Heading into the draft season, fans widely expect the Tennessee Titans to choose between one of three players with the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft: Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter, and Cam Ward.
On paper, it makes sense, right? Hunter is a do-it-all unicorn, Carter is the best pure pass rusher in the draft, and Ward is widely considered the best quarterback in this year's class, with a set of skills seemingly designed for the modern NFL. While they could trade down, or the team could make a wild swing for a player they prefer, any pick outside of those three would be widely questioned, if not downright ridiculed by outside observers.
And yet, in his latest mock draft for NFL.com, Charles Davis decided to do just that, noting that he would like to see the Titans select Shedeur Sanders first overall, as his game more closely resembles Joe Burrow's, who Brian Callahan coached in Cincinnati.
“Tennessee has all the options with the No. 1 overall pick,” Davis wrote. “In this scenario, second-year head coach Brian Callahan channels his Cincinnati days, seeing in Sanders some of the same qualities Joe Burrow possesses.”
Forutnately for Ward, he didn't have to wait long to come off the board, as he was selected second-overall, going to Cleveland as QB2.
“Ward has been on quite the upward trajectory — going from Incarnate Word to Washington State to Miami — and the quarterback-starved Browns bank on that continuing in Cleveland,” Davis wrote.
On paper, the idea of the Browns selecting Ward second-overall is nothing new, as he's likely the most mocked player to Cleveland in the entire 2025 NFL Draft, but having to “settle” for the Miami QB when he could end up being their top choice anyway would be a great outcome for Kevin Stefanski and company, plus the teams lower in the draft who would like to get their hands on Carter or Hunter.
Will the Titans go quarterback first overall, or will they instead target the position in free agency later this month? Fortunately, fans won't have to wait long for their answer, as free agency is officially less than two weeks away.