The Titans had the #1 pick and did the predictable thing, taking “Number One Quarterback” Cam Ward with the pick. Ward is a proficient quarterback, but would have been at the Michael Penix/Bo Nix tier last season. After that, they didn’t take a fantasy football-relevant player until round four. Generally, I stay away from round four or later wide receivers in their rookie season, but the Titans took a player that I graded out as an early second-round pick in my film review. So, there’s intrigue here outside of Cam Ward. Let’s dive in!
| Rd | Pick | Player | Pos | College |
| 1 | 1 | Cam Ward | QB | Miami (FL) |
| 2 | 52 | Oluwafemi Oladejo | DE | UCLA |
| 3 | 82 | Kevin Winston Jr. | S | Penn State |
| 4 | 103 | Chimere Dike | WR | Florida |
| 4 | 120 | Gunnar Helm | TE | Texas |
| 4 | 136 | Elic Ayomanor | WR | Stanford |
| 5 | 167 | Jackson Slater | OG | Sacramento State |
| 6 | 183 | Marcus Harris | CB | California |
| 6 | 188 | Kalel Mullings | RB | Michigan |
Round 1, Pick 1: Cam Ward, Quarterback, Florida (66’2″ 219 lbs)
The following is an excerpt from the Round One Fantasy Football Rookie Round Up
TALENT
Cam Ward is an interesting prospect since he seems to be the consensus #1 quarterback in this class, but he also won’t crack the top three in last year’s class. He’s fine, like Bo Nix, J.J. McCarthy, and Michael Penix were fine last year. This is unlikely to be a replay of the Kenny Pickett draft, but much like I didn’t see Nix, McCarthy, or Penix as franchise-altering players, I struggle to justify spending a top-fifteen pick on Cam Ward. Unfortunately, NFL teams will do just that.
As a prospect, there are things to like about Ward. He understands the nuances of throwing, feathering balls to all levels, and uncorking ropes when necessary. Ward also does this with a high degree of accuracy, putting the ball where only his receiver can get it. He also uses his legs to extend plays, but is nearly always looking to pass when he does so. When Ward throws on the run, he can create creative angles to the receiver that seemingly defy physics. When he decides to take off and run, he isn’t a slouisn’t, and he isn’t that gisn’t that, either.
While the game doesn’t look too fast for Ward, he will likely struggle at the NFL level as he develops blind spots when moving, often throwing dangerously close to players he seemingly didn’tknow didn’t know His predilection for creating outside of structure and for varying his arm angles also causes his mechanics to fly out of control, with balls sailing on him as things break down.
It might take him some time to be a solid starter, but he has the IQ, skills, and creativity to make it in the league.
NFL Comparison: Baker Mayfield
Predraft Grade: Late Round 1
2025 OPPORTUNITY
Depth Chart:
QB1 Cam Ward
QB2 Will Levis
QB3 Brandon Allen
QB4 Tim Boyle
Cam Ward will have every opportunity to start for the Titans, and it would make zero sense for anyone else on this roster to take a solitary first-team snap at any point unless Cam Ward needs a breather. However, Ward will be somewhat bereft of intriguing targets out of the gate. The Titans spent big on Calvin Ridley last year, but it thins out quickly behind him, with Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson manning the other two starting slots. He will likely lean on Chig Okonkwo in the short area, as those other three are all downfield threats.
Brian Callahan’s offense, Ward can thrive, as it is predicated on quick reads and even quicker passes. That will get the ball out of WWard’s hands, which he can grip and rip to his receivers.
2025 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
While Cam Ward can run a bit, I am not interested in his prospects from a fantasy football perspective in his rookie year. He would have been borderline to the Bo Nix and Michael Penix range last year, had he come out. We saw Nix thrive thanks to his legs, and Penix, a more traditional passer, struggled. I don’t want to draft Ward, as he could easily collapse out of the gate thanks to the weaponry around him failing to carry the quarterback to glory. He likely tops out as a streaming option in 1QB leagues and a backend QB2 in 2QB leagues in his rookie year, below even Drake Maye from last year.
Round 4, Pick 103: Chimere Dike, Wide Receiver, Florida (66’0″ 195 lbs)
TALENT
Dike is interesting because if you don’t look closely, you could see shades of Puka Nacua in his game. He makes strong and contested catches in traffic, bodying defenders to haul in his targets. But, as soon as you start to pick things apart, things become a problem. He primarily benefited from schemed clear-out routes or finding space looping between the levels against zone defenses, unless he used his 4.34 speed to run past the defense. Florida used his strong hands to work him downfield, getting chunk gains. Unfortunately, he had a massive drop problem (17 drops, per PFF) and is an unreliable target. If you do anything more than watch a highlight reel, there’s nothing super intriguing about his game. He drops the ball, has no change of direction, doesn’t vary his play speed, doesn’t do much after the catch, and ultimately will not have fantasy value.
NFL Comparison: Trey Palmer
Predraft Grade: UDFA
2025 OPPORTUNITY
Depth Chart:
WR1 Calvin Ridley
WR2 Tyler Lockett
WR3 Van Jefferson
WR4 Elic Ayomanor
WR5 Chimere Dike
WR6 Treylon Burks
WR7 Xavier Restrepo
The Titans will likely bring Cam Ward along slowly in his rookie year, so they filled the wide receiver room with solid vets like Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson. These vets also haven’t done much for a while (Tyler Lockett, once a fantasy football stalwart, has his best years in the past). But Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett, and Van Jefferson can all spread the field. Unfortunately, that’s also Chimere Dike’s best trait. He likely starts his career as a super-sub to those three receivers, and as such, doesn’t stand out in his rookie season.
2025 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
Chimere Dike is WR109 of 110 drafted wide receivers on 44for4’saggregate ADP. That tells you all you need to know.
Round 4, Pick 120: Gunnar Helm, Tight End, Texas (66’5″ 241 lbs)
TALENT
Gunnar Helm’s distinctive trait is that he has no distinctive characteristics. It’s not that he won’t be a productive tight end for the NFL; it’s just that the NFL is littered with Gunnar Helms. He’s Dalton Schultz, he’s Pat Frehe’s Pat, he’s Jake Ferguson, he’s Luke Schoonmaker, he’s just one of those middle-class guys who end up in The Blob 2-3 years into their career after they carve out a role that gives them 60 catches for 650 yards and six touchdowns.
He’s not a gHe’s not a checker, and he isn’t showing athleticism, but he can play all over the formation and is a reliable atronome. Tick, 8-yard gain. Tock, 8-yard gain. Tick, a nice block for a first down. Tock, touchdown. A good pass catcher with no carrying traits, but is above average at enough things to make him a guy who will eventually matter for fantasy football. He finds his spots on the field and gets himself open for the quarterback, which is what you want out of your blob tight end, and everything else is ancillary.
NFL Comparison: Jake Ferguson
Predraft Grade: 4th Round
2025 OPPORTUNITY
Depth Chart:
TE1 Chig Okonkwo
TE2 Gunnar Helm
TE3 Josh Whyle
Gunnar Helm is there to support Chig Okonkwo, and this isn’t a team with talented pass-catchers. Helm likely tops out at 40 targets, barring a Chig Okonkwo injury.
2025 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
We haven’t seen a tight end have a fantasy football-relevant rookie season yet, and Gunnar Helm won’t change that. 4, Pick 136: Elic Ayomanor, Wide Receiver, Stanford (66’2″ 206 lbs)
TALENT
The ongoing issue in the Football Absurdity Podcast group chat is that Ayomanor simply has too many dogs in him. It’s untenable, frankly, to keep that many canines in a human body. Ayomanor isn’t the most explosive or athletic receiver, and he struggles with drops, but that’s probably because Stanford tasked him with taking on every opposing DB in a game of ” who can catch this slightly off-target 50/50 ball?”
He’s a strong, handsy receiver who is just a pure route runner with enough speed to keep defenses honest. That being said, despite his size, a physical defensive back can give him fits. He would be best suited in the NFL as a #2 receiver to a true alpha underneath receiver to dominate targets. He might have a bit of a learning curve as he joins the NFL, but I love how he plays, and he should have a great season within a couple of years.
NFL Comparison: Michael Pittman
Predraft Grade: Late 1st Round/Early 2nd Round
2025 OPPORTUNITY
Depth Chart:
WR1 Calvin Ridley
WR2 Tyler Lockett
WR3 Van Jefferson
WR4 Elic Ayomanor
WR5 Chimere Dike
WR6 Treylon Burks
WR7 Xavier Restrepo
By my reckoning, the Titans got a steal with Ayomanor in the fourth round. Typically, you don’t bet on day three rookie wide receivers to break out, because their hit rate is just south of 2%. We’ve seen Puka Nacua and Amon-Ra St. Brown pull it off in recent seasons. Why? They filled the role of strong, dog-filled short area receiver for their team. They made the tough catches, so they became the go-to target. Ayomanor sits fourth on a depth chart with three lackluster-to-decent deep threats ahead of him. Currently, there’s no” o to “receiver who can outmuscle his opponent and force the ball into his hands by sheer power of will. That is, except Ayomanor.
2025 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
Elic Ayomanor is WR80 by 4for4 ADP right now. That’s an absolute steal, given his upside. He’s going behind fellow rookie Pat Bryant, who isn’t nearly as good, Jalen Coker, who is Bryce Young’s WR3 or WR4, and Keenan Allen, who isn’t even on a team. If you’re drafting that late, eschew the low-ceiling “old” picks for a high upside play like Ayomanor. The ideal last pick in a deeper league, and the first player to put on your watch list in a shallow league.
Round 6, Pick 188: Kalel Mullings, Running Back, Michigan (66’1″ 226 lbs)
TALENT
Do you need a big running back who bashes into the line of scrimmage at every opportunity? Then Kalel Mullings is just the man for you. However, if he finds a hole, he can run the ball a very long way. Against USC in 2024, he bashed himself into the line of scrimmage until a hole opened and he ran in a 50+ yard touchdown.
Mullings is a former linebacker, which gives him an interesting skill in pitches and other plays to the outside: he does an exceptional job of sifting through traffic, primarily thanks to his latent linebacker instincts that allow him to see the play develop in front of him; iit’sthe same skillset: find where the blocks set up, and go between them. Mullings worked best at Michigan when he was getting many chances to inflict punishing blows on defenses, but he likely won’t get that ability to wear down the defense at the NFL level. He is an intriguing player, but needs a bit more seasoning before he can be a dependable every-down back.
Predraft Grade: UDFA
NFL Comparison: Hassan Haskins
2025 OPPORTUNITY
Depth Chart:
RB1 Tony Pollard
RB2 Tyjae Spears
RB3 Julius Chestnut
RB4 Kalel Mullings
Mullings will be a hammer back for the Titans, and is more likely to be an annoying short-area touchdown scorer and third-and-short specialist than anything else. Pollard and Spears are light years better than Mullings, and even Julius Chestnut has more juice.
2025 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
If Pollard, Spears, and Chestnut suffer injuries, you can shoot Mullings. Just don’t expect him; he doesn’t have the juice.
