Ran Carthon isn’t in charge of draft-pick decisions for the Titans anymore, but the team’s former general manager thinks he has an idea of who first-year coach Robert Saleh and current GM Mike Borgonzi might take fourth overall in the 2026 NFL Draft: Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles.
Carthon said on “The Schrager Hour” on April 15 that Styles fits a big need for the Titans, and that based on his relationship with Saleh and their past experiences together, picking Styles would make the most more sense than picking Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.
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“The one thing Saleh does not have right now is that middle linebacker that can cover and do everything he wants them to do,” Carthon said on the show.
Carthon and Saleh worked together in the 49ers‘ organization, where the former was in the front office and the latter was the team’s defensive coordinator. Carthon referenced Saleh picking four-time first-team All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler Fred Warner in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
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“The size, the athleticism, and what they asked that middle linebacker to do: Cover that deep crossing route … not only to be able to use your height and your length to affect those throwing windows,” Carthon said of why the 6-foot-5, 255-pound Styles would be a good pick for the Titans.
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Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ran Carthon on why Sonny Styles fits Robert Saleh’s needs at linebacker
