The Tennessee Titans are either on the verge of making a foolish mistake or will soon land a franchise quarterback that wasn’t supposed to be available in this draft class.
For months, the quarterback prospects in the class of 2025 were called weak, not close to being on the level of Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye—the top three picks in last year’s draft. But it’s now been weeks since the Titans made it pretty clear they’re set on picking Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the first pick April 24 in Green Bay.
There hasn't been enough discussion about what that signifies. Titans brass said back in January that they wouldn’t pass on a generational talent, but here they are getting ready to say no thanks to Abdul Carter, a pass rusher being compared to Micah Parsons and Von Miller. They’re also O.K. with not drafting Travis Hunter, a dynamic two-way player with a strong chance of flourishing at wide receiver and cornerback.
It might not be a bad draft for quarterbacks after all if Ward is a virtual lock to be the No. 1 pick over players as talented as Carter and Hunter. Of course, the weight of needing a franchise quarterback is a factor here, but the Titans haven’t shown much interest in trading down, a strong sign that Ward is significantly better than the other quarterback prospects.
With Ward’s knack for backyard plays and effortless fast balls, maybe he’s somewhere between last year’s first tier (Williams, Daniels and Maye) and second group (Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix). If that’s the case, it’s not right to label this quarterback class as overly weak, because it’s definitely not 2022 with Kenny Pickett as the lone first-round quarterback or ’13 with EJ Manuel as the same. And maybe it wouldn’t even be fair to compare them to the crop of ’11, when Cam Newton panned out but Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder didn’t.
Who knows how these quarterback prospects will do at the next level, but the Titans seem pretty confident that Ward has what it takes to be a star. He has the moxie—watch how he trash talked with Shedeur Sanders during a recent workout and told the Titans he’s the right choice at No. 1. Some might call it arrogant, but it’s really not that with the kind of backstory Ward had in college. He’s a no-star recruit who had to work his way up at Incarnate Word to get his shots at Washington State and Miami.
“You watch what [Ward] was before Miami, it was more of a scramble around, make plays,” Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson told Sports Illustrated. “Here, it was throw from the pocket, timing, getting in and out of plays, we moved tight ends around. There was a little bit more communication. We dumped a lot on him, but his capacity is so high. His football IQ is off the charts. It was a pleasure to be around.”
A player with that much grit and the talent to support it could be the right combination for the Titans to finally land their franchise quarterback. We believe Tennessee is making the right decision—if the signs are true about him being the presumptive No. 1 pick. Ward is the No. 1 quarterback on the MMQB’s draft rankings for the position. Here are quick thoughts on the other QBs ranked.
2. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Consider reading Conor Orr’s column if you’ve seen the recent reports about a potential draft slide for Sanders. He’s probably a top-30 prospect who plays a position that teams highly covet. So if he lands to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21 or the Los Angeles Rams at No. 26 or a team trades into the back end of the first round to take him, that’s not a slide and more of a correct projection.
With Sanders, I tend to focus more on his accuracy and the rhythm he has for playing within a scheme. I’d be more afraid of the quarterbacks who struggle in these areas. For example, Anthony Richardson and Will Levis in 2023. Both their draft projections were all over the place. One went No. 4 overall and the other fell to the second round. Neither have made meaningful strides as pocket quarterbacks. That probably won’t be an issue with Sanders, but he’ll need to learn how to get rid of the ball quicker and not take so many bad sacks, which occurred often in Colorado.
Sanders should be a solid starting quarterback if he takes a less-is-more approach. Maybe he’ll end up being C.J. Stroud or Brock Purdy or somewhere in between. Geno Smith is another popular comp. Overall, pocket quarterbacks who know how to run an offense efficiently often find success at the pro level.
3. Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Seeing Milroe over Jaxson Dart might be a bit surprising to some, but if this is the scenario in the second round, I would rather take the player with the higher upside. You can’t teach the skill set the strong-armed, ultra-athletic Milroe possesses. Yes, this could be another Richardson with the Colts situation because Milroe struggles with accuracy and controlling his velocity, but it’s worth the gamble outside the first round.
Milroe would benefit from taking a redshirt season with a playoff-ready roster, similar to Jalen Hurts with the Philadelphia Eagles or Colin Kaepernick with the San Francisco 49ers a decade earlier. Or maybe a team like the Las Vegas Raiders who aren’t in a hurry to start a rookie because they just gave Smith a new contract. Milroe needs time to develop into a consistent passer or he could have a similar rocky start to what Justin Fields had with the Chicago Bears. Even a Fields-like career would be worth the dice roll with Milroe in the second round.
4. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
Dart’s a bit tough to gauge because even his strengths come with concerns. He knows how to move in the pocket and rarely bails early, trusting his reads for quick throws. But Dart needs to improve his footwork, especially with throws that come after his early reads. There are also concerns about Dart benefiting too much from a simple offense in college. If he struggles with reading defenses, Dart would be better off watching and learning for a year or two.
With Dart being more of a pocket quarterback than Milroe, he would be a better fit for coach Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams. Even if Dart is unable to clean up some of his mistakes as a passer, he has enough mobility to make throws off bootlegs on days he needs help establishing a rhythm. He’s not as accurate as Sanders, but he knows how to protect the ball and throws a pretty ball with back-shoulder fades.
5. Tyler Shough, Louisville
Shough had a unique college experience, which began with being Justin Herbert’s backup at Oregon six years ago. He also dealt with injuries during three seasons with Texas Tech. But it came all together during his lone season at Louisville. He’s a pro-ready quarterback with arm strength and prototypical size at 6' 5", 225 pounds.
But being a 26-year-old rookie (when the season starts) with low upside might scare off a few teams. He could be attractive to a few teams with coaches who need fast results in 2025. Perhaps the New York Giants if they don’t take a quarterback with the No. 3 pick. Or maybe coach Shane Steichen ditches Richardson for Shough’s passing gifts to finally build consistency with the Colts’ offense.
6. Quinn Ewers, Texas
Ewers’s draft stock took a hit this season due to killer turnovers and questionable decisions against well-disguised coverages. But he deserves credit for running Steve Sarkisian’s complex offense that features plenty of pre-snap motions, which could benefit Ewers at the next level. Yes, Ewers made many head-scratching decisions, but he also had many clutch moments against the best teams in college football.
7. Will Howard, Ohio State
Howard doesn’t get enough credit for quickly grasping Chip Kelly’s offense and guiding Ohio State to a national championship in his lone season as the starter there. His numbers improved when it mattered most during the Buckeyes’ four playoff games. He has the size at 6' 4", 236 pounds, but he lacks in many other physical areas, including arm strength. But there’s no denying that he showed plenty of heart and toughness last season.
8. Kyle McCord, Syracuse
Some might knock McCord from shying away from competition when he decided to part with Ohio State. But he might have had the right idea given his seamless transition during his one season with Syracuse. He played fast and freely in a pass-heavy offense. McCord’s confidence with reading defenses and ball placement could make him a better option than Howard and Ewers to some teams.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Draft Quarterback Rankings: Titans Set to Wisely Pick Cam Ward.
