What is your expectation for the Tennessee Titans' 2025 draft class?

If your answer is “pretty high”, you aren’t alone. I’d say that’s how much of the fanbase feels. I’d also say the majority of the media on the Titans beat is more cautiously optimistic than usual about this group. And based on the way the Titans coaching staff talks about these rookies, it’s fair to say they have very high hopes too.

It appears to be a really good group! They each have exciting upside. They all seem to be uniquely solid young men, who have good heads on their shoulders and have natural leadership ability. They’re all the “team captain” type in terms of personality. And many of them have received both public and private praise over how quickly they’re picking things up mentally. It’s been a promising start overall.

But if you ask me who the player most likely to leave fans disappointed this year is, my answer is a no-brainer. And it’s a shame, because I like him a lot as a prospect, and I think the disappointment will be unfair.

Femi Oladejo Requires Patience

If you haven’t heard by now, the Titans newest EDGE has only played the position for 10 games. Ever. And that’s not very many!

Oladejo was a standup linebacker at UCLA until the final 10 games of his college career, when somebody had the bright idea to get his hand in the dirt to rush the passer. It became quickly apparent this is his natural position, and what he managed to put on tape in less than a full college season was good enough to get him drafted in the 2nd Round. That’s a reflection of just how quickly he got acclimated, the flashes he showed, and the week-to-week progress he made.

Tennessee watched all 539 of those career snaps at EDGE—which, I cannot emphasize enough, is really not many—and decided he was an investment worth making. But what fans have to understand is what Titans brass have come out and said about him openly: it’s a longterm investment. In fact, both of the Titans 2nd round picks are defenders, and both are prospects that you’d categorize as 2-3 year projections. That’s when they’re expected to be peaking on their rookie deal, and it could be slow or choppy until then.

But S Kevin Winston Jr. has three things going for him narratively that Oladejo doesn’t have the luxury of: he was picked a round later, he’s coming off a torn ACL in 2024, and he’s joining a position room that isn’t going to need him right away. And that last point is really where I see the rub with Oladejo coming into play this year.

The Titans EDGE situation is bleak. Dre’Mont Jones looks on paper to be an upgrade over what Harold Landry gave you in 2024, but Jones has never been asked to be the 1A rusher on a team. So we’ll see what that looks like. Arden Key is a known quantity who is at his best in a DPR, rotational role. When he’s asked to be an every-down player, which I expect he will be at least to start the year, his impact can wane. And then beyond Oladejo, the remaining depth in the room hardly exists.

So many fans are going to look at a 2nd Round rookie EDGE rusher in a room with ample opportunity, and naturally they’ll have some lofty expectations. And while I think in year 2 or 3 he’s got a good shot at hitting, any high expectations for him this season are too early. In this article projecting when each rookie will get their first official start, I outlined how I think a rookie year similar to what Harold Landry did in 2018 is what I’m expecting. I would love for him to prove me too conservative on his trajectory and breakout this season, but I wouldn’t recommend going into the year expecting it.

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