AUBURN, Ala. – Inside the 2026 NFL Draft green room on Pittsburgh’s North Shore, Keldric Faulk wiped tears and hugged his mother after learning he had become Auburn’s first first-round draft pick in six years.
“I’m going through a roller coaster of emotions but it feels great to be a first-round draft pick,” said Faulk, wearing a burgundy tuxedo selected by his mother and fashion coordinator, Lakendral Barnes, after the Tennessee Titans selected him with the 31st overall pick.
Amid the whirlwind of congratulations, interviews and photo ops, Faulk took time to thank Auburn for helping him become the program’s first first-rounder since Derrick Brown and Noah Igbinoghene in 2020.
“Not just the coaches and teammates but everybody in that stadium and that city, the support they gave me,” Faulk said. “Every time I walked out into the city, it was always, ‘Thank you, Keldric,’ but it really should be, ‘Thank y’all,’ because y’all gave me the drive to keep going, keep fighting. Man, I love y’all.”
Faulk’s three seasons on the Plains will be remembered not only for his productivity but also his locker room leadership, how he sought to unite Auburn’s offense and defense amid adversity.
“I feel like I left commitment at Auburn,” he said. “I was committed to Auburn through everything. I left leadership. I left hard work and being great to people. I treated everybody at Auburn like they were my own family.”