NFL draft: Cam Ward goes No. 1, Travis Hunter 2nd and Shedeur Sanders is not picked in 1st round

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Cam Ward went from zero-star recruit to No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. Travis Hunter cost Jacksonville a premium. Jaxson Dart was selected before Shedeur Sanders.

While Ward, Hunter and Abdul Carter went 1-2-3 as expected, Sanders wasn’t picked at all in the first round.

“We all didn’t expect this, of course, but I feel like with God, anything’s possible, everything’s possible,” Sanders told family and friends at his draft party. “I don’t think this happened for no reason. All this is, of course, fuel to the fire. Under no circumstance, we all know this shouldn’t have happened, but we understand we’re on to bigger and better things. Tomorrow’s the day. We’re going to be happy regardless.”

Sanders was passed over by every team that had a need for a potential franchise quarterback, even though some draft analysts had him rated higher than Ward. The New York Giants had two opportunities to take Sanders – who starred at Colorado under his father, coach Deion Sanders – and went with Penn State edge rusher Carter with the No. 3 pick, bolstering an already strong pass rush.

The Giants then moved back into the first round and selected Dart at No. 25, hoping he could end up providing what another Mississippi quarterback – Eli Manning – did for the franchise.

After the Tennessee Titans selected Ward first overall, the Jaguars moved up from No. 5 to select the Heisman Trophy winner with the second pick. Hunter, a playmaking wide receiver and cornerback at Colorado, wants to become the first full-time, two-way player in the NFL since Chuck Bednarik did it with the Philadelphia Eagles more than 60 years ago.

The Jaguars gave the Cleveland Browns a ton to give Hunter that opportunity.

“I’m super excited to go home,” said Hunter, whose hometown is Boynton Beach, Florida. “It means a lot that they gave up so much. It means they believe in me.”

The New England Patriots took LSU left tackle Will Campbell with the fourth pick, giving quarterback Drake Maye more protection.

Campbell broke down in tears on stage, saying: “I’m gonna fight and die to protect him.”

Cleveland took Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham at No. 5. The former Servite High standout was a first-team selection on the Associated Press All-America team. He had 45 tackles, 7.0 sacks and 3½ tackles for loss last season. Graham was the Defensive MVP of the Rose Bowl during Michigan’s national championship season in 2023.

The Las Vegas Raiders took a big step to addressing the NFL’s worst rushing offense by selecting Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty with the sixth pick. Las Vegas averaged just 79.8 yards rushing per game last season.

Jeanty was the runner-up to Hunter for the Heisman Trophy after leading the nation with 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns rushing last season. He could remind new Raiders coach Pete Carroll of Marshawn Lynch, whom he coached in Seattle. Jeanty often went his own version of “Beast Mode” at Boise State and was the only player, according to Pro Football Focus, to rush for more than 1,000 yards last season on plays that included a broken tackle.

The New York Jets selected Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou with the seventh pick, then the Carolina Panthers gave quarterback Bryce Young a legitimate deep threat, selecting Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan with the No. 8 pick.

The 6-foot-4, 219-pound McMillan, another former Servite standout, was a first-team All-American last season and ranked third in the FBS with 1,319 receiving yards while averaging 15.7 yards per catch. Considered a polished player, he led the Wildcats with 84 receptions and eight touchdown catches last season. He set a school record with 3,423 yards receiving.

The New Orleans Saints chose Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. at No. 9. Michigan’s Colston Loveland became the first tight end off the board when the Chicago Bears selected him at No. 10.

The Titans explored their options with the first pick before it became clear a few weeks ago that Ward would be their man.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced Ward’s name to kick off the draft, which for the first time was held next to historic Lambeau Field. The NFL’s smallest market is hosting the league’s biggest offseason event as thousands of fans from across the country traveled to Titletown for the festivities.

Goodell rode a bicycle onto the draft stage and was followed by former Packers stars Clay Matthews, Jordy Nelson, Mason Crosby, Ahman Green and James Jones, as well as rap megastar and Green Bay superfan Lil Wayne.

As usual, fans booed Goodell when he opened the extravaganza.

Titans fans cheered inside the draft theater after hearing Ward’s name called. An overlooked high school player out of Texas, Ward began his college career at Incarnate Word, an FCS school in San Antonio. He played two seasons at Washington State after transferring there in 2022 and then set school records in his only season at Miami, finishing fourth in Heisman Trophy voting.

“Everything that I went through, not a lot of people went through the process from high school to this point can make it to this level and continue to have the same work ethic since day one, but I had God by my side and if you have that, the rest takes care of itself,” Ward said.

The Titans are coming off a three-win season and have missed the playoffs three straight years. Ward is the fourth quarterback Tennessee has drafted in the first round over the past two decades, joining Marcus Mariota (No. 2, 2015), Jake Locker (No. 8, 2011) and Vince Young (No. 3, 2006).

Mariota is the only QB drafted by Tennessee in that span who led the team to a playoff win. That was back in 2017.

Will Levis, the 33rd overall pick in 2023, is 5-16 as a starter in his two seasons with the Titans.

Ward led the country with 39 touchdown passes and finished second with 4,313 yards passing while leading the Hurricanes to a 10-3 record. Ward also had only seven interceptions and completed 67.2% of his passes.

The Browns got Jacksonville’s first-round pick (No. 5), picks Nos. 36 and 126, and a first-rounder in 2026 to trade down and clear the way for the Jaguars to pick Hunter. The Jags also received fourth- and sixth-round picks in this draft.

Hunter wore a neon pink blazer and flashed a big smile after Jacksonville selected him, even though he hadn’t spoken to the team since the scouting combine. He caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns while making 35 tackles, breaking up 11 passes and picking off four.

The San Francisco 49ers took Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams with the 11th pick, and Alabama guard Tyler Booker went to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 12.

The Miami Dolphins used the No. 13 pick on Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant, an experienced and versatile nose tackle who was one of the standouts of the Wolverines’ national title-winning team two seasons ago.

The Indianapolis Colts snagged Penn State tight end at No. 14 and Georgia edge rusher Jalon Walker went 15th to the Atlanta Falcons.

Mississippi defensive tackle Walter Nolen was picked by the Arizona Cardinals at No. 16 and Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart went to the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 17.

The Seattle Seahawks took North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel with the 18th pick and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka at No. 19.

Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 20th pick. After the Pittsburgh Steelers chose Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon 21st, North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton went to the Chargers at No. 22.

The Packers made their rowdy fans happy, taking Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden with the 23rd pick. Golden became the first wideout selected by Green Bay in the first round since Javon Walker in 2002.

Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 24th pick. After Dart went to New York, the Falcons moved back into the first round (via a trade with the Rams) and grabbed Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. at No. 26.

Georgia safety Malaki Starks went to the Baltimore Ravens with the 27th pick and the Detroit Lions took Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams 28th.

The Washington Commanders picked Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. at No. 29 and Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston went 30th to the Buffalo Bills.

Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell was picked by the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, who moved up one spot to No. 31.

The Kansas City Chiefs finished off the first round by taking Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons, who could provide Patrick Mahomes some much-needed protection.

The first round featured four trades and ended with Michigan cornerback Will Johnson and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe still in the green room.