While there was a shakeup for the No. 2 pick involving the Cleveland Browns and the Jacksonville Jaguars, everything was predictable regarding Cam Ward’s drafting. The Tennessee Titans drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick, a move widely predicted by experts, including Shannon Sharpe, Stephen A. Smith, and many others.
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However, Skip Bayless was not among those experts who believed Cam Ward should be drafted as the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Instead, the seasoned analyst felt that former Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders deserved to go No. 1. But how did Shedeur lose his spot?
According to Bayless, it was due to a “smear campaign levelled against the 22-year-old QB.” Seemingly referring to the assistant coach who called Shedeur Sanders an “entitled QB” who “blamed his teammates during the NFL Combine,” Bayless said on his live reaction video:
“I have never seen anything like the smear campaign on Shedeur Sanders, who should be going first overall right here right now. This should be Shedeur’s moment. He should be going to the Tennessee Titans. The Tennessee Titans will forever regret not taking Shedeur number one. No one questions it.”
Apparently, these off-field characterizations took a toll on Shedeur’s draft stock, which plummeted as low as No. 31 in some mock drafts. And, Skip Bayless—though not someone who creates mock drafts—pointed out that Mel Kiper Jr., a respected NFL Draft analyst since 1984, had ranked Shedeur above Cam Ward.
According to Skip, Shedeur is a better pick than Ward because of his accuracy, feel for the position, and physical as well as mental toughness. “I don’t hate Cam Ward, but I haven’t seen anyone tougher than Shedeur Sanders,” Skip added during his analysis.
During the 2024-25 season, Cam set single-season Hurricanes passing records for yards (4,313), completions (305), and touchdowns (39). Meanwhile, Shedeur, who led the Colorado Buffaloes’ 2024 season fightback, completed 353 of 477 passes for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He had a 74.0% completion rate. Sanders also rushed for 100 yards for 4 touchdowns.
With such stellar performances, both the QBs proved to the critics that they can handle an NFL team with the right level of experience. However, one came out on top, while the other had to sit out the first day of the 2025 Draft.
Shedeur is now viewed as one of the top remaining prospects heading into the second round, but the fact that no team traded back into the first round to select him raises some concerns. Dropping to the second round means that whichever team drafts Sanders will not have the option to exercise a fifth-year team option on his rookie contract, which is only available to first-round picks.
