Cam Ward confirms narrative around teammate Xavier Restrepo, but may have helped Titans find diamond in the rough in UDFA
It’s shaping up to be the summer of Xavier Restrepo in Nashville
I hope you like talking about Xavier Restrepo, because oh boy, are we going to be talking about Xavier Restrepo here in Tennessee this summer.
Xavier did not ask for this. The Tennessee Titans certainly are not asking for this.
But the narrative has written itself, and Restrepo is uniquely situated to elicit media and fan attention right away.
First, there's the fact that he and Cam Ward were a dynamic duo in college. Face it, we love when an electric tandem gets to stick together from college to the pros. Just think about the built-in chemistry they'll have! And Restrepo was considered by most draft analysts to be a surefire draft pick. Some had his as high as a 3rd/4th Round grade. So for him to fall all the way out of the draft, just to land in Tennessee? How perfect a story is that.
Once Restrepo went undrafted, he was a no-brainer for the Titans to go sign. There were a handful of reports over the draft weekend about a freshly-selected Cam Ward pounding on the doors of the Titans War Room, begging the team to take his college teammate X (metaphorically, at least). When asked about how he vouched for his boy, Ward had this to say at the podium after rookie minicamp practice:
“I did, I did push for him. Every team that I visited with, I pushed for him. He was one of the best route runners in college football last year. He was 1st Team All-Conference, he was an All-American. He never lost in man coverage, he’s a back-to-back 1000 yard wide receiver. So why wouldn’t we push for him?”
In their first public action together on the practice field, Restrepo certainly looked the part. This is the final way in which he is uniquely situated to draw our attention: he's a fantastic practice player. Now that's not to say he's a classic case of a great practice slot who doesn't translate to Sundays, an archetype that's not uncommon. The best players on gameday also tend to look like the best players in practice, and Restrepo just finished a college career that more than proves he's a natural football player. His new Head Coach Brian Callahan said as much about him over the weekend:
"Xavier's been a really productive college player…He's found ways to play football the right way…you just look at his production and what he's done as a football player and he puts himself in pretty good position to be competitive."
But there's no doubt his skillset as a slot specialist lends itself to being the flashiest in the practice drills. The precision, agility, sharpness, and foot quickness that receiver drills hone are a slot player's bread and butter. And Restrepo showed off all of those things in his first practice with cameras.
On top of his physical skillset, you can also tell pretty quickly that he's got a mental skillset that sets him apart on the practice field. He speaks "receiver" at a higher level than many rookies. He knows the details of the position well. He's a natural in that room. He played in college longer than most (five seasons), so perhaps that's not a big surprise. But it's noticeable nonetheless.
More than one member of the media came away from their first exposure to him agreeing: if the Titans had to put one of their rookie receivers out there in a game today, it sure feels like Xavier Restrepo would be the choice. But that statement carries with it an asterisk with a lengthy footnote. He was a UDFA, not a 4th Round pick like Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor. He's situated to shine this time of year, with a practice-friendly skillset and built-in chemistry with Cam Ward. And his biggest obstacle to making this team is his lack of versatility as a slot-only receiver who doesn't offer much on special teams.
Will he make the team in August? It's still an uphill climb. But if his first public practice was any indication, Cam Ward may have compelled the Titans to sign the steal of undrafted free agency.