In his first mock draft ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr., chooses between Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward for the Tennessee Titans.

The college football season is over, and now that Ohio State has hoisted the national championship trophy it’s time to resume the NFL Draft process. The deadline for underclassmen that didn’t go to Ohio State and Notre Dame to enter the NFL Draft has passed,

The first 18 selections in the 2025 NFL Draft were set following the final week of the regular season. Now, after the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, 28 of the 32 slots are locked in. During a wild weekend,

Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at [email protected] and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina. Follow his work here.

Should Kiper’s projection hold true, it would be the first time since the 2018 NFL Draft that the SEC failed to produce a top-5 pick. Oklahoma (then in the Big 12) produced the No. 1 overall pick in Baker Mayfield while Georgia’s Roquan Smith was the league’s top selection at No. 8 overall.

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – AUGUST 31: Colston Loveland #18 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates a second half touchdown with Tyler Morris #8 while playing the Fresno State Bulldogs at Michigan Stadium on August 31, 2024 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The number one pick gives Tennessee the opportunity to change the course of the franchise. Whether the Titans end up trading down for a haul of addition draft assets or selecting