The Tennessee Titans did not pull a stunner with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Rumor became reality as the Titans chose former Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward.
The Titans earned the top overall selection in the draft after finishing the 2024 NFL season with a league-worst 3-14 record. Mike Borgonzi was hired to replace Ran Carthon as the team's new general manager. Together, Borgonzi and president of football operations Chad Brinker entered the offseason searching for a new starting quarterback.
Titans select Cam Ward at No. 1 overall in 2025 NFL Draft
The initial league-wide consensus was that the 2025 NFL Draft did not feature a QB worthy of going No. 1 overall. The Titans themselves entered the pre-draft process thinking they'd potentially trade the pick, or take Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter or Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter instead.
That's when Ward began winning them over.
The Titans first met with Ward via an 18-minute (approximate) formal interview at the NFL Combine. He aced that initial meeting, according to various sources. The Titans then invited Ward to Nashville for his pre-draft visit prior to free agency, strategically done to continue vetting him while weighing a potential move for a veteran quarterback in free agency.
That meeting was significantly more extensive than the formal interview conducted at the NFL Combine. Ward especially impressed the Titans with his leadership qualities and overall knowledge of playing the quarterback position. The Titans' line of thinking began shifting towards Ward at No. 1 overall.
It was further solidified at Ward's Pro Day in late March, where he threw football well in front of a plethora of Titans coaches and executives, including Brinker, Borgonzi, and head coach Brian Callahan.
The Titans returned to Miami less than one week later to conduct a private workout with Ward. Team owner Amy Adams Strunk flew on the private jet to the showcase, signaling how serious the Titans were about making Ward their future franchise quarterback.
Selecting Ward with the top pick represents the next chapter in his unheard of ascension from zero-star high school recruit to No. 1 overall selection. After impressing in previous stints at Incarnate Word and Washington State, Ward really solidified himself as a first-round worthy quarterback throughout the 2024 college football season at Miami.
The West Columbia, Texas native threw for 4,313 yards, 39 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Ward positioned himself as a Heisman-worthy candidate. He then used the pre-draft process to establish himself as the top-ranked quarterback.
Ward is the first-ever quarterback selected by the Titans at No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft.