Who Cam Ward will be throwing to as he embarks on the beginning of his NFL journey with the Tennessee Titans remains an outstanding question. The list of proven pass-catching weapons starts with Calvin Ridley and quickly stops at what's left of veterans Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson. However, while everyone else is worrying, the 2025 No. 1 overall pick ostensibly believes the team has an in-house solution in fellow newcomer Elic Ayomanor.
Ayomanor generated buzz throughout training camp, earning praise for his work ethic, toughness and separation skills. The Titans rewarded his efforts by listing him with the first-team unit offense on Tennessee's first unofficial regular-season depth chart (h/t the Nashville Post's John Glennon). He beat out Jefferson, which didn't shock anyone within the organization, at least according to Ward.
Cam Ward on Elic Ayomanor getting added to the starting lineup: pic.twitter.com/jmtGF9Nh3G
— AtoZ Sports Nashville (@AtoZSports) September 3, 2025
Cam Ward is the conductor of Elic Ayomanor hype train as Titans enter 2025 NFL season
"He deserves it," Ward told reporters when asked about Ayomanor's fast rise up the ranks (h/t AtoZ Sports Nashville). "He's somebody who works hard every day, who's in here early ... watches a lot of tape. For him to be named a starter isn't a surprise to anybody in this building."
Talk about speaking highly of someone. Ward has shown us he can be a little overzealous when it comes to hyping up his teammates. He declared Ridley the league's best wideout (and ex-Titan Treylon Burks No. 4) before Tennessee even called his name this offseason. Nonetheless, other instances of him gushing over Ayomanor suggest the positivity could be genuine.
In mid-August, Ward said he's "always confident" when Ayomanor is on the other end of his passes. The former believes the Titans "stole" the latter in the fourth round of this year's draft, citing advanced route-running and underrated physicality as reasons why. Tennessee may have found a legitimate hidden gem if those traits can translate to games that count from the practice field/preseason.
Ward and Ayomanor have "developed a strong rapport," per recent intel from Dan Graziano of ESPN. So much so that the renowned insider envisioned a path to the wideout emerging as Tennessee's No. 2 receiver and a "factor." Meanwhile, the Titans' rookie-to-rookie connection is seemingly getting better daily, which should give fans short and long-term optimism about their potential.
Across two seasons at Stanford, Ayomanor caught 125 passes for 1,844 yards and 12 touchdowns. He earned Second-Team All-ACC honors as a sophomore in 2024. His combination of size (6-foot-2, 206 pounds) and speed makes him an intriguing prospect, one that fits well with the big-armed Ward.