After months of speculation, the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft has been made and the Tennessee Titans have a new face of the franchise.
A season of struggles led to the Titans owning the worst record in the NFL last year – giving them the top selection in this year’s draft.
Desperate for a quarterback, the Titans picked a gunslinger with the first selection, delighting their fans back in Nashville.
With the top pick, Tennessee selected University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward first overall in the Draft, which was held in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Surrounded by his family, Ward celebrated with his mother and father in the green room just off the stage.
Ward’s story to reach this point is a testament to his determination. After being rated a no-star prospect out of high school, his talent allowed him to expertly use the transfer portal and make moves to big time programs.
The Tennessee Titans selected Cam Ward with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft
Ward came out on stage and embraced NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in Green Bay
Ward will now be set to be the face of the franchise in Tennessee as they need a quarterback
After starting off at FCS Incarnate Word, he jumped to Washington State for two seasons before finishing out his career at Miami.
It was there that he had his best season of his FBS career, throwing for over 4,300 yards and 39 touchdowns while only giving up seven interceptions. His QB rating of 88.7 was one of the top marks in the league.
The Texas native also showed off his legs – running for a career best 204 yards along with four touchdowns in his final college season.
Ward finished fourth in this season’s Heisman voting, three spots behind winner Travis Hunter.
While it was an easy bet to say that Hunter would be taken second overall, the fact that a team traded up for him was the shocker of the night.
Not even a full minute after Ward’s selection was announced, a blockbuster of a trade saw the Jacksonville Jaguars move up to the second overall pick to select Hunter.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Jags received the second overall pick, a fourth round pick (No. 104), and a sixth-rounder (No. 200).
In exchange, the Jaguars sent the fifth-overall pick as well as a 2026 first-round pick. They also gave Cleveland pick No. 36 in this year’s draft and a fourth-rounder (No. 126).
Just seconds after Ward was drafted, the Jacksonville Jaguars pulled off a massive and shocking trade to move up to the second pick and selected Colorado’s Travis Hunter
The Heisman Trophy winner, decked out in a highlighter pink suit, celebrated on stage
Hunter was penciled in at No. 2, but the Jaguars made the deal with Cleveland to get him
Hunter was one of the most-watched players in college football last season for his tremendous prowess on both sides of the ball.
His plans to continue his college trajectory as a cornerback and a wide receiver at the next level will not prevent teams from taking a chance on one of the top athletes in the draft pool.
As a defensive back, Hunter is great in coverage and plucked four interceptions on eleven defended passes last season.
As a wide receiver, not only is he a strong route runner but he’s phenomenal after the catch and is more than capable of making his man miss. He topped 1,000 yards for the first time in his career last season – hauling in 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns for Colorado.
With Hunter, the two biggest questions he’ll face in the NFL are: 1) How many years will he play each side of the ball and 2) which will be his ‘primary’ position. But those are problems the Jaguars will be glad to solve.
Following Hunter, the New York Giants selected Abdul Carter – considered by some experts to be the top overall talent in the draft – with the third overall pick.
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