Mel Kiper Jr. defends Will Levis despite mocking Cam Ward to Titans

Mel Kiper Jr. always seems to find a quarterback he’s higher on than others.

Two years ago, that quarterback was Kentucky‘s Will Levis, who would end up being selected with the first pick of the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.

Now, with the Titans currently holding the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the longtime ESPN expert has projected Tennessee taking another quarterback — Miami‘s Cam Ward — with the first overall selection in his Mock Draft 1.0 released Wednesday morning.

“I’m a Will Levis guy, but you’ve got a new GM in Mike Borgonzi, you’ve (Year 2 under head coach Brian) Callahan, all the mistakes Will made. But guess what? I don’t care who you’re quarterback is, you’ve got to get that right tackle spot fixed,” Kiper said on Wednesday night’s SportsCenter Special: Mel Kiper Jr.’s Mock Draft 1.0 on ESPN2. “That was the problematic area for that offense, moreso than the quarterback, so fix right tackle because no quarterback can have success when you’re behind the sticks play-in and play-out. So I’ll go Cam Ward, that’s what I’m hearing.

“My QB1 is Shedeur Sanders, but this is a mock, this is what I think will happen. Cam Ward, the consensus (No. 1 QB) from the people I’ve talked to, because of the liver arm, better arm strength, more mobility, got the edge from the people I’ve spoken to from the NFL.”

Kiper has been a noted fan of Levis since his days at Kentucky, but the Titans quarterback seemed to regress somewhat in his second season in the NFL, struggling with a 13-to-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 12 games while battling a nagging AC joint injury suffered in late September. For the season, Levis threw for just 2,091 yards on 63.1-percent passing but was sacked 41 times, which was tied for seventh-worst in the NFL this season.

Meanwhile, Ward was electric this past season in Coral Gables, throwing a FBS-leading 39 passing touchdowns to just seven interceptions while ranking second nationally with 4,313 passing yards while spearheading Miami’s No. 1-ranked offense in 2024.

Mel Kiper Jr. predicts Cam Ward will be No. 1 pick over Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter

Mel Kiper Jr. has dropped his debut 2025 NFL Mock Draft, and the debate is raging as to which star athlete will end up being picked first overall by the Tennessee Titans.

The likely options at the moment are Miami quarterback Cam Ward, two-way star and reigning Heisman winner Travis Hunter out of Colorado, and his Buffaloes teammate in signal-caller Shedeur Sanders. At the moment, Kiper is predicting Ward will go first overall to Tennessee, even if Sanders is rated higher by the ESPN analyst.

“At No. 1, Tennessee — I’m going Cam Ward,” Kiper stated, via Get Up. “Not because he’s my highest-rated quarterback, Shedeur Sanders is my QB1.

“My friends in the NFL are saying, ‘Hey, the live arm. The mobility. The completion percentage with three different programs.’ Not going to throw a lot of interceptions, but a little carless, a little reckless with the football, in terms of ball security, at times. Cleaned that up a little this year. Certainly, Cam Ward makes sense at pick No. 1 for Tennessee.”

Steve Samra contributed to this report.