In a testament to their on-field chemistry, former Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward played a role in reuniting with his college teammate, WR Xavier Restrepo, by advocating for his signing with the Tennessee Titans. Ward, selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Titans, endorsed Restrepo during pre-draft discussions with multiple NFL teams.
"I did push for him," Ward stated following rookie minicamp. "Every team that I visited with, I pushed for him. He's one of the best route runners in college football last year. First-team all-conference. He's an All-American. He's never lost in man coverage. ... Why wouldn't we push for him?"
Restrepo, despite a stellar collegiate career, went undrafted, a development attributed to a subpar 40-yard dash time at Miami's Pro Day. Nevertheless, his impressive tenure with the Hurricanes included setting school records for receptions (200), receiving yards (2,844), and touchdown receptions (21). In his final season, he amassed 69 catches for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns.
After the draft concluded, Restrepo was quickly signed by the Titans. It was a move that many saw coming and the comments by Ward confirm why it happened. If Restrepo would have avoided running the 40-yard dash at his Pro Day he potentially would have been drafted, so while Ward's endorsement helped, he would have gotten a shot in the NFL no matter what.
For Restrepo, he will now compete for a spot on the Titans 53-man roster. Restrepo has a good chance at making the roster as he was the only wide receiver signed by the Titans as an undrafted free agent. Tennessee chose to focus on defense after the draft with 14 of their 16 UDFA's playing on defense. The only other offensive UDFA signed by the Titans was Utah running back Micah Bernard.