The Tennessee Titans entered the 2025 NFL Draft without a third-round pick as a result of the previous regime's trade for L'Jarius Sneed. New general manager Mike Borgonzi was tasked with rebuilding a last-place squad. Understandably, he was interested in recouping that third-round selection.
Borgonzi took advantage of that opportunity when it arose. Borgonzi traded the No. 35 overall selection to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for Nos. 52 and 82.
After moving back, the Titans drafted former UCLA EDGE Femi Oladejo in the second round. With the bonus third-round pick, Borgonzi landed safety Kevin Winston Jr. You have to wonder if the Titans regret their draft-day trade.
Titans haven't maximized bold 2025 NFL Draft trade
The Titans knew Oladejo was a developmental prospect coming out of college. Despite that, they drafted him into a lackluster EDGE-rushing room that needed immediate production. That forced Oladejo to play right away, and the results have been predictably disappointing.
Entering Week 5, Oladejo has registered just five quarterback pressures and zero sacks. His Pro Football Focus pass-rushing grade of 54.5 is the worst score among their EDGEs. That ranks 131st out 165 qualifying defensive ends.
Meanwhile Winston Jr., the second player acquired in the draft-day trade with the Seahawks, hasn't made his NFL debut yet. Winston Jr. was coming off a partially torn ACL at Penn State last season. The Titans possibly mismanaged his return-to-work timeline, with soreness becoming an issue after his early participation at training camp. He's missed all four regular-season contests to date.
Some of the players drafted between the Titans' original selection (No. 35) and their eventual Oladejo pick include productive rookies such as Will Johnson, Donovan Ezeiruaku, and Luther Burden III. All three play premium positions of need.
The rebuilding Titans needed additional draft capital. That made the trade-down with the Seahawks a worthwhile exercise. But the key to deeming that move a success or failure is how the players selected end up performing. The Titans are currently asking too much of Oladejo, and we haven't seen Winston Jr. yet.
The Titans need to start getting more production out of Borgonzi's Day Two picks.