To almost nobody’s surprise, Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the first overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
While this wasn’t a surprise development, much of the attention was focused on just how far Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who was projected by many to be a top-five pick, slid back.
He was eventually selected in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns despite heavy media promotion and fanfare. Given the overwhelming coverage that followed him compared to Ward, it was hard to overlook him.
Did NFL Scouts Overlook Cam Ward Despite Going First Overall?
Former NFL safety Louis Riddick, who is now a commentator with ESPN, delved deeper into why he felt Ward may have been overlooked by some NFL scouts and pointed to the stark contrast in media presence between him and Sanders.
“Cam is not a self-promoter,” Riddick said. “He’s not a guy who was constantly on Sportscenter, or on College Game Day, doing features week after week. Although, there was plenty of coverage about just how dynamic he was being during the 2024 season and how much he had elevated Miami’s offense and their football team overall.”
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While there was never any kind of hesitation for the cameras to follow Sanders or report on his every move, especially his extravagant Draft Day party, Ward simply didn’t have that kind of marketing power.
Additionally, much of Sanders’ media marketing came from the fact that his father is Deion Sanders, a former Super Bowl winner who also played several years of MLB baseball.
“It didn’t have the same zest and zip that some other storylines had. This is not a knock against Shedeur. I’m close with Deion, and I like Shedeur a ton. But let’s put it this way — had Cam had that kind of marketing power behind him, it would have been lights out. There would have been no debate over it.”
It appears as though Riddick believes that Ward would have been the bona fide consensus No. 1 selection by every outlet and scout if he had the kind of marketing power that Sanders burst onto the scene with.
There will be no shortage of coverage on how Ward will be attempting to help the Titans rebound from their 3-14 record in the 2024 season, while Sanders is low on the Browns quarterback depth chart behind Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel.