Since it became clear that the Tennessee Titans would be holding the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the quarterback has been the logical candidate for that selection. Last year, Tennessee had one of the worst offenses in the league, thanks to downright bad play from their signal-callers.
That makes the quarterback position the one most ripe for a change. However, one current star on the team isn’t fully sure about that proposition. While he understands the value of adding a QB, one of the best players on the team, Jeffery Simmons, wants the pick to be a player that can make a big impact on his side of the football.
Jeffery Simmons Wants Tennessee Titans To Skip Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders
The 2025 draft class has seen Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders stand out from the rest of the pack as the two best quarterbacks available. And for a team that employed Will Levis and Mason Rudolph, who finished 34th and 26th on PFSN’s QB+ metric, respectively, in 2024, upgrading the position seems inevitable.
Simmons spoke to the NFL on CBS crew and was very complimentary of the incoming quarterbacks, beginning with the Miami alum. “I’m a big fan of his [Cam Ward] game. I’ve been seeing a lot of stuff on social media, seeing his Pro Day, the confidence he has as a player, that’s the type of teammate you wanna have.”
But, it’s not just Ward that’s caught Simmons’ eye. He has immense praise for Sanders as well. “I think him and Shedeur are both just great quarterbacks. We talk about generational quarterbacks, we could put them in that category.”
Jeffery Simmons on who he would like the Titans to draft with the No. 1 overall pick:
"I think [Cam Ward] and [Shedeur Sanders] are both just great QBs…But at the end of the day, I'm also a defensive player, too…I wouldn't be mad if we went and got [Abdul Carter]." pic.twitter.com/aHAG0tSE1l
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) April 11, 2025
However, he still wants the team to focus on the defensive side of the ball. “At the end of the day, I’m also a defensive player, too, and I’ve been telling everybody, I need an edge player. The Titans just got rid of one of my edge players that we had, Harold Landry, so, I wouldn’t be mind if we went and got Abdul Carter.”
Seen by many as arguably the best player in the class, Carter is a legitimate blue-chip prospect who came alive in his final year at Penn State. Tallying 68 total tackles, including a mind-boggling 12 sacks, he was a one-man wrecking crew on the Nittany Lions defensive line.
If Tennessee went in this direction, he’d join a defense that finished 22nd on PFSN’s Defense+ metric last season and pair up with a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection in Simmons.
The latest mock draft from PFSN, however, isn’t complicating things. With Cam Ward to the Titans feeling like an inevitability rather than a surprise, Joe DeLeone is pairing them up, while Carter falls all the way to the fourth pick for the New England Patriots.