It's official! With the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans surprised nobody by selecting Cam Ward to be their quarterback of the future. This wasn't a shock considering the Titans needed a quarterback and Ward was considered to be, far and away, the best quarterback in this draft class.
The Titans have struggled to find a successful quarterback in the draft in recent years but the hope is that Ward can be the next big heavy hitter for Tennessee, much like Steve McNair was for them for so long. The then-Oilers spent the third overall pick on McNair in 1995 and he went on to spend 11 years with the franchise and win the league MVP and lead the franchise to a Super Bowl appearance.
While McNair was never able to get the Titans over the hump of winning a Super Bowl, he's an all-time great for the organization and the hope is that Ward can replicate what he did. The true hope is that Ward can finally hope this team compete for a Super Bowl title and that's exactly why Brian Callahan and the front office made him the first overall pick. They think Ward is the guy who can do just that.
Titans fans hope Cam Ward can be the next Steve McNair
The Titans needed help at quarterback, as the Malik Willis and Will Levis experiments both failed so the hope is that the Ward experiment goes much better. It might take a bit for Ward to look like the guy the Titans want him to be but if the team can be patient and give him the tools to succeed, the sky could be the limit for the Titans moving forward.
This wasn't a surprising pick but hopefully Ward makes the Titans look smart for going with the no-brainer decision. The AFC South is winnable so if Ward pans out, there's no reason Tennessee can't run the division for the foreseeable future.