NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans are hoping to do a hard reset on a franchise that has struggled through three straight losing seasons.
That process started with new general manager Mike Borgonzi leading off the draft by choosing Miami quarterback Cam Ward to be the new face of the franchise, which fell to 3-14 last season and put itself in position to have the first-overall pick on Thursday night.
“He’s a young quarterback and he still has a lot of things to work on, but I think the intangibles with him, his work ethic, his want-to to become better, we felt comfortable with that,” Borgonzi said of his first-ever draft pick.
After selecting Ward on the first day, the Titans dealt their second-round pick for two picks, turning that into UCLA edge rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo in the second round and Penn State safety Kevin Winston Jr., in the third.
After adding two defensive picks, the Titans opted for weapons for Ward with their first three picks on the draft’s final day. They chose Florida receiver/return man Chimere Dike with the first pick of the fourth round, then followed that with tight end Gunnar Helm of Texas at pick No. 120.
Tennessee then traded with Baltimore to move back into the end of the fourth round to select Stanford receiver Elic Ayomanor.
The Titans finished their draft with depth pieces, grabbing Sacramento State offensive lineman Jackson Slater in the fifth round. Tennessee then chose California cornerback Marcus Harris and Michigan running back Kalel Mullings with its final two picks in the sixth round. The Titans had no seventh-round choice due to a previous trade.
Building the culture
As part of the draft process, the Titans emphasized traits that are not necessarily measured by a 40-yard dash time or by watching players on film.
The Titans are revamping the culture using traits like leadership, football intelligence and character in their evaluations of these prospects.
That led them to zero in on players who exhibited qualities beyond their ability to just block, tackle, run or catch. Three of the players — Ward, Winston and Dike — were all team captains, and virtually all the players got strong marks for their love of football.
“I think it’s a pretty strong (emphasis) and I think it will continue to be that way. I think some of the places we’ve been — Mike, myself, Chad (Brinker) — and some of the organizations we’ve been with that have won and won consistently, you kind of see how culture impacts that,” assistant general manager Dave Zeigler said. “How much guys truly love the game, because guys that love the game are passionate about getting better. They’re motivated to improve. They elevate their teammates around them.”
Third day’s a charm
After selecting Ward, the Titans went with defense on Day 2 with Femi Oladejo and Winston. But when the draft moved into the final day, the Titans went heavy on offensive skill position players in the fourth round to help Ward.
The Titans drafted Dike and Ayomanor and also added Helm, swinging a trade with the Baltimore Ravens to move up five spots to select Ayomanor.
The Titans needed to add more numbers at the position to go with Calvin Ridley and recent free agent signees. Dike offers punt return capability and averaged 18.6 yards per catch last season, while Ayomanor had 1,013 yards receiving at Stanford in 2023 and 863 yards last year.
Helm also addresses a need for the Titans at tight end following a breakout season for the Longhorns in 2024 with 60 receptions.
Ward at one
The selection of Ward marked the third time in franchise history that the Titans have chosen first overall and the first time since the club landed in Tennessee in 1997.
The two previous No. 1-overall picks were while the franchise was in Houston. The Oilers chose University of Tampa defensive end John Matuszak with the top pick in 1973. Matuszak played just one year in Houston before being traded to Kansas City and then finishing his career with the Oakland Raiders.
In 1978, the Oilers traded up to No.1 overall and selected Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell of Texas.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Terry Mccormick, The Associated Press
