Cam Ward

ANALYSIS
Ward (6-foot-2, 219 pounds) is far from a conventional first overall pick, because he was a non-entity as a recruit and truly had to work his way up through the minors by playing at Incarnate Word (2020-21) and Washington State (2022-23) before dominating in his one season at Miami in 2024. Ward only earned admiration at each stop, but his one year with the Hurricanes was arguably his finest work in his five collegiate seasons, as he completed 305 of 454 pass attempts for 4,313 yards (9.5 YPA) with 39 passing touchdowns to just seven interceptions. Ward might not be a prolific runner in the NFL, but at the very least he is functionally mobile from the pocket, where he shows an uncommon ability to evade pressure and uncork ambitious big-play shots downfield. Although the Titans are still rebuilding and don't offer the most comfortable team context for a rookie quarterback, they have made substantial investments in their offensive line the past two offseasons, and could suddenly be a well-composed offense if they could just secure one or two quality route runners to add to a wideout rotation that is otherwise headlined by Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett and Treylon Burks (ACL). Even if Will Levis remains on hand through training camp, Ward is a near lock to start Week 1 for the Titans.

ANALYSIS
Prior to the draft, the Titans' wide receiver room was shallow behind Calvin Ridley and the recently-signed Tyler Lockett. Tennessee addressed those needs in the fourth round, with Dike bringing speed out of the slot and Ayomanor serving as a deep threat that can haul in contested catches. Ward will also be throwing passes to a familiar face during OTAs and minicamp as the Titans signed Miami's Xavier Restrepo as an undrafted free agent.