He’s the wide receiver that the 2025 NFL Draft’s No. 1 overall pick lobbied for his team to get.
Xavier Restrepo may have gone undrafted, but his NFL dream is still very much alive.
Restrepo is looking to make the Titans roster as an undrafted free agentGettyThe wide receiver has been reunited with his former college teammate, quarterback Cam Ward, only this time swapping Miami, Florida for Nashville, Tennessee, after he landed with the Tennessee Titans in a rookie deal worth three-years, $2.9 million.
It has been reported that Ward, who was selected by the Titans with the first overall pick ahead of other top prospects Travis Hunter, Shadeur Sanders, and Abdul Carter, strongly endorsed his former WR1 to his new team.
This potential to replicate the duo’s success when playing college football at the University of Miami is ultimately what prompted Tennessee to greenlight the deal.
Standing at 5-10, 198 pounds, Restrepo doesn’t stand out for his size, or lack thereof for someone who typically plays at the wide receiver position.
But instead, he stands out for what is underneath his helmet.
The 23-year-old has a rare facial condition called vascular malformation, which developed soon after birth.
This condition manifests itself physically in Restrepo as a distinct malformation of his lips ,which, at times, shows up as swelling in one side of his face.
This swelling of the vascular veins is particularly prevalent following physical activity, as detailed by his mom, Ashley.
“Anytime he gets exerted, any time the blood flow is flowing and he’s working out and he’s exhausting himself, the blood flow, it makes the vascular veins…in his face swell up,” Ashley said in an interview with Footballville in 2022.
“When he was being born, they used forceps and they ended up pinching up a cluster of his veins and his face. When they took him out, we didn’t know until later on in life.”
Restrepo hasn’t let his facial condition stop him from making it to the NFLGetty Ward and Restrepo will be hoping to pick up where they left off in college togetherGEtWhile these malformations can cause side effects, including pain and bleeding, they are more cosmetic.
As far as how the condition affects Restrepo’s performances on the field in particular, there is little to no evidence to suggest that it does.
In their only season sharing the field together for the Hurricanes, Restrepo emerged as Ward’s favorite target.
Of the quarterback’s 4,313 passing yards and 39 touchdowns, 1,127 of those yards were for Restrepo, who also scored 11 touchdowns off of 69 receptions in 12 outings.
For context, Miami’s second-leading receiver in 2024 was Carolina Panthers rookie Jacolby George, who had 752 yards from 53 receptions.
Restrepo also notched an impressive 16.3 receiving yards per reception, the most in any of his four seasons at Miami, and the highest average among those in the receiver room who recorded 37 or more receptions on the year.
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Now in the midst of mandatory minicamp, with it having only just begun, the Ward-Restrepo combination are said to have put on a show on Day 1 .
Restrepo once again emerged as Ward’s favorite target, leading all receivers with six receptions during team drills in what was an impressive individual display.
Now, the pair will have the opportunity to showcase their chemistry and play at the very top level, and on the biggest stage that football has to offer – providing Restrepo can impress enough to make the final 53-man roster.
This is only in doubt because of the stacked wide receiver room that the Titans now have at their disposal, with Tyler Lockett, Calvin Ridley, Treylon Burks and Van Jefferson all likely to be much further ahead in the pecking order.
There’s also the matter of the Titans’ other draft picks, having selected two other receivers – Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor -with their fourth-round picks of the draft.
However, should Restrepo make enough of an impression to earn a spot on the team, at worst, the Titans have given Ward a receiver that he has familiarity and proven success with.
Tennessee fans are hoping Ward can be their savior and answer at quarterbackGettyBest case scenario?
They have found a hidden gem at a low cost in Restrepo, who could help their franchise quarterback elevate his game to a whole new level and develop into the franchise star that the Music City has been craving for since the late Steve McNair took them to Super Bowl victory in 1999.
Either way, it is leaning more towards a win-win situation for the Titans, whose only way is up following a dismal 3-14 display in the 2024 season.
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