By Reuters
April 24, 2025 – 7:14 PM PDT
(Reuters) – Quarterback Cam Ward was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the first pick of the NFL Draft on Thursday, completing his improbable rise from an overlooked and unranked high school recruit to sure-fire first overall pick.
Titans fans on hand for the draft in Green Bay cheered when Commissioner Roger Goodell called Ward’s name first as expected and they will now look to the Heisman finalist to help turn the franchise’s fortunes around after three straight losing seasons.
“I’m ready,” Ward told NFL Network soon after he was picked.
“That’s all I’ve been dreaming for, was the opportunity to play in the National Football League, and they’ve blessed me with it, so I’m going to make sure they get everything I’ve got.”
Two-way sensation Travis Hunter was selected second by the Jacksonville Jaguars after they traded up to get the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner.
Hunter excelled in college as both a big-play wide receiver on offense and lockdown cornerback on defense and said the Jaguars were supportive of his desire to play on both sides of the ball.
“They told me they were going to let me go out there and do what I do,” Hunter told ESPN.
The New York Giants selected edge rusher Abdul Carter with the third pick, passing on their first opportunity to select quarterback Shedeur Sanders, son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
Ward capped his underdog story in the spotlight in front of more than 125,000 fans who turned out in Green Bay for the league’s biggest off-season event.
Few could have scarcely imagined it when he was toiling under a run-heavy, ‘Wing T’ offense that did little to highlight his throwing ability at an unheralded high school program in West Columbia, Texas.
He received only one college offer – from a second-tier Division I FCS program at Incarnate Word – and played there for two seasons before clawing his way into the top tier of college football at Washington State.
Ward transferred to Miami in his final year of eligibility, coming alive in his send-off season with 4,313 passing yards and 39 touchdowns, school records in each category, and setting the NCAA Division I record for career passing touchdowns.
While other draft picks wore attention grabbing suits and jewelry, Ward was comparatively understated in a tan suit with a Miami pin.
“He would rather skip all this and go to right to work, quite honestly,” said Miami head coach Mario Cristobal.
“That’s who he’s always been. People are going to be really happy with what they see out of him.”
ADVERSITY
Ward said he would use his past experience of being overlooked as motivation at the Titans.
“I’m going to keep that chip on my shoulder that I’ve had my whole life,” he said in a press conference.
“There is going to be adversity, I know that’s coming as part of the quarterback position, but I’m the right person to have adversity with.”
While Ward had only one collegiate team knocking at his door as a high school senior, he had all 32 NFL teams in attendance at Miami’s Pro Day last month, where scouts and reporters piled in to watch him show off his arm.
Ward’s mental strength will also be key to his success in the NFL amid colossal expectations at the Titans, who finished last season with three wins and 14 losses.
Their starting quarterback Will Levis had 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions – including four pick-6s – in an injury-dented season that saw him sacked 41 times.
Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York and Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Michael Perry and Peter Rutherford