Who will go Number 1?
The 2025 NFL Draft will take place April 24-26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. There are several draft prospects that all have the possibility of going No. 1 overall. I am going to give my thoughts on a couple of those prospects.
The first name I will discuss is my favorite player in this year’s draft – Travis Hunter. Coming out of high school, Hunter was the top recruit in the nation and was committed to play for Florida State University. He flipped his commitment and decided to play for Deion Sanders at Jackson State University.
After one season at Jackson State, Hunter followed Sanders to Colorado, and he flourished during his two seasons with Colorado. What makes Hunter so valuable is his uniqueness on the field. In college he was an All-American level player at two different positions. As a wide receiver last season, Hunter’s stats were jaw dropping. He tallied 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, teams rarely threw his way because he was such a ball hawk. He had 36 tackles, 4 interceptions, 11 passes defensed, and one forced fumble. The combination of his talents on offense and defense led to him winning the Heisman Trophy.
The Tennessee Titans have the No. 1 pick in the draft. They have a lot of holes to fill on their roster, but unfortunately for Hunter, I don’t think cornerback or wide receiver is high on their priority list. I think the Titans will go with a player in a position that has more impact on the game like quarterback or an edge rusher.
To complicate matters more, I am not sure where Hunter will primarily play. Will he play mostly at receiver or corner? There is no way he will play both ways full-time, so deciding on what his primary position will be is the key to his success in the league. I personally think he should play cornerback and have a package of plays on offense. Either way, Hunter will not slip out of the top three picks in the draft.
Next on the list is former Miami Hurricane quarterback Cam Ward. Prior to the start of the season, Ward wasn’t on the radar for possibly being the No. 1 overall pick, but his play during the season catapulted him to this level. Ward put up some stellar numbers during his two-year stint with Washington State, but this year at Miami was remarkable.
In his senior season, Ward threw for 4,313 yards, 39 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions. Those great numbers propelled Ward to be a Heisman finalist this past season. Ward led the Miami Hurricanes to a great season, winning their first nine games of the season and narrowly losing their bowl game to Iowa State by the score of 42-41.
Ward has good but not great measurables for the quarterback position in the NFL. He is 6’2” and weighs 223lbs, so his height should not be a problem for Ward. He is also athletic, not necessarily a runner but he is very mobile in the pocket and takes off out of the pocket when he has to. I am not sure the Titans are sold on any of the quarterbacks in the draft, so Ward’s name will probably be called one or two picks later.
Shedeur Sanders is the other quarterback at the top of most mock draft boards. The quarterback out of Colorado had a stellar season last year and is poised to make his mark in the NFL. We all know he comes from a hall of fame pedigree, but that does not necessarily mean he will be successful.
Sanders is the son of hall of fame cornerback and current Colorado head coach Deion Sanders. Sanders had a great year with 4,134 yards passing, 37 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He is 6’2” and weighs 215 lbs., which is good size for an NFL quarterback.
The only drawback I have about Sanders is the circus that will inevitably follow his every move, no matter where he is drafted. Once again, I don’t think the Titans will take Sanders or Ward with the top pick, so Sanders will most likely fall to Cleveland or New York, barring any trades.
Lastly, there is former Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter. Carter is the best front seven player in the draft and plays with a tremendous motor. Carter has great measurables at 6’3” 251 lbs. Last season he had 68 tackles (24 tackles for loss) and 12 sacks.
Every time I watched a Penn State game, Carter jumped off the screen while making a play for the Nittany Lions. He is not just a sack artist either; he can also play the run very well. He reminds me of guys like Micah Parsons, Von Miller and TJ Watt. I am not saying that Carter is on the level of those players, but he does have a similar play style and skillset as those players.
That is the main reason why I think the Titans will take Carter with the No. 1 overall selection next month. He seems to be a can’t-miss prospect, while Ward, Sanders and Hunter all carry some question marks. I think the Titans will go with the safest of the picks and go with Carter, if they don’t trade the pick outright.
This year’s draft should be an interesting one that will probably feature quite a few trades. With less star power than the 2024 draft, I think teams will want to go with players that bring the most value and potential versus just taking the best player available after we get past the top 10 or 15 picks.
As always, I can’t wait.
