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Mel Kiper Jr. explains Cam Ward over Shedeur Sanders for No. 1 pick in initial mock draft
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Mel Kiper Jr.’s first NFL mock draft for 2025 is out and, well, it has a little curve ball to it.
During an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up on Wednesday morning, Kiper shared his thoughts on who would be the No. 1 pick this spring with host Mike Greenberg. Now, get ready for this: Kiper has Miami quarterback Cam Ward going No. 1 after his historic season at the helm for the Miami Hurricanes.
So that must mean that Ward is Kiper’s top quarterback prospect, right?
Wrong.
Kiper also revealed that he has former Colorado star QB Shedeur Sanders as his top QB prospect.
Confused? Well, let Kiper explain.
“Because my friends in the NFL are saying the live arm, the mobility, the high completion percentage at three different programs,” said Kiper about Ward, who played at Incarnate Word and Washington State before exploding onto the college football scene last fall at Miami. “Certainly, Cam Ward makes sense as that pick No. 1 for (the) Tennessee (Titans).”
Kiper also talked about Ward’s propensity to turn the ball over and how he cleaned that up at Miami.
Kiper had Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter of Colorado going No. 2 to the Cleveland Browns, then followed that up with Sanders going No. 3 to the New York Giants. While Kiper has Sanders as his best quarterback on the board, he ultimately thinks Ward will be the choice by the Titans as the top pick.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
