Titans’ Trade Deadline Approach Centered Around Cam Ward, Jeffery Simmons
The Titans had a couple different paths they could have followed in the runup to the trade deadline. Tied with the Saints for the worst record in the NFL, a fire sale of any desirable assets could have taken place. While they let teams know that every player on the roster but two was open for business, they ended up playing a bit of hardball, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. 
The two players off the table, of course, were rookie No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward and star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi faces an uphill battle in his efforts to turn around a team that has gone 4-22 over the past two seasons. In making his plan for how he’ll accomplish this feat, Bongonzi pointed to the team that has won three of the last six Super Bowls and their reliance on cornerstone pieces.
“So, you try to identify, at least I think Cam is one,” Borgonzi told reporters, per Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com. “You know, I think some of these rookies can be. I think Jeff is one. And I’m not going to go through every player on the roster, but you would try to identify maybe like three, four, five guys.”
He continued, “And you saw that in the past with Kansas City. It’s like the same four guys that have been there for that whole run there, right? And so, yeah, I do think there’s some cornerstone players here that can be part of this. Some of them are younger now, and they have to develop, and we need to continue to add to that.”
Specifically, he knows Ward needs to develop and improve, and his belief is that the rookie passer is doing so amidst struggles largely attributed to the quality of his supporting cast. The other rookies that may have a chance to establish themselves as cornerstone players with Ward are a trio of fourth-round pass-catchers. Receivers Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor and tight end Gunnar Helm have all established a strong connection with Ward early. They have a chance to continue to develop chemistry and provide some roster continuity for their fledgling quarterback.
Ward’s other top targets this year, wide receiver Calvin Ridley and tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, were mentioned as trade candidates who might find homes with contenders for the right price. When no deals took place to move either player, it became apparent that, just because every player was available for a trade, it didn’t mean that they’d be cheap. Tennessee had shipped off cornerback Roger McCreary and pass rusher Dre’Mont Jones, netting a pair of fifth-round picks in exchange, but it was a different situation with the offensive pieces.
Because the team was prioritizing Ward’s growth and development, they couldn’t afford to let go of experienced offensive playmakers like Ridley and Okonkwo for nominal compensation. The Titans sought draft picks to assist in the continuation of their rebuild, but late-Day 3 pick swaps were not going to be enough to persuade them to relinquish those assets.
So, the deadline came and went with little noise on players deemed open for business. Borgonzi held on to the players he deemed valuable to the development of what he hopes will become a franchise QB, and he began his work of identifying potential cornerstone Titans.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/9/25
We saw a busy day of 2025 NFL Draft pick signings today. Here are the mid- to late-round picks who inked their four-year rookie deals:
Arizona Cardinals
- OLB Jordan Burch (third round, Oregon)
- CB Denzel Burke (fifth round, Ohio State)
- G Hayden Conner (sixth round, Texas)
- S Kitan Crawford (seventh round, Nevada)
Buffalo Bills
- DE Landon Jackson (third round, Arkansas)
- CB Jordan Hancock (fifth round, Ohio State)
- TE Jackson Hawes (fifth round, Georgia Tech)
- CB Dorian Strong (sixth round, Virginia Tech)
- T Chase Lundt (sixth round, Connecticut)
- WR Kaden Prather (seventh round, Maryland)
Cincinnati Bengals
- G Dylan Fairchild (third round, Georgia)
- LB Barrett Carter (fourth round, Clemson)
- T Jalen Rivers (fifth round, Miami)
- RB Tahj Brooks (sixth round, Texas Tech)
Detroit Lions
- G Miles Frazier (fifth round, LSU)
- DE Ahmed Hassanein (sixth round, Boise State)
- S Dan Jackson (seventh round, Georgia)
- WR Dominic Lovett (seventh round, Georgia)
Houston Texans
- S Jaylen Reed (sixth round, Penn State)
- QB Graham Mertz (sixth round, Florida)
- DT Kyonte Hamilton (seventh round, Rutgers)
- TE Luke Lachey (seventh round, Iowa)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- CB Caleb Ransaw (third round, Tulane)
- G Wyatt Milum (third round (West Virginia)
- LB Jalen McLeod (sixth round, Auburn)
- S Rayuan Lane III (sixth round, Navy)
- C Jonah Monheim (seventh round, USC)
- RB LeQuint Allen (seventh round, Syracuse)
Las Vegas Raiders
- WR Dont’e Thornton Jr. (fourth round, Tennessee)
Los Angeles Chargers
- DT Jamaree Caldwell (third round, Oregon)
- OLB Kyle Kennard (fourth round, South Carolina)
- WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (fifth round, Auburn)
- TE Oronde Gadsden II (fifth round, Syracuse)
- G Branson Taylor (sixth round, Pittsburgh)
- S RJ Mickens (sixth round, Clemson)
- S Trikweze Bridges (seventh round, Florida)
Minnesota Vikings
- WR Tai Felton (third round, Maryland)
- DE Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (fifth round, Georgia)
- LB Kobe King (sixth round, Penn State)
- TE Gavin Bartholomew (sixth round, Pittsburgh)
New England Patriots
- WR Kyle Williams (third round, Washington State)
- C Jared Wilson (third round, Georgia)
- DT Joshua Farmer (fourth round, Florida State)
- OLB Bradyn Swinson (fifth round, LSU)
- K Andy Borregales (sixth round, Miami)
- T Marcus Bryant (seventh round, Missouri)
- LS Julian Ashby (seventh round, Vanderbilt)
- CB Kobee Minor (seventh round, Memphis)
New York Giants
- G Marcus Mbow (fifth round, Purdue)
- TE Thomas Fidone II (seventh round, Nebraska)
New York Jets
- CB Korie Black (seventh round, Oklahoma State)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- RB Kaleb Johnson (third round, Iowa)
- OLB Jack Sawyer (fourth round, Ohio State)
- DT Yahya Black (fifth round, Iowa)
- QB Will Howard (sixth round, Ohio State)
- LB Carson Bruener (seventh round, Washington)
- CB Donte Kent (seventh round, Central Michigan)
San Francisco 49ers
- LB Nick Martin (third round, Oklahoma State)
- CB Upton Stout (third round, Western Kentucky)
- WR Jordan Watkins (fourth round, Ole Miss)
- RB Jordan James (fifth round, Oregon)
- S Marques Sigle (fifth round, Kansas State)
- G Connor Colby (seventh round, Iowa)
- WR Junior Bergen (seventh round, Montana)
Tennessee Titans
- S Kevin Winston Jr. (third round, Penn State)
- WR Elic Ayomanor (fourth round, Stanford)
- G Jackson Slater (fifth round, Sacramento State)
- CB Marcus Harris (sixth round, California)
- RB Kalel Mullings (sixth round, Michigan)
Washington Commanders
- WR Jaylin Lane (fourth round, Virginia Tech)
- LB Kain Medrano (sixth round, UCLA)
- RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt (seventh round, Arizona)
Titans Trade Up To 136th Pick, Select Stanford WR Elic Ayomanor
The Titans traded with the Ravens to acquire the 136th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and selected Stanford wide receiver Elic Ayomanor.
Tennessee sent picks Nos. 141 and 178 to Baltimore and received Nos. 136 and 183. It’s a somewhat curious move by the Ravens’ front office, who moved back five picks in the fourth round and only moved up five picks in the sixth round.
Ayomanor is a big, explosive receiver who could compete for snaps early with his physicality and strength as a run blocker. After a redshirt freshman year at Stanford, he put up 1,844 yards and 12 touchdowns across 2023 and 2024.
The 21-year-old wideout’s game needs a lot of refinement, particularly in his route-running and consistency at the catch point. His attitude will endear him to NFL coaches, but offensive coordinators won’t send the ball his way until he gets better at the basics of the position.
With the 141st pick acquired in the trade, the Ravens selected Alabama A&M offensive tackle Carson Vinson. He has prototypical size for the position with solid athleticism and profiles as a developmental left tackle in Baltimore. The Ravens re-signed Ronnie Stanley through the 2027 season, but Vinsons could be a candidate to replace him if he develops into a more consistent, reliable blocker.
Stanford WR Elic Ayomanor Declares For Draft
As we make our way through the NCAA’s bowl season, we continue to see a number of college players make their intentions for the future known. One such player is Stanford redshirt sophomore receiver Elic Ayomanor. After three years in school, the Canada-native announced on X that he would forgo his remaining eligibility and declare for the 2025 NFL Draft. 
Despite being born in Alberta, CAN, Ayomanor attended high school at The Peddie School (NJ) and Deerfield Academy (MA), ranking as the fourth-best recruit in Massachusetts, according to 247 Sports. He fielded a number of offers from several Ivy League schools and other schools from different conferences such as Tennessee, Arizona, Ole Miss, and Kentucky, but ultimately, he chose to cross the country in order to attend Stanford, a school with a mix of strong academics and athletics.
Not the most exciting recruit coming out of high school, Ayomanor redshirted with no appearances in 2022. He established himself as a contributor on the offense as a redshirt freshman, having his first strong performance against Sacramento State. Ayomanor exploded onto the scene four weeks later, when the Cardinal traveled to Boulder.
Against the 4-1 Buffaloes, Ayomanor embarrassed Travis Hunter and Co. (pictured above) to the tune of 13 receptions for 294 yards and three touchdowns. He had a couple other big performances last year in losses against Washington and Oregon State, and he ended the year as the team’s leading receiver with 62 catches for 1,013 yards and six touchdowns. In 2024, Ayomanor renewed his role as the Cardinal’s leading receiver with 63 receptions for 831 yards and six touchdowns, delivering big performances against TCU, Syracuse, Wake Forest, NC State, and San Jose State.
Ayomanor has shown that he can deliver in an underwhelming offense against some impressively tough competition. He’s clearly intelligent and has tools that will be desirable at the next level. That being said, he’s not likely to hear his name called on Day 1 of the draft. ESPN’s Mel Kiper has Ayomanor ranked as the eighth-best wide receiver in the class, and Kiper’s colleagues tend to agree, excluding him from all of their top-five lists. Dane Brugler’s mid-November ranking seems to project him the highest as the third-best receiver (fourth if considering Hunter), but even Brugler has Ayomanor treading the line between the first and second round as the 28th-best overall prospect.
It’s curious to see Ayomanor declare for the draft following his redshirt sophomore season, especially with most draft rankings listing him as a Day 2 or 3 option. In these days of the ever-popular transfer portal, there are so many examples of such players transferring to greener pastures and having seasons that establish them as clear first-round options. Instead, Ayomanor will be satisfied with his current body of work and will hope that his combination of size, speed, and ball skills will shine in the leadup to the draft and help his draft stock peak.