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With the first pick on day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans bypassed picking some of the top-rated wide receivers per boards from NFL Network and ESPN to instead pick Florida's Chimere Dike.
As Titans fans braced to hear a name like Utah State's Jalen Royals or Stanford's Elic Ayomanor, the Titans went a different direction.
"I think first, when you're talking about it, everybody's draft board is different," Titans assistant general manager Dave Ziegler explained. "So I think first and foremost it's important how we evaluate the player and how we value him for the Titans. For Dike specifically, it's the skill set and flexibility to play multiple spots, the speed, the ability to play in the kicking game that gives him an opportunity to get in the game every week because he can contribute in the kicking game and just a high level of intelligence and football awareness."
The Titans later traded up to pick up Ayomanor with the 136th pick in the fourth round.
ACHIEVED: What Tennessee Titans achieved (and didn't achieve) on Day 2 of 2025 NFL Draft
Dike, the 6-foot, 196-pound target, played all three receiver positions at Florida and blazed with a 4.34-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. He also has experience returning punts, having returned 14 for 190 yards in 2024.
Dike says he's willing to contribute on special teams early and believes his versatility is a major reason why teams liked him in the pre-draft process.
Ziegler agreed, and pointed out another factor.
"He was at Wisconsin and was a captain there," Ziegler said. One year at Florida and he was voted a team captain by his teammates. We like those leadership traits."
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Titans picked Chimere Dike over higher-rated NFL draft WR prospects
Continue reading...
As Titans fans braced to hear a name like Utah State's Jalen Royals or Stanford's Elic Ayomanor, the Titans went a different direction.
"I think first, when you're talking about it, everybody's draft board is different," Titans assistant general manager Dave Ziegler explained. "So I think first and foremost it's important how we evaluate the player and how we value him for the Titans. For Dike specifically, it's the skill set and flexibility to play multiple spots, the speed, the ability to play in the kicking game that gives him an opportunity to get in the game every week because he can contribute in the kicking game and just a high level of intelligence and football awareness."
The Titans later traded up to pick up Ayomanor with the 136th pick in the fourth round.
ACHIEVED: What Tennessee Titans achieved (and didn't achieve) on Day 2 of 2025 NFL Draft
Dike, the 6-foot, 196-pound target, played all three receiver positions at Florida and blazed with a 4.34-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. He also has experience returning punts, having returned 14 for 190 yards in 2024.
Dike says he's willing to contribute on special teams early and believes his versatility is a major reason why teams liked him in the pre-draft process.
Ziegler agreed, and pointed out another factor.
"He was at Wisconsin and was a captain there," Ziegler said. One year at Florida and he was voted a team captain by his teammates. We like those leadership traits."
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Titans picked Chimere Dike over higher-rated NFL draft WR prospects
Continue reading...
