It came as a surprise to many throughout college football, including Miami quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, when Xavier Restrepo went unselected in last month's NFL Draft. The Hurricanes' all-time leading receiver found a comfortable landing spot in the league when he signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent, reconnecting with Ward in what should be a promising young offense, but he now has something to prove after 31 other teams passed on his talents.
Ward said he vouched for Restrepo throughout the draft process, and his familiarity with the reigning All-American wideout could help the duo carry their Miami success over to the pro level.
"I was really excited when they signed X," Ward said at rookie minicamp. "He's somebody who's deserving of it. He's worked hard every day. He's one of the most underrated players in the draft this year. I think every time he steps on the field, he remembers everything. He's going to continue to prove it to himself."
NFL teams selected 31 wide receivers across the draft's seven rounds, and Restrepo closed the three-day event widely regarded as one of the best available prospects. He joined productive college wideouts Isaiah Bond (Texas), Bru McCoy (Tennessee) and others as notable names left uncalled.
"I did push for him," said Ward. "Every team that I visited with, I pushed for him. He was one of the best route runners in college football last year. He was first team all-conference. He was an All-American. He never lost in man coverage. He's a back-to-back 1,000-yard receiver. So why wouldn't you push for him?"
Restrepo not only set the Miami records for career receptions (20) and receiving yards (2,844), but he also finished fourth on the program leaderboard in touchdowns with 21. He led the ACC last season with 1,127 yards as Ward connected with him 69 times. The tandem racked up 11 scores through the air.
It is rare for a player to earn widespread national recognition in college and go undrafted, but that was the case for Restrepo after he became a consensus first team All-American and Biletnikoff Award semifinalist.
Last season was not a one-off for Restrepo, either. He became the first Miami player to log consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and shined as the most productive player in the Hurricanes offense even before Ward brought Heisman Trophy finalist-caliber play to the quarterback spot.
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The climb to the top of the Miami leaderboard and the sustained success Restrepo posted in the latter stages of his college career were expectation-defying developments. He joined the program in 2020 as a modest three-star recruit and just the 105th-ranked prospect from the state of Florida. Miami was not the only program to identify his upside, though, as Restrepo carried 13 total Power Four offers.