As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Miami’s Cam Ward as a massive -20000 betting favorite to be selected by the quarterback-needy Tennessee Titans with the first pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.
While ESPN draft guru Matt Miller understands that Ward is “going to go first overall,” Miller also views the signal-caller as “the riskiest pick” that will be made during the upcoming player-selection process.
“I don’t know anyone who has him rated as the best player in this draft,” Miller said about Ward during a recent chat with Michael Grant of Awful Announcing. “For me, he’s No. 14. Other folks might have him a little bit higher than that, but he is not the consensus best player in this class.”
To compare, ESPN’s Field Yates listed Ward as the sixth-best prospect in this year’s draft class for a piece published on Thursday.
“Ward has a laser for an arm and the ability to throw from a litany of angles,” Yates said. “He is a crafty innovator as a playmaker, a trait that shows up when opponents bring pressure. Ward must clean up his decision-making and work to get into his base more as a thrower, but his overall poise and fearlessness in key moments is unmistakable.”
Multiple analysts have argued that a Titans team in the middle of a rebuild should make either Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter or Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter the draft’s first choice over Ward.
Passing on Ward could’ve been an option had the Titans improved their quarterback room via free agency or a March trade, but Tennessee likely would have to start 2023 second-round draft pick Will Levis if the club had to play a game rather than take part in the draft on April 24.
Many believe the Titans could look to trade Levis before, during or after the draft.
“[Ward is] in a spot where the pressure of No. 1 overall is on you, the pressure of reviving a franchise in Tennessee and all the expectations that come with being the first overall pick and the first quarterback taken,” Miller added during his conversation with Grant. “The history of the first quarterback in the draft as of late isn’t very good.”
That last take is somewhat harsh considering Caleb Williams hardly looked like a bust as a rookie, even though the 2024 Chicago Bears endured a 10-game losing streak and finished this past season at 5-12. Bryce Young, the first pick of the 2023 draft, seemed to enjoy a bounce-back half-season with the Carolina Panthers after he struggled as a first-year pro.
That said, Titans fans hoping Ward will be a Day 1 savior should probably understand that he won’t be a finished product anytime soon.
