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Miami QB Cam Ward Lands at No. 1 Overall in Mel Kiper’s 2025 NFL Mock Draft

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Stephen Kelly | Last updated Jan 27, 2025 10:39 PM ET

A recent mock draft from ESPN's Mel Kiper, a celebrated NFL Draft analyst, picks Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward to be the No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. Typically, the player who will be selected with the No. 1 pick is a certainty by this time of year, but in this cycle, there are several names that could be read first by Roger Goodell on draft night.

Ward's primary competition for the No. 1 selection, which is owned by the Tennessee Titans, is Colorado Buffaloes QB Shedeur Sanders — the son of Hall of Fame cornerback and current Colorado head coach Deion Sanders. While Kiper believes Ward will be selected with the first overall pick, he mentions in his analysis that he believes Sanders to be the better player.

Both quarterbacks had phenomenal seasons in 2024. Ward finished the year with 305/454 passes completed (67.2%), 4313 passing yards, 39 TDs (first in FBS), and just 7 INTs, leading his team to a 10-3 season and being named a Heisman Trophy finalist. Sanders completed 353 of 477 passes for a 74% completion rate which led college football. He racked up 4134 passing yards and 37 passing TDs while throwing 10 INTs and leading the Buffaloes to a 9-4 season.

Tennessee possesses the first overall pick in this year's draft, where they will likely look to replace QB Will Levis, who they brought in with the No. 33 pick (the first pick of the second round) in the 2023 NFL Draft. Despite exciting flashes in his rookie season, Levis struggled immensely this year, posting a 27.8 QB rating and a 13/12 TD/INT ratio on the season.

Ward played just one season with the Hurricanes after transferring from Washington State, where he had two strong seasons before the collapse of the Pac-12. Before that, Ward played for two years at Incarnate Word, a Division II school in San Antonio, Texas.

With three months to go before the 2025 NFL Draft kicks off, expect the argument of Ward vs. Sanders to play out a lot. Both are great players, and if the Titans use the No. 1 pick to select either one, they'll be getting an upgrade at the most important position in sports.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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