NASHVILLE – After selecting Cam Ward with the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans have had a clear approach to the rest of their selections.

The Titans are after developmental players that are unfinished products. Players with a high ceiling and the traits to exceed expectations. Mike Borgonzi and the new front office are taking big swings and trusting their ability to bring out untapped potential. 

Assistant GM Dave Ziegler said on Saturday afternoon that drafting developmental players had not necessarily been intentional, but it's certainly something the Titans think is a positive about all of their incoming draftees. 

The character of each of these players has also been important to Tennessee. The Titans are trying to find culture fits to build their team around. It is also necessary to find guys with an exceptional work ethic if you are going to chase unfinished products in the draft. Everybody loves a prospect with a high ceiling, but the player has to be willing to work hard to reach it. 

"Those discussions allowed us to get on the same page and make sure that we felt that the development was achievable with those players. Because I think there's that aspect too. The traits go into that because if there's a developmental aspect to a player, they have to have the passion for it. They have to have the intelligence for it, they have to have the want to do it. And so you can have guys that are developmental, but if they don't have some of those core traits, there's a good chance they're not going to develop," said Ziegler.

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Titans developmental picks

EDGE Femi Oladejo (No. 52) has only played 10 games in his entire football career as an edge rusher. He's a natural inside linebacker, which comes with strong instincts against the run. He can set the edge and drop into coverage…But can he rush the passer?

Oladejo probably comes in as the third or fourth best edge rusher on the Titans. He'll be in the defensive rotation in 2025, but I doubt he'll be a high-impact pass rusher during his rookie season. There are a lot of tools to like. Tennessee is hoping he grows into a well-rounded defensive starter.

S Kevin Winston Jr. (No. 82) is relatively inexperienced because of a knee injury that held him out for most of the 2024 season. While he lacks instincts in the back end, he might be the best pure tackler in the draft. NFL body and an NFL brain.

Winston should stick in the league thanks to his ability to stop the run, but if he's going to really hit his stride, he'll need to get more consistent making quick reads. I am a real fan of this pick, but taking him over Xavier Watts is a really big swing from the Titans front office. Winston likely won't start to begin 2025 with Amani Hooker and Xavier Woods under contract for one more season. 

WR Chimere Dike (No. 103) had 783 yards in his best season of college football. Drops are a real issue, but his 4.34 speed is enough to raise an eyebrow. NFL.com labels Dike as "a niche receiver with average hands." He's going to stretch the field and be a deep target for Cam Ward, but can he be a well-rounded receiving threat? I have my doubts. 

TE Gunnar Helm (No. 120) is probably the least "developmental" pick of them all. Helm was highly productive in his final year at Texas and brings some competition immediately into the Titans' tight end room. Helm will be a factor in the passing game. The developmental part of his skillset is his run blocking. 

WR Elic Ayomanor (No. 136) comes from Stanford as a big, fast, and intelligent target for Cam Ward. He's a will and capable run blocker and a skilled deep threat. But with 27.5% of his targets coming on throws 20+ yards downfield, he is somewhat one-dimensional in the type of routes he was asked to run in college. 

Ayomanor just needs to develop a bit more and become more well-rounded in his route tree. Landing with Titans will allow him to do that. Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett can be the primary receivers to begin the season. Titans Vice President/Football Advisor Reggie McKenzie said on Saturday that expecting Ayomanor to be a Week 1 starter was "putting a lot of pressure on a rookie."

Tennessee is a great spot for him to be. I'm really optimistic on the growth he will show over his rookie season. But again, another piece that is unfinished and has better football to come than what we have seen from him thus far.

Tennessee Titans just drafted a wide receiver that absolutely dominated Travis Hunter back in college

Titans WR Elic Ayomanor dominated Travis Hunter back in college.