Cam Ward goes No. 1, Travis Hunter
2nd and Shedeur Sanders not picked in 1st round of NFL draft
[April 25, 2025]
By ROB MAADDI
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Cam Ward went from zero-star recruit to No. 1
pick in the NFL draft. Travis Hunter cost Jacksonville a premium.
Jaxson Dart was selected before Shedeur Sanders.
While Ward, Hunter and Abdul Carter went 1-2-3 as expected, Sanders
wasn't picked at all in the first round.
“We all didn’t expect this, of course, but I feel like with God,
anything’s possible, everything’s possible,” Sanders told family and
friends at his draft party. “I don’t think this happened for no
reason. All this is, of course, fuel to the fire. Under no
circumstance, we all know this shouldn’t have happened, but we
understand we’re on to bigger and better things. Tomorrow’s the day.
We’re going to be happy regardless.”
Sanders was passed over by every team that had a need for a
potential franchise quarterback, even though some draft analysts had
him rated higher than Ward. The New York Giants had two
opportunities to take Sanders — who starred at Colorado under his
father, coach Deion Sanders — and went with Penn State edge rusher
Carter with the No. 3 pick, bolstering an already strong pass rush.
The Giants then moved back into the first round and selected Dart at
No. 25, hoping he could end up providing what another Mississippi
quarterback — Eli Manning — did for the franchise.
After the Tennessee Titans selected Ward first overall, the Jaguars
moved up from No. 5 to select the Heisman Trophy winner with the
second pick. Hunter, a playmaking wide receiver and cornerback at
Colorado, wants to become the first full-time, two-way player in the
NFL since Chuck Bednarik did it with the Philadelphia Eagles more
than 60 years ago.
The Jaguars gave the Cleveland Browns a ton to give Hunter that
opportunity.
“I'm super excited to go home,” said Hunter, whose hometown is
Boynton Beach, Florida. “It means a lot that they gave up so much.
It means they believe in me.”
The New England Patriots took LSU left tackle Will Campbell with the
fourth pick, giving quarterback Drake Maye more protection.
Campbell broke down in tears on stage, saying: “I’m gonna fight and
die to protect him.”
Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham went fifth to Cleveland.
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was picked at No. 6 by the
Las Vegas Raiders.
The New York Jets selected Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou
with the seventh pick. Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan went
to the Carolina Panthers with the No. 8 pick.
The New Orleans Saints chose Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr.
at No. 9. Michigan's Colston Loveland became the first tight end off
the board when the Chicago Bears selected him at No. 10.
The Titans explored their options with the first pick before it
became clear a few weeks ago that Ward would be their man.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Ward's name to kick off the
draft, which for the first time was held next to historic Lambeau
Field. The NFL’s smallest market is hosting the league’s biggest
offseason event as thousands of fans from across the country
traveled to Titletown for the festivities.
Goodell rode a bicycle onto the draft stage and was followed by
former Packers stars Clay Matthews, Jordy Nelson, Mason Crosby,
Ahman Green and James Jones, as well as rap megastar and Green Bay
superfan Lil Wayne.
As usual, fans booed Goodell when he opened the extravaganza.
Titans fans cheered inside the draft theater after hearing Ward’s
name called. An overlooked high school player out of Texas, Ward
began his college career at Incarnate Word, an FCS school in San
Antonio. He played two seasons at Washington State after
transferring there in 2022 and then set school records in his only
season at Miami, finishing fourth in Heisman Trophy voting.
“Everything that I went through, not a lot of people went through
the process from high school to this point can make it to this level
and continue to have the same work ethic since day one, but I had
God by my side and if you have that, the rest takes care of itself,”
Ward said.
[to top of second column] |
Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter celebrates after being chosen
by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the second overall pick during the
first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 24, 2025, in
Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
The Titans are coming off a three-win season and
have missed the playoffs three straight years. Ward is the fourth
quarterback Tennessee has drafted in the first round over the past
two decades, joining Marcus Mariota (No. 2, 2015), Jake Locker (No.
8, 2011) and Vince Young (No. 3, 2006).
Mariota is the only QB drafted by Tennessee in that span who led the
team to a playoff win. That was back in 2017.
Will Levis, the 33rd overall pick in 2023, is 5-16 as a starter in
his two seasons with the Titans.
Ward led the country with 39 touchdown passes and finished second
with 4,313 yards passing while leading the Hurricanes to a 10-3
record. Ward also had only seven interceptions and completed 67.2%
of his passes.
The Browns got Jacksonville’s first-round pick (No. 5), picks Nos.
36 and 126, and a first-rounder in 2026 to trade down and clear the
way for the Jaguars to pick Hunter. The Jags also received fourth-
and sixth-round picks in this draft.
Hunter wore a neon pink blazer and flashed a big smile after
Jacksonville selected him, even though he hadn't spoken to the team
since the scouting combine. He caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and
15 touchdowns while making 35 tackles, breaking up 11 passes and
picking off four.
The San Francisco 49ers took Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams with
the 11th pick. Alabama guard Tyler Booker went to the Dallas Cowboys
at No. 12.
Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant was selected by the Miami
Dolphins with the 13th pick. The Indianapolis Colts snagged Penn
State tight end at No. 14 and Georgia edge rusher Jalon Walker went
15th to the Atlanta Falcons.
Mississippi defensive tackle Walter Nolen was picked by the Arizona
Cardinals at No. 16 and Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart went to
the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 17.
The Seattle Seahawks took North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel with
the 18th pick and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got Ohio State wide
receiver Emeka Egbuka at No. 19.
Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron was selected by the Denver Broncos
with the 20th pick. After the Pittsburgh Steelers chose Oregon
defensive tackle Derrick Harmon 21st, North Carolina running back
Omarion Hampton went to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 22.
The Packers made their rowdy fans happy, taking Texas wide receiver
Matthew Golden with the 23rd pick. Golden became the first wideout
selected by Green Bay in the first round since Javon Walker in 2002.
Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson was selected by the Minnesota
Vikings with the 24th pick. After Dart went to New York, the Falcons
moved back into the first round and grabbed Tennessee edge rusher
James Pearce Jr. at No. 26.
Georgia safety Malaki Starks went to the Baltimore Ravens with the
27th pick and the Detroit Lions took Ohio State defensive tackle
Tyleik Williams 28th.
The Washington Commanders picked Oregon offensive tackle Josh
Conerly Jr. at No. 29 and Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston went
30th to the Buffalo Bills.
Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell was picked by the defending Super
Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, who moved up one spot to No. 31.
The Kansas City Chiefs finished off the first round by taking Ohio
State offensive tackle Josh Simmons, who could provide Patrick
Mahomes some much-needed protection.
The first round featured four trades and ended with Michigan
cornerback Will Johnson and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe still
in the green room.
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