NFL Draft: Cam Ward goes no. 1, big trade goes down for Travis Hunter

Dreams are becoming reality in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Thursday, April 24. The NFL draft is underway, and 32 of the top college players in the country will join the league during the first round.

Who went number one overall?

Close to 250,000 fans are expected to attend the draft over three days, nearly tripling the population of Green Bay. Commissioner Roger Goodell opened the festivities by riding a bike on stage, recreating a tradition that takes place during the Packers’ training camp.

The Tennessee Titans had the number one overall pick. New General Manager Mike Borgonzi rebuffed every trade offer because they believe they’ve found their franchise quarterback in Miami’s Cam Ward.

Ward started his college career playing two seasons at Ii, a small school in San Antonio, Texas. He then made full use of the power of the transfer portal and NIL payments heading to Washington State. After two seasons in Pullman, Washington, he finished his career at the University of Miami, where he resurrected the Hurricanes’ offense, throwing for over 4300 yards and 39 touchdowns.

What was the first big surprise?

The big first-round shock came as Cam Ward was walking to the stage to shake Commissioner Goodell’s hand. The Cleveland Browns traded the second pick to Jacksonville and moved down to number five. The Jags moved up to take Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, the two-way star who played both receiver and cornerback full-time at Colorado under former two-way legend Deion Sanders.

Jacksonville needs a playmaker to help out quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and they gave the Browns their first-round pick in 2026, among others, to get Hunter. Travis was asked how surprised he was to go to a team in his home state of Florida.

“The crazy part is I had no conversations with them outside of the combine, so I didn’t know what to expect,” Hunter told the NFL Network. “And I’m excited that they came and picked me. I wanted to cry, but I can’t cry right now because I’m too excited.”

Which players made up the top five picks?

Things got back to “as expected” with the third pick as the Giants took defensive end Abdul Carter from Penn State. He had 12 sacks for the Nittany Lions last year, and his 23.5 tackles for loss led the nation.

At some point when the Giants and New England Patriots meet in 2025, Carter may line up across from New England’s first-round pick. They took offensive tackle Will Campbell from LSU with the 4th overall selection.

With the fifth pick, Cleveland took Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham. A 310-pound game-wrecker, the Browns will pair him up with Myles Garrett to make that defense stronger.

Which players are picks six through ten?

At number six, Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty heard his name called. He’s the running back that general manager John Spytek’s 10-year-old son demanded that the Raiders draft. Pete Carroll will build his offense around Jeanty much the way he did in Seattle with Marshawn Lynch and Chris Carson.

The New York Jets got the anchor for their offensive line by selecting Missouri tackle Armand Membou, who stands 6’4” and weighs 330 lbs. He’ll be the protector for new quarterback Justin Fields.

At number eight, the Carolina Panthers have a great weapon for young quarterback Bryce Young in Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan. Head Coach Dave Canales hopes he grows into a Mike Evans-type player like the one he coached in Tampa.

With the ninth pick, the New Orleans Saints passed on a quarterback and took offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. from Texas. First-year coach Kellen Moore now has the anchor he needs for his new offense.

And at number ten, the Chicago Bears took a tight end, just not the one many thought. Instead of Penn State’s Tyler Warren, they took Michigan’s Colston Loveland as the new security blanket for quarterback Caleb Williams.

So, there you have it — the top 10 players taken in the draft. The second and third rounds start at 7 p.m. Eastern on Friday, April 25. The draft wraps up Saturday with rounds 4 through 7.