A former high school tight end who converted to the offensive line and became a second-team All-SEC guard at Arkansas, landing with the Titans in the fifth round.
Fernando Carmona Jr. took an unusual path to the NFL, starting his athletic life in basketball, tennis and volleyball before growing into a 316-pound offensive lineman. After starting games at three different schools across five college seasons, the Tennessee Titans drafted him in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft to add depth on the interior line.
Path to the league
Carmona grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, and did not begin playing tackle football until his junior year of high school, having previously focused on other sports. He started his college career at San Jose State, redshirting in 2021 before starting 12 games at left tackle in both 2022 and 2023 and earning honorable mention All-Mountain West honors.
Career highlights
Carmona transferred to Arkansas via the portal in 2024, immediately starting all 13 games at left tackle and earning third-team All-SEC recognition. He moved inside to guard in 2025, was named a team captain, and finished his career with 50 games played and 49 starts across two programs.
2025 season recap
In his final Arkansas season, Carmona started all 12 games at left guard, allowed just one sack across 469 snaps and earned second-team All-SEC honors. He was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the 142nd overall pick in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Fernando Carmona (American football)
- ESPN: Fernando Carmona player page
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Guard
- Group
- offense
- College
- Arkansas
- Hometown
- Las Vegas, NV, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
