An NFL Draft analyst believes the Tennesse Titans would miss out on a potential superstar if they choose to select Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick instead of Shedeur Sanders.
The Titans have a massive decision to make on April 24. The organization will have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. A rare moment when a franchise can take a player that could be a building block for the next decade. The team has a glaring need at quarterback, but this isn’t a vintage year for QB prospects.
Most feel Miami’s Cam Ward and Heisman Trophy candidate Shedeur Sanders are the top two signal callers this year. However, both are talented but flawed players. The prevailing opinion is that Ward is the better of the two. Tennessee is expected to use the No. 1 pick on him later this month.
Shedeur Sanders stats (2024-25): 4,134 passing yards, 37 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 74% completion percentage, 168.2 passer rating
However, Pro Football Focus college football analyst Max Chadwick believes that is the wrong move because Sanders has the potential of a player like Cincinnati Bengals superstar Joe Burrow.
“Is [drafting Ward] a mistake? I don’t think it’s a mistake,” Chadwick told Sportsnaut. “I probably wouldn’t do it, but it’s not a mistake at all. I would take Shedeur Sanders. And for the example of who you’re hoping he could become. I’m not going to say he’s going to be as good as this guy, but you’re hoping he could become that Joe Burrow type of archetype.
“Where Burrow does not wow you with physical tools at all. But the way he plays the game mentally and his accuracy is so freaking good… And the thing is, [Titans head coach] Brian Callahan was Joe Burrow’s offensive coordinator in Cincinnati before he took the Tennessee job, right? So he knows how to work with a quarterback like that. He even said in interviews that he sees a lot of similarities between Joe Burrow and Shedeur Sanders.”
Is Shedeur Sanders better built for the NFL than Cam Ward?
Chadwick is very high on Sanders’s potential at the next level. While he agrees with many other analysts that Ward is the better athlete and has a higher upside, he feels the son of Deion Sanders has traits that are extremely important for having success in the NFL.
“So I personally really like him a lot. I think he is a high floor player,” he said. “He does not have the physical tools that Cam Ward has. So I would say that Cam Ward has a higher ceiling than Shedeur Sanders. But the mental side of it, the processing ability is NFL level already.
“He reads defense like an NFL quarterback already. Extremely, extremely accurate. Takes care of the football as well. I’m a big fan of Shedeur Sanders, so I have no problem taking him in the top five of the NFL draft.”
Sanders has been linked to the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints in Round 1 of the NFL Draft.
