, NFL NetworkFrom Lance Zierlein:

Faulk has a long, developing frame, good movement skills, and the potential for odd or even fronts once he gains more muscle mass. He’s a culture player with high character who earns a grade bump based on his age (turns 21 in September), traits, and advanced foundation. A fluid athlete with good movement skills, he works around blocks with finesse but needs more assertive initial strikes to set firmer edges in gap control. His toughness and mentality suggest he’ll play through blocks more consistently in an NFL environment. Faulk’s rush is diverse. However, with average upfield burst, he might require a move inside on passing downs, where his long levers, quickness, and agility can overmatch guards. Faulk needs polish but offers a high ceiling that should reveal itself within a couple of years.

Todd McShay, The RingerFrom Todd McShay:

With a scintillating combination of length and athleticism, Faulk is a plug-and-play defensive lineman who can line up at multiple spots on the front and brings rare physical traits. And at just 20 years old, he brings sky-high upside as an impact player against both the run and the pass. The former Auburn standout fires out of his stance and gets his hands on opponents, using a strong punch for his initial attack to keep blockers on their heels. He employs a strong, long-arm stab to walk offensive linemen back into the pocket. He stacks and sheds opponents and fights with his hands incessantly, ripping, chopping, and clubbing away at defenders to keep himself clean and wrench opponents aside. Faulk is an easy-moving pass rusher who shows excellent power at the point of attack; he overpowers blockers and fights into the backfield. He’s an active and high-energy rusher who sticks with plays and chases down the ball carrier. He is a force against the run, using his length and strength to hold his ground, set the edge, and shed opponent blocks.

>Faulk lacks top-tier explosive burst off the ball and does not possess elite bend off the edge. There are times when he loses his footing or balance when trying to quickly turn the corner. That makes him more of a power player who wins with brute force. He needs to expand his repertoire of rush moves and work to avoid getting stalemated. His production is underwhelming—he notched just two sacks in 2025 after grabbing seven sacks in 2024.

NFL Draft BuzzFrom NFL Draft Buzz:

The tape on Faulk tells two very different stories depending on which side of the ball is in focus. In run defense, this is one of the most complete and punishing edge defenders to come through the SEC in recent memory. That kind of dominance against the run is not a fluke. He plays with a level of physicality and technique against the ground game that will translate from Day 1, and there is no defensive coordinator in the league who would not benefit from plugging him into early-down rotations immediately. The floor here is a high-quality starter who makes the entire front seven better by controlling his gaps and forcing offenses to account for him on every play design.

>The pass rush ceiling is where the conversation gets complicated, and honestly, where the film demands some patience from evaluators. His 2025 numbers dropped hard from the previous year, but a lot of that was Auburn sliding him inside on nearly a third of his pass-rush snaps, a role that choked off his most effective rush angles. When he was aligned outside the tackle in 2024, his pressure rate ranked in the 73rd percentile for qualifying edge rushers. That is a meaningful number, especially considering he was only 19 at the time. The raw tools are there: the length, the hand strength, the motor. What is missing is refinement in his counter game and the kind of ankle flexibility that allows elite rushers to flatten around the arc. Those are coachable things, but they are not guarantees, and any team investing a premium pick needs to be comfortable with the idea that unlocking the pass-rush upside will take time and specific schematic creativity.

>The best landing spot for Faulk is a defense that runs odd-front concepts and values position versatility along the line. Think of him as a 5-technique on base downs who can kick inside to 3-tech on passing situations, a player who builds an identity for your defensive front because he collapses gaps from multiple spots. Hybrid schemes that move bodies around pre-snap will squeeze the most juice out of his skill set. The Calais Campbell comparison that floats around scouting circles is not lazy. It is actually pretty instructive: a massive, powerful defensive end with enough athleticism to be more than just a run-stuffer, but one who needed the right coaching and system to unlock double-digit sack potential. At 20 years old with the physical profile he carries, the arrow is still pointing up. Faulk is not a finished product, but the foundation is as sturdy as any defender in this class.

Pro Football & Sports NetworkFrom PFSN:

Keldric Faulk breaks the mold for what's possible at the EDGE position. At 6'5", 288 pounds, the Auburn junior possesses top-flight lean mass, length and reach, and explosive, energized athleticism. His hyper-elite power profile, rare raw strength, and fast-striding pursuit speed makes him a multiphase nightmare in theory, but his pass-rush projection has caused debate in the lead-up to the 2026 NFL Draft cycle.

>Faulk flashed exciting growth as a pass-rusher en route to seven sacks and 11 TFLs in 2024, but that production stagnated in 2025. Faulk's run defense remained near-elite in 2025, to be sure; he's shown he can reset the line, stack-and-shed blocks, and set a firm edge with his raw explosion, length, and size-defying leverage acquisition skills. However, his pass-rush plan and counters remain inconsistent, as does his lower-body power application and pad level farther into pass-rush reps.

>Faulk possesses astronomical two-phase upside and inbuilt alignment versatility, but in the pass-rush phase, he's still a long way from realizing that potential. Purely from an archetypal standpoint, he's not dissimilar from Mykel Williams, who went 11th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. With Faulk, you're gambling on the unrealized pass-rush upside, but can take comfort in his ready-made run defense profile.

Walter FootballFrom Charlie Campbell:

Faulk worked his way onto the field for the Tigers as a freshman and had a solid debut. He totaled 35 tackles with 3.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, and one pass broken up. As a sophomore in 2025, Faulk was a beast for the Tigers with a lot of disruption to go with production. He totaled 45 tackles with 11 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, one forced fumble, and one pass broken up. In 2025, Faulk had 29 tackles and two sacks. The Auburn staff hurt his production by having him play a lot of two-gap and not letting him pin his ears back and get upfield.

>In 2024, Faulk showed he can be a beast at the point of attack, playing violently with nasty power to complement his size and quickness. Faulk has an excellent skill set, but beyond that, he is just a really good football player. He has good vision, instincts, and is a natural football player.

>As a run defender, Faulk is special, and he is a force at the point of attack. Faulk is very strong and has no problem holding his ground against downhill runs. He sets the edge and shows impressive power to shed his block and get in on tackles. There are many run plays that Faulk blows up in the backfield by bullrushing through blockers and causing disruption. He is adept at pushing upfield, shedding the block, and pursuing to make the tackle. Faulk is an above-average run defender who should be a real asset to his pro defense in stopping the ground game.

>In the pass rush, Faulk is a developing player, but he is rising and improving. Faulk is tall, long, and plays with good extension to keep tackles from getting into his chest and getting a hold of him. Faulk can rush with power and knock blockers backward while bulling them towards the quarterback. While Faulk is not a freak speed rusher like Von Miller, Faulk has speed to get upfield and shows an impressive burst to close. When Faulk gets free, he eats up ground in a hurry to finish the rush. Faulk can rush from end or tackle and shows versatility with where he can line up. Faulk is an ascending pass rusher now and could end up being even better in a few years, given his work ethic and commitment.

>On top of his ability, Faulk is known to have outstanding character. He is a hard worker who loves football and is driven to constantly get better. He is said to be a leader on and off the field. Faulk is also only 20 years old and has a ton of athletic upside. If he lands with good coaching, Faulk could be a special player and a game wrecker.

This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: What pre-draft scouting reports said about Titans edge Kendric Faulk