- The NFL scouting combine is in the books, but did it change the odds on who will be the first pick in April’s NFL draft? The Tennessee Titans have the top pick.
- The top four favorites are Cam Ward, Abdul Carter, Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders.
- However, none of the four favorites worked out for scouts at the combine.
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The projected list of the top prospects in the NFL draft remains largely the same as it was before the workouts at the scouting combine in Indianapolis. That’s because none of the top four players expected to be the top overall pick participated in those workouts.
Who is expected to be the number one overall pick?
The hearsay and gossip in the media and team officials indicate Miami quarterback Cam Ward could go number one overall to the Tennessee Titans. Most online sports books have also listed Ward as the top choice.
After Ward, it’s Abdul Carter, the defensive lineman from Penn State. Then, there were the two Colorado superstars, wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter and his quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who made his case to reporters.
“We went from Jackson State to Colorado and changed two programs back-to-back, so you don’t think I could come to the NFL franchise and change the program again?” Sanders said. “It’s history, we done it again, it’s always going to repeat itself.”
Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart is one of the few top prospects who worked out for scouts, and he turned some heads. He could be the third quarterback to be selected.
What does Cam Ward think about being the top pick?
Ward believes his game performance and his collegiate journey —from Incarnate Word to Washington State to the University of Miami—speaks for itself. On Friday, Feb. 28, he was asked how he would lead an NFL team as a franchise quarterback.
“Just holding people accountable,” Ward said. “I’m not no rah-rah guy. At this point in your career, in the NFL, you shouldn’t need somebody to motivate you every day. You got to be self-motivated –– that’s the type of person I am, that’s the type of leader I am. So, I just think, you know, what I can bring to a franchise, no other player can bring.”
What happens between now and the draft?
A lot can change between now and draft day on April 24, including the Tennessee Titans trading that number one overall pick. Sanders and all the other prospects will try to block out the noise and continue to show why they deserve the spotlight.
“You think I’m worried about what critics say or what people got to say? You know who my dad is? They hated on him too, so it’s like, it’s almost normal –– without people hating is not normal for us,” said Sanders about his father, Deion Sanders. “So we like adversity. We like everything that comes with the name; that’s why we are who we are.”
The biggest names on the draft board have reserved their workouts for specific teams, and those visits will happen in the coming weeks. NFL free agency, which begins this weekend, will also change the thought process for some teams.
