The Big Lead

Cam Ward being drafted No. 1 overall gains 'mounting consensus'

By Joe Lago

Dec 28, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) warms up prior to the game against the Iowa State Cyclones at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Dec 28, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) warms up prior to the game against the Iowa State Cyclones at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
facebooktwitter

With the 2025 NFL Draft still more than five weeks away, league chatter will be filled with reports about what teams have concluded about top prospects and where they stand with their first-round pick plans.

The Tennessee Titans appear to have determined that Miami quarterback Cam Ward is worthy of the No. 1 overall selection. The question now is which QB-needy team will get to do the honors of having Ward's name called first by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in Green Bay on April 24.

RELATED: Tetairoa McMillan's impressive 40 time at pro day confirms NFL Draft status

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Titans are deciding whether to draft Ward as their new franchise quarterback or trade the top choice for "a boatload of draft pick compensation."

"It certainly seems like there's a mounting consensus that Cam Ward is going to be the No. 1 pick," Schefter said Monday on "NFL Live."

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler echoed Schefter's report, saying the Titans "seem pretty comfortable with Cam Ward."

"There's some momentum there with other teams I've talked to league-wide that they feel like they're just going to sit there and take Ward," Fowler said Monday on "The Dan Patrick Show."

"I know the interviews with Ward have gone well. With the mistakes he has made on the field, they feel like he has done a good job of explaining those and he can be coached to correct them. And he has the upside on top of that."

Of course, this all could be a classic smoke screen by Tennessee to drive up the price on a franchise hoping to trade for the No. 1 pick. "That could complicate things for the Giants," Fowler said of New York's potential plans to move up from No. 3 to take Ward.

The latest NFL Mock Draft Consensus lists both Ward and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter as the Titans' most popular forecasts.

The Titans signed only one quarterback in free agency — Brandon Allen. The 32-year-old veteran backup reunites with new head coach Brian Callahan, who was the Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator when Allen backed up Joe Burrow in 2020 and 2022.

Allen joins a Tennessee quarterback room that only includes Will Levis, the 2023 second-round pick who has failed to impress in his two NFL seasons and 21 career starts.

MORE TOP STORIES from The Big Lead
CBB: Florida gets shockingly tough draw
NFL: Is Stefon Diggs going back to Buffalo?
ROUNDUP: Recap Selection Sunday and more
CBB/SPORTS MEDIA: Dick Vitale should be part of March Madness