The first overall pick in the upcoming Draft already has a name, unless something unexpected happens-which is unlikely. The Tennessee Titans are looking to get their franchise back on track by selecting Cam Ward, a quarterback from the University of Miami, with the number one overall pick.
Last year, Ward decided to return for another season of college football, after the previous draft was full of talent like Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, among others.
That decision paid off. Cam Ward transferred from Washington State to the University of Miami and had a spectacular season, which now makes him the favorite to be selected with the first overall pick.
His performance in 2024 earned him the ACC Player of the Year award and both the Davey O’Brien and Manning Awards for best college quarterback. He also finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Cam Ward’s development has been remarkable
Ward bet on himself by coming back for one final season and ended up shining with the University of Miami. Analysts, including ESPN’s Aaron Schatz, have highlighted the quarterback’s progress in 2024.
“Ward is the top-ranked quarterback by QBASE in 2025, after setting the record for most career touchdown passes in FBS college football history with 158. Still, he doesn’t stand out as much as [Caleb] Williams and [Jayden] Daniels from last year’s group. Overall, he meets the criteria that QBASE values, like a 67.2% completion rate and an average of 3.4 yards per carry in 2024. However, his numbers don’t compare to Daniels’ 2023 stats (72.2% and 8.4, respectively), nor did he have three outstanding seasons of production like Williams,” Schatz writes.
“Even though Ward had a five-year college career thanks to the extra eligibility due to COVID-19, he wasn’t seen as a first-round prospect before this draft cycle. It makes sense for the Titans to use the first overall pick on him, but it’s also unlikely he would’ve been a top-three pick last year.”
Now, Ward is set to be a first-round pick, and with him, the Titans hope to patiently become competitive in the AFC South.
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