While there was a shakeup for the No. 2 pick involving the Cleveland Browns and the Jacksonville Jaguars, everything was predictable regarding Cam Ward. 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.”
“I have never seen anything like the smear campaign on Shedeur Sanders, who should be going the 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,” Skip explained during the live reaction video for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Skip seemed to point fingers at the anonymous NFL assistant coach who called Shedeur Sanders an “entitled QB” who “blamed his teammates during the NFL Combine.” Additionally, another anonymous coach had labeled Shedeur “arrogant” in the lead-up to the draft.
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.
While it’s too early to predict whether Skip is right, the analyst has been on target with recent takes, including his prediction that the Philadelphia Eagles will win the Super Bowl in 2025. However, it is true that the Titans went with the trend and seemed to pick the most popular option in the Draft, which satisfied the majority.
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.
The duo indeed had a standout season in 2024-25 season. In college football, 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 and 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. Meanwhile, Cam and Shedeur, friends off the field, had trained at the same facility months before the NFL Draft. The duo will look to take their friendly battle to new heights in their debut NFL season.
