With the 2025 NFL Draft quickly approaching, the teams near the top of the board are starting to hear the clock tick.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport announced Thursday on X that the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns — holders of the top two picks in the draft — have booked private workouts with Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, the quarterbacks projected to go first and second overall.
Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders Expected to Be Taken No. 1 and No. 2
Rapoport wrote that Ward has already worked out privately for Cleveland and that his audition for the Titans will be Friday. He also confirmed that those are the only two teams Ward will meet with in that setting, likely meaning his camp expects him to be taken first or second overall.
Meanwhile, Sanders’ workouts with the same teams won’t be until after Colorado University’s closed-door pro day on April 4.
The #Titans will attend a private workout for potential No. 1 pick Cam Ward tomorrow, sources say, after Ward worked out for the #Browns yesterday — his only two.
Meanwhile, #Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders has workouts for the #Titans and #Browns in the days following his Pro Day. pic.twitter.com/MBbg1TkmLp
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 27, 2025
There had been buzz for a while that the New York Giants — who currently hold the No. 3 overall pick — would try to trade up for the No. 1 spot to grab a quarterback after the Daniel Jones era flamed out.
Instead, they made a splash in free agency, signing veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston for a combined $18.5 million.
With Wilson and Winston finishing 2024 as the 17th- and 29th-rated quarterbacks, respectively, according to PFSN’s QB+ metric, this looks like a stopgap move. The Giants could use this year to reset and target a quarterback in the 2026 draft rather than gamble on one from a class widely viewed as weak at the position.
Meanwhile, the Titans and Browns appear to be higher on Ward and Sanders than other teams. PFSN’s latest mock draft projects Tennessee will take Ward No. 1 overall and Cleveland will go with Sanders at No. 2.
“Will Levis and Brandon Allen are the only quarterbacks on the [Titans’] depth chart, and if Tennessee sticks and picks at No. 1 overall, the Miami passer is the overwhelming favorite,” Owain Jones wrote of Ward’s potential fit.
“Needing a cheap upgrade over Deshaun Watson, the Cleveland Browns select Sanders in this 2025 NFL Mock Draft,” Jones added of the No. 2 pick. “The Colorado quarterback may have the most translatable skill set to succeed as a rookie due to his accuracy, processing, and game manager playstyle.”
As two of the AFC’s worst teams last season, the Titans and Browns struggled on offense, finishing with the 27th- and 32nd-ranked units in 2024, respectively, according to PFSN’s Offense+ metric.
Both front offices are banking on their quarterback picks to turn things around — and potentially save their jobs.