The Tennessee Titans selected Cam Ward with the No 1 pick while two-position star Travis Hunter landed with the Jacksonville Jaguars on the opening day of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Miami quarterback Ward had long been projected to become the first player off the board, and there was to be no late surprises on Thursday night when his name was announced by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to kick off proceedings in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
It is the 40th time NFL teams have used the No 1 pick on a quarterback since the first Draft in 1936.
Heisman Trophy winner Hunter followed closely behind at No 2 as the Jaguars traded up from No 5 to the Colorado star with the second pick.
In addition to the second overall pick, which they used to select the 2024 Heisman winner, the Jaguars also received a fourth-round pick and sixth-round pick.
Hunter served as one of the most fascinating case studies in Draft history after his success at both wide receiver and cornerback throughout high school and college.
He registered upwards of 700 snaps on both offense and defense during the 2024 season at Colorado and is bidding to shatter convention by continuing to play both sides of the ball upon reaching the NFL.
The Browns received the No 5 overall pick and selected Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham. Cleveland also received second- and fourth-round picks this year, and a first-round pick in 2026.
Watch some of the best moments from the top prospects at the 2025 NFL Draft
At No 3, the New York Giants selected Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter and moved back into the first round in a deal with the Houston Texans for Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart at No 25.
The New England Patriots made a promised upgrade to the offensive line in front of 2024 No 3 pick Drake Maye and welcomed LSU left tackle Will Campbell at No 4.
Despite speculation other teams were angling to move ahead of the Raiders, Las Vegas held onto the No 6 pick and went with Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, who rushed for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2024. The Raiders were No 32 in the league in rushing with 1,357 total yards and no ball carrier with more than 420 yards.
The Super Bowl champion Eagles traded up one spot from No 32 with the Chiefs and threw in their fifth-round pick, selecting Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell.
Who is No 1 pick Ward?
Miami quarterback Cam Ward was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the No 1 pick on the opening day of the 2025 NFL Draft
In drafting Ward the Titans resume their search for a long-term answer under center just two years after drafting quarterback Will Levis out of Kentucky in the second round.
Ward followed an unconventional route to becoming the No 1 pick having started his college career at small school Incarnate Word, the only programme to offer him a scholarship. Having seen his 2020 campaign shortened following the coronavirus pandemic, Ward went on to throw for 4,648 yards and 47 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions as a sophomore before transferring to Washington State.
There he completed 643 of 982 passes for 6,966 yards and 48 touchdowns to just 16 interceptions over two seasons, and initially declared for the 2024 NFL Draft before instead transferring to Miami for his senior year.
He finished his final season in college 305 of 454 passing for 4,313 yards and 39 touchdowns to just seven interceptions while rushing for 204 yards and four scores, winning ACC Player of the Year as well as the Manning Award as the top quarterback in college.
With Ward comes a cocktail of tremendous poise and patience in the pocket, an aggressiveness and willingness to attack downfield, feather touch and delicately-layered throws, the talent to throw off-platform and with multiple arm angles, and the ability to extend plays, create off-script and hurt defenses outside of the pocket.
“Ward is a thick, compact quarterback with outstanding arm strength and playmaking ability,” says NFL Network Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah.
“He plays a very free-wheeling brand of football. He drifts in his drop, throws from a variety of arm angles and often falls away from the target upon release of the football. He can really power the ball into tight windows, but his aggressive nature can put points on both sides of the scoreboard.
“He has very quick hands in the RPO game and he can navigate around free rushers by dropping his arm angle. He took the free yards with his legs when voids presented themselves in Miami’s spread attack. Overall, Ward will need to be reined in, but he’s a very gifted thrower of the football. If he can learn to better manage the game, he has a very high ceiling.”
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