Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, there was actually some deliberation on who the best quarterback of the class actually was. Most had settled on Cam Ward, but there were some who were pounding the table for Shedeur Sanders.
Of course, the Tennessee Titans ultimately selected Ward with the No. 1 overall pick while Sanders slid all the way to the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round, so NFL teams made it very clear who the more highly valued prospect was.
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Still, their names remain largely attached, and during a recent appearance on the Bussin’ With the Boys podcast, Ward was asked about whether or not the two young signal-callers have a rivalry.
“I don’t have a rivalry with him,” Ward said. “That’s my boy. At the end of the day, this whole process, we thought me and him were gonna be 1 and 2 the whole time. … That’s just always been our mindset. It didn’t go that way, but just coming out of college, even to the draft, I thought he was one of the better quarterbacks in the draft as well.”
Ward began his collegiate career at Washington State in 2022, but transferred to Miami after two seasons with the Cougars. In his lone campaign with the Hurricanes, Ward led the country with 39 passing touchdowns to go along with 4,313 yards and seven interceptions. He also completed 67.2 percent of his passes.
Cam Ward of the Tennessee Titans looks on during Tennessee Titans Rookie Minicamp at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park on May 10, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Cam Ward of the Tennessee Titans looks on during Tennessee Titans Rookie Minicamp at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park on May 10, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Photo by Carly Mackler/Getty Images
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The 23-year-old is right, too: it’s hard to consider what he has with Sanders as a “rivalry.” Yes, Ward did face Sanders while he was at Washington State in 2023, thumping Colorado by a score of 56-14 late in the season. But otherwise, the two quarterbacks have never had any sort of beef.
It’s also very clear that the two youngsters are viewed very differently on the NFL level. Ward will be starting from Day 1, while there is actually a chance that Sanders never sees the field in 2025.
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