The 2025 NFL Draft may prove out otherwise, but there was a time when there was not all that much separating Shedeur Sanders from Cam Ward. To be quite frank, the only NFL talent evaluator who was higher on Sanders than I when it comes to Ward was ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. Ward went No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans, while Sanders fell to the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round.
Flash forward a few weeks since the 2025 NFL Draft, and what have we seen out of Ward? The Browns have let it be known that Sanders is very much a part of their football team with a few behind-the-scenes clips so far. While we have to believe one coming out of Nashville regarding Ward could be on the horizon, this just only feeds into the narrative of how this pick may not end up working out.
While both quarterbacks had obvious NFL prototypes with Sanders positively compared to Geno Smith, and Ward loosely compared to Joe Burrow, where you land matters. Even though the Titans and Browns were slated to pick one-two before Cleveland made a draft-day trade with Jacksonville, the Browns seem to have it figured out with their seasoned regime over the new one in Nashville.
I may not be the biggest believer in Ward to begin with, but it only adds to my reasoning to doubt him.
In the last hour or so, the Browns have dropped two extended behind-the-scenes videos on Shedeur Sanders. Maybe the Titans are cooking something up, but I feel like they're missing a major opportunity to generate excitement and attention by not doing the same for Cam Ward.
— Justin Graver (@titansfilmroom) May 12, 2025
It is not everything, but it is something. Here is why Ward is not as safe of a pick as everyone thinks.
Cam Ward has to separate himself to help elevate the Tennessee Titans
Throughout their history, the Titans have been one of the screwiest franchises in football, dating back to their infancy as the then-Houston Oilers in the old AFL. To date, they are one of 12 teams to have never won a Super Bowl and having only been to one in the 60 years of the event. Tennessee has had a boatload of talented players play for them over the years, but inherent dysfunction never leaves them.
What people tend to forget is Ward was even more unheralded of a college football prospect coming out of high school than Sanders. He initially played at Incarnate Word, while Sanders was slated to play for Willie Taggart at Florida Atlantic before going to play for his father, Deion, initially at Jackson State. Ward threw for a ton of yards at Incarnate Word and Washington State before going to Miami.
In the end, I never felt that Ward was a leader of men, the necessary type of guy for his teammates to rally behind. Not everyone is built this way, but it almost feels like a prerequisite for a quarterback. Jay Cutler was a mega talent, but his laissez-faire personality rubbed many of his teammates the wrong way. At least he had a great legacy for himself in Nashville before he bench pressed his way into the NFL...
Yes, it is only a highlight video, but the only thing I have seen up to this point about Ward with the Titans is him being gifted the No. 1 jersey from Oilers legend Warren Moon. What made Moon one of the most well-respected players in NFL history is all that he had to overcome to even make it to the NFL, let alone get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His best years were with this franchise.
What I am getting at is Ward has to be even better than many people expect he will be to have comparable success with the Titans. The AFC South may be winnable, but I still find this Titans team lacking juice. Ward may make me eat my words, but I often felt like Sanders did more with less at Jackson State and especially at Colorado when compared to all three of Ward's college programs.
This is the new face of the franchise, but why do Ward and the Titans still feel so very anonymous?