After a disastrous Pro Day and an undrafted start, the former Miami standout claims a blazing new speed that could ignite his fight for a roster spot.
The Tennessee Titans selected Cam Ward No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Miami.
Ward came to Miami after transferring from Washington State. Before that, he was at Incarnate Word for a couple of seasons in Texas.
Ward had a spectacular final season of college football at Miami in 2024. He threw for 4,313 passing yards, 39 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He led the ACC in touchdown passes that year.
Ward is obviously a great player, but the talent around him at Miami was the best he'd ever had in college.
He had a 1,000-yard rusher in Damien Martinez and a 1,000-yard receiver in Xavier Restrepo. Restrepo didn't play a full season due to injury but was still able to put up 1,127 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.
He then made headlines at Miami's Pro Day due to his poor performance. He ran a 40-yard dash between 4.7 and 4.8 40-yard dash. Restrepo revealed that he suffered a hamstring injury just before running the drill, which affected his performance, per On3 Sports' Griffin McVeigh.
Restrepo got an invite to the NFL Combine but didn't really participate and did interviews before the draft. Teams weren't willing to take a risk on him, and he went undrafted.
After some campaigning from Ward, the Titans decided to sign Restrepo as an undrafted free agent. He spent his first year in the NFL mainly on the practice squad until injuries in the receiving corps forced the Titans to elevate him to the active roster, and he played in two games.
Restrepo is committed to proving he is still the same player he once was. He's been doing offseason training with Coach John Battle III and self-reported on social media that he ran a 4.45 40-yard dash.
While it's great to see that Restrepo isn't throwing in the towel, we don't know whether that was timed on a stopwatch or something else. They most likely didn't use the same gear that you would see at the NFL Combine or a Pro Day.
It's worth being skeptical about his new 40-yard dash time.
However, it sounds like Restrepo is getting back to the player he once was in college. This is great considering that the receiver room is much better than it was a year ago.
Restrepo is going to have to really earn his spot on the roster with Wan'Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate now at receiver.
The Titans have had success stories with plenty of UDFA wideouts in the past. From Mason Kinsey to Bryce Oliver, and now Tyren Montgomery and Hank Beatty, the Titans always seem to find receivers who go unnoticed in the draft and make the roster every year.
The road is going to be tougher than it was for Restrepo to make this team. If the numbers he's reporting are true, then he could have a real shot of making the team again in 2026, even if he's on the practice squad again or used as a special-teams player.
Everyone is going to be rooting for Montgomery and rightfully so, considering what he's overcome to reach the NFL. Another player fans may want to start watching as we approach training camp is Restrepo, for sure.
