The Tennessee Titans selected Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, as they believe he has all the ingredients needed to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL. If you were watching ESPN's coverage of the Draft, you might not have known that.
Despite the fact that Ward, who was seemingly locked into the No. 1 pick for months, was supposed to be one of the marquee attractions of the draft alongside Travis Hunter, ESPN believed that discussing what was going to happen with Sanders was the biggest story of the night.
While Sanders' fall to the Cleveland Browns at No. 144 overall was discussed ad infinitum to the point where Mel Kiper Jr. nearly combusted live on set, ESPN didn't even show a highlight montage for Ward or air his interview with reporter Molly McGrath right after he was drafted.
Titans fans have made their peace with the fact that this team is likely never going to be a media darling, but this was supposed to be Ward's night, and ESPN did everything they could to take that away from him.
Titans fans should be mad at ESPN for hyping Shedeur Sanders over Cam Ward
Discussing the Hunter trade was one thing, as that was a moment that could change the scope of the AFC. However, going so far in on the Sanders debate was ridiculous, especially before the unprecedented fall even happened, and it was a detriment to both Titans fans and the viewing public as a whole.
Even conceding the fact that Sanders is a ratings lightning rod that needed to be discussed, could that dialogue not have been paused until the aftermath of the Titans taking Ward had settled down? It's not like months of pre-draft scouting culminating in Ward being the first player taken or anything!
Ward should have all the motivation he needs to take the Titans and turn them into a team ESPN will actually want to discuss. After GM Mike Borgonzi brought in three pass-catchers in Round 4 and spent the second round drafting Oluwafemi Oladejo to fix the pass rush, the Titans don't look like a team eyeing a 3-14 finish in 2025.
While Sanders fights to make the roster as the fourth-string quarterback in Cleveland, Ward will arrive in Tennessee with the starting job in his hands and the chance to make some magic happen in his rookie campaign.