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Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14

Young: Could Falcons, Titans team up in first round of NFL draft?

AP file photo by Danny Karnik / The Atlanta Falcons, left, have the No. 8 pick while the Tennessee Titans, right, have the No. 11 pick for the first round of the NFL draft Thursday night in Kansas City, Mo.
AP file photo by Danny Karnik / The Atlanta Falcons, left, have the No. 8 pick while the Tennessee Titans, right, have the No. 11 pick for the first round of the NFL draft Thursday night in Kansas City, Mo.

The opening night of the NFL draft is almost upon us. For four hours Thursday, each of us pigskin fanatics will be — at least once and in no particular order — so happy we’re ready to buy a round at the pub, so angry we say things that would make George Carlin blush and so hyper we make Beavis look calm and collected.

Ain’t it great!

But before you order the nachos or place a small wager on when Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. start pillow fighting, let’s get a little serious. We’re not about to bore you with another mock draft or throw out some ridiculous rumor (Will Levis going No. 1, right?) just to get clicks (or are we?).

The Chattanooga area is fortunate enough to have two NFL teams within a couple of hours’ drive and thus twice the interest in what’s about to go down in Kansas City. To prepare, here’s what the Atlanta Falcons and the Tennessee Titans should do in round one.

Each team is in a great spot to go in a number of directions and each has needs at multiple positions. Here’s a plan for one team, the previously woeful Falcons, to contend right away in the NFL’s most winnable division, and the other, the suddenly rebuilding Titans, to secure future success.