ESPN NFL Draft analysts spar over Cam Ward draft stock: 'He's being severely underrated'

With the 2025 NFL Draft more than two months away, and Super Bowl LIX just barely in the rearview mirror, there are already plenty of opinions on what the Tennessee Titans do with the No. 1 overall pick.

That’s especially true within ESPN’s army of NFL Draft experts.

Two such ESPN experts — Jordan Reid and Matt Miller — sparred over Reid’s emphatic suggestion the Titans should go all-in on its offseason overhaul and take the draft’s top-ranked quarterback, Miami‘s Cam Ward, at No. 1 and not think twice.

“I believe Cam Ward is being severely underrated in this year’s draft class,” Reid said Tuesday afternoon on ESPN2’s Field Yates’ NFL Mock Draft 3.0 special. “When I look at Cam Ward, I see a quarterback that got better every single year. When you think about his career, everywhere he’s been whether it’s at Incarnate Word in the FCS ranks, Washington State or most recently at Miami, he’s had a profound impact everywhere he’s been.”

Yates’ latest mock draft, released Tuesday morning, had the Titans bypassing Ward in favor of uber-talented Colorado cornerback and receiver Travis Hunter, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, at No. 1 overall.

Reid, of course, disagreed, and made it clear Ward would be his pick if he was new Tennessee general manager Mike Borgonzi.

“(Ward) has those traits you love to see at the position,” Reid continued. “He can play in structure, outside of structure but I love his poise in pressurized situations.”

Matt Miller: No QBs are worthy of No. 1 overall pick in 2025 NFL Draft

Of course, such a move would likely mean the Titans are officially moving on from third-year quarterback Will Levis, who’s started 21 games over the last two seasons after Tennessee selected him with the 33rd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Ward certainly impressed in 2024, leading the entire FBS with 39 passing touchdowns last season, ranking second nationally with 4,313 passing yards on 67.2-percent passing while spearheading the Hurricanes’ No. 1-ranked offense in his first and only year in Coral Gables.

Meanwhile, Miller completely shut down his colleague’s stance on Ward — and any other quarterback in the 2025 class — by suggesting Tennessee should go with best-available at No. 1 and select Penn State pass-rushing phenom Abdul Carter.

“I don’t think they should take Cam Ward. I also don’t think they should take Travis Hunter. I would draft Abdul Carter. He’s the best player in this draft,” Miller said. “And I think you can make the argument after watching the Super Bowl that pass rushers are the second-most important position in football behind the quarterback. But I don’t think either quarterback is warranted of that first overall pick.”

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Carter is arguably the most pro-ready player in the entire draft, especially after an impressive showing during Penn State’s College Football Playoff run. Following an offseason move from a stand-up linebacker to a hand-in-the-ground edge rusher, Carter flashed elite pass rushing ability while racking up 12 sacks, 61 pressures, a NCAA-best 23.5 tackles for loss and 68 total tackles in 2024.

Who goes No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft will remain a heated topic of conversation over the coming months, and will only intensify the closer we get to April 24.