The 90th annual NFL Draft kicked off April 24 amongst a sea of 80,000 people at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Teams made franchise-altering decisions in a first round dominated by offensive talent, headlined by quarterback Cam Ward’s historical selection and a flurry of trades reshaping the draft board.
The Tennessee Titans opened the night by selecting Ward, the Miami quarterback, with the first overall pick. Ward, a dynamic playmaker who threw for 4,313 yards and 39 touchdowns last season, becomes the first Hurricanes quarterback to be taken first overall since Vinny Testaverde in 1987.
The Jacksonville Jaguars followed by making Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter the second pick, the highest-drafted non-quarterback.
Hunter, a Heisman winner who excelled as both a wide receiver and defensive back, expects to bolster Jacksonville’s offense immediately.
“I am ready to get to work,” Hunter said.
The New York Giants prioritized defense, selecting Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter at No. 3. Carter, who tallied 68 tackles and 12 sacks in his final collegiate season, joins a Giants team eager to revitalize its pass rush.
The Giants answered their quarterback concerns by drafting Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart late into the first round.
The Indianapolis Colts addressed their offensive needs by drafting Penn State tight end Tyler Warren with the 14th pick.
Warren, a 6’6″ red-zone threat, caught eight touchdowns in 2024, adding versatility to the Colts’ scheme. While Warren lacks direct ties to Indiana, the pick aligns with Indianapolis’ strategy to support quarterback Anthony Richardson with reliable targets.
Local fans, however, were left waiting for homegrown connections, which they wouldn’t get until the sixth round with the drafting of Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard.
Jay Higgins, a linebacker out of Iowa and Indianapolis native, was notably absent from the first round. Higgins, a Butkus Award semifinalist and tackling machine (124 total tackles in 2024), was projected as a Day 2 pick amid concerns about his speed in coverage.
Higgins, who was awarded the 2024 Big Ten Linebacker of the Year, went undrafted but was eventually selected by the Baltimore Ravens.
Another surprise was the Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
Despite throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns in 2024, Sanders’ draft stock plummeted due to his injury history.
Ultimately Sanders was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round with the 144th overall pick.
Despite falling in the draft, Sanders said he is “extremely grateful” for the opportunity.
“I feel like talent is everywhere throughout the draft,” Sanders said. “It is about being picked and who sees your value. There are a lot of valuable players that go after the first and second round. I am a product of that. I just have to prove and show (the organization) what I am capable of.”
Sanders feels like he will fit in with the Browns “perfectly.”
The first round featured 10 trades, continuing a league-wide trend of aggressive maneuvering. The Cleveland Browns traded down from No. 2 to No. 5, acquiring additional picks from Jacksonville, while the Philadelphia Eagles swapped late-first-round slots with Kansas City to secure Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell at No. 31.
Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on X @3Noral. For more sports, click here.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Parham has worked with various leagues to provide a diverse perspective in sports, including the Big Ten, Big East, IHSAA, IndyCar, MLB, NHRA, NFL, NBA, WNBA, WWE and the Olympics. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
