NASHVILLE – Jaren Kanak was a high school phenom who had to wait his turn to shine in college.

When he did, after switching from linebacker to tight end, he did enough to earn the attention of NFL teams.

On Saturday, the Titans selected the Oklahoma tight end in the seventh round of the NFL Draft.

Kanak, selected with the 225th overall pick, made the switch from linebacker to tight end following the 2024 season and he became a third-team All-SEC performer last year.

"I grew up, my entire life, I was an offensive player and just coming out I was recruited at the college level as more of a defensive style player and that's what I did my first three years," Kanak explained after being picked. "I kind of got to a position in my career, in my junior year of college, where I kind of realized that maybe defense wasn't for me. I basically approached Coach in the offseason and said, 'Hey, listen I got the offensive background. I'm kind of hitting a wall here in my career on defense and I really think I can offer more to this team if you let me try out offense.' I was really just trying to find a place where I can add value to the team and be a guy who can lead us toward success. They gave me the opportunity to switch over in the spring. They gave me a spring to try it out, and it ended up working out pretty well for me."

Kanak (6-2, 234) caught 44 passes for 533 yards in 2025 after playing 39 games on defense and special teams in his first three college seasons at Oklahoma.

Kanak, who ran a 4.52 in the 40 at the NFL Combine, was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and ranked as the 125th overall prospect in the country as an athlete after playing quarterback and linebacker. Kanak ran for 1,615 yards and 23 touchdowns as a high school senior, when he also threw for 910 yards and 12 passing touchdowns.

With the Titans, he'll look to earn a roster spot, and a role on the team.

"Getting to draft day, there's a lot of different emotions going through the day and getting here towards the later rounds," he said. "It's a crazy thing but I'm glad I ended up where I did and I'm happy to call myself a Titan.

"I plan on walking in day one and making an immediate impact on special teams in particular. Just with my linebacker background and athletic ability and understanding of the game of football and being able to use my athletic abilities to my advantage. I'm looking to be a big contributor on special teams and then carving out a role for myself within offense and being a playmaker in that sense."