As the Tennessee Titans’ first-year regime’s first NFL Draft comes to a close, the bones of the Titans’ rebuild have been unearthed.
The most obvious pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Titans added their new franchise quarterback in Miami’s Cam Ward with the first overall pick. Ward’s top-end arm talent combined with his sense of timing and anticipation allows him to fit throws into any NFL window.
Despite getting a rep as an out-of-structure playmaker, Ward also excels as a pocket passer. As the best processor in this class, he routinely progresses through to the backside of passing concepts.
While the accuracy and pocket management can be spotty at times, Ward has all the makings of a franchise quarterback for Tennessee.
With their second pick in the draft, the Titans added UCLA inside linebacker turned edge rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo at pick 52 (after a trade back with Seattle). Only having a handful of games as a full-time edge rusher, Oladejo has one of the highest ceilings of any edge rusher in this draft class.
While a top-end athlete, Oladejo clearly needs refinement in his pass-rushing skillset. Bolstering an impressively wide arsenal of pass rushing moves, he just needs to improve his pass-rushing plan and stringing his moves together.
Also an NFL-ready run defender, Oladejo projects as an immediate three-down edge in Tennessee’s rotation.
With their newly acquired third-round pick (via Seattle), the Titans opted to fill the hole at safety by adding Penn State’s Kevin Winston Jr. After having his 2024 season unfortunately cut short by an ACL injury, Winston was discussed as one of the top safety prospects in this class coming out of 2023.
With prototypical box safety size (6-foot-2, 208 pounds), Winston is a twitchy athlete with incredible range. He also flashes a quick trigger in the run game and provides a strong presence in run support.
In one of the more surprising picks of the draft, Tennessee opted to select their first receiver of this draft class in Florida’s Chimere Dike with the first pick of Day Three. Adding a new weapon for Ward, Dike is one of the most explosive athletes in the entire draft class.
As one of the top athletes in this receiver class, Dike hits top speed in about one to two steps. He also effortlessly decelerates and sinks his hips to stop on a dime. While he ran an extremely limited route tree at Florida (basically only deep crossers), Dike flashed lethal separation ability when given the opportunity.
Dike projects as an immediate field stretching vertical threat, with the potential to develop into a larger role.
With their second pick of the fourth round (via the Ernest Jones trade), the Titans added a new presence into their tight end room with Texas’ Gunnar Helm. While Chig Okonkwo continues to be a contributing factor to the Titans’ tight end room, Tennessee felt a true inline Y-tight end was still a need.
Despite having the tools (and ceiling) to be a successful inline run blocker, Helm’s tape as a blocker was often unrefined and raw. While he absolutely has the potential to develop into a dominant inline blocker, he projects more as a big slot early in his career.
In potentially the biggest steal of the draft, Tennessee traded up with the Baltimore Ravens to select Stanford wide receiver Elic Ayomanor at 136th overall. In a class with a glaring lack of true X-receivers, Ayomanor (6-foot-2, 206 pounds) sticks out as a true outside presence.
In a class with receivers such as Jayden Higgins and Tet McMillan, Ayomanor is a refreshing prototypical X-receiver who actually plays as physically as his size would suggest. He excels at using his size at the catch point by boxing smaller defensive backs out.
Ayomanor also is one of the few big receivers in this class that can separate against press man coverage. He possesses rare movement skills and separation ability for a receiver of his size. He projects as Tennessee’s immediate starting X-receiver opposite of Calvin Ridley.
With their only fifth round pick (after trading up to 136), Tennessee added their first offensive lineman of the draft in Sacramento State’s Jackson Slater. One of the biggest risers from the Senior Bowl, Slater more than proved himself against elite competition in mobile.
Slater also works extremely well out in space and as a puller. With head coach Brian Callahan shifting Tennessee’s run game to be more gap focused, his ability as a puller will be fully utilized.
With Kevin Zeitler only on a one-year deal, Slater looks to be the heir apparent for Tennessee’s right guard spot.
With a dangerously thin secondary, the Titans opted to spend the first of their two sixth-round picks on California corner Marcus Harris. Harris projects more as a nickel corner due to size limitations.
With Roger McCreary’s future being potentially uncertain after the 2025 season, Tennessee takes a late Day Three flyer to possibly develop into his replacement.
After a draft cycle full of rumors that the Titans wanted to add a “bruiser” to the backfield, Tennessee delivered by adding Michigan RB Kalel Mullings. A converted linebacker turned running back, Mullings is 226 pounds of pure power.
Filling the Titans’ need of a short yardage power back to a tee, Mullings will immediately carve out a role behind Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears.
Overall, the Titans’ first-year regime left the draft with an impressive haul filled to the brim with value picks.
Adding a franchise quarterback, two new receiving weapons, a high-ceiling edge prospect, a potential inline Y-tight end solution, Tennessee has a rock-solid foundation to continue to build upon into the future.
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