Recruitment services and the star ratings they allot to prospective athletes are a polarizing offshoot of collegiate sports. It divides the masses into two factions, with some overlapping in between, sort of like a Venn Diagram. Some think it’s a futile practice dissociated from reality. That believe it’s impossible to predict how a high schooler will pan out before they’ve even taken a snap in CFB. Those who have seen plenty of 5-star hotels crash and burn. Conversely, some consider them gospel and live by them. They believe the ratings are a factual representation. In the middle are the more levelled ones. Who pays heed to the 247Sports and the On3s of this world? But do realize that players progress at different speeds and at different points in their careers. That high school talent doesn’t translate to college and the NFL in a linear way. Cam Ward’s ascension has certainly caused people to shift towards category #1.

From a 0-star prospect coming out of high school to the No.1 overall pick in the NFL draft. Cam Ward’s tryst with thwarting convention and creating history is complete. As cliche and cheesy as it sounds, Ward epitomizes the phrase, “earned, not given.” However, despite being at the literal mountain top relative to his peers and age-mates, Cam Ward is still struggling to receive his flowers. His dues. That sure sounds paradoxical, right? How can the 1st pick of the draft be undermined? In a twisted way, his sheer excellence worked against him on the biggest day of his life. He got taken for granted. 

Cam Ward was pencilled in to be the Tennessee Titans’ 1-1 pick for months. They’d identified him very early in the draft process as their guy. It was a foregone conclusion that he was going to be the pick. This sapped the fanfare and hype around him. Meaning, when Roger Goodell finally announced his name on that podium in Green Bay, he almost got brushed aside for the other, more chaotic events unfolding. This reflected in the ESPN broadcast of the draft, and rubbed one Miami fan/correspondent the wrong way. Who was hoping to see his QB get the love and spotlight he deserved, but didn’t get. But the attention got diverted not just because Cam Ward was the obvious, vanilla selection in the eyes of the network. But because one of the analysts, Mel Kiper, went on a now-infamous tangent about Ward’s fellow quarterback contemporary, Shedeur Sanders.

Speaking over the “Locked on Canes” podcast, Alex Donno went on a bit of a rant about ESPN. “I switched later, but I made the mistake of watching ESPN’s draft coverage during the first few picks. It was honestly disgraceful. I didn’t know if I was watching ESPN or TMZ,” remarked Donno. He’s not the only one who walked away from the draft, soured by how the network went about covering it. Plenty of fans and fellow members of the media have voiced their frustrations. “They weren’t talking about Cam Ward before the [first] pick. You had Mel Kiper just hyping up why Shedeur Sanders should be the first guy taken. And then, right after the pick of Cam Ward, no interview. Barely any highlights. They immediately move on to Travis Hunter,” he proceeded. 

Travis Hunter getting attention did make sense, since the Jaguars made an unexpected trade up to snag him #2 overall. But Shedeur being at the epicenter of the coverage right at the top of the broadcast did blemish Cam Ward’s moment. Ironically, Shedeur and his unprecedented slide did become the focal point of the draft in hindsight. But it wasn’t really a story when Cam was. While the likes of Will Campbell got their moment in the sun, it didn’t quite transpire for Cam. He probably likes the understated nature of how things went down. But for Miami fans who’ve waited for an alum to be the 1st pick, it did take away from the emotions and the pageantry. 

“0-star to No.1 pick. I would think Cam Ward would be a pretty good story to tell. But that’s not the story that they wanted to tell on Thursday night, and I was very disappointed,” added Alex Donno. Alas, ESPN’s disrespect of Ward still hasn’t ceased. Now that the dust has settled on the draft and people are doing early look-aheads to how these players will fare in the NFL, a couple of the network’s analysts are ice-cold on him and his prospects as a rookie.

Cam Ward continues to be looked past by a couple of analysts affiliated with ESPN

Being the 1st overall pick usually means you’re also getting drafted to arguably the worst team in the league. That’s the nature of the draft, of course, unless it’s a pick you got in a trade, like how the Bears got the Panthers’ No.1 pick in 2024 and drafted Caleb Williams. But that wasn’t the case this time around. The Titans really are in a rut and need Cam Ward to be a messiah figure who can pull them out. 

But as good as Cam Ward is, he will need weapons and a supporting cast. Something the Titans may not be able to facilitate off the jump. This is probably baked into why ESPN’s Matt Miller and Jordain Reid don’t think he’s in the reckoning for Offensive ROTY. Miller predicts the Raiders’ new tailback, Ashton Jeanty, to receive the honor. A shrewd and fair pick, in all honesty. Something Ward can’t really complain about. However, Reid picked Panthers wideout Tetairoa McMillan. The #8 overall pick, but a little more difficult to endorse.

Well, exceeding expectations is something Cam Ward is well-versed in at this point. You wouldn’t put it past him to do it again. It’s difficult for the first pick to come into the league with a chip on their shoulder. But ESPN’s perceived disrespect on more than one occasion does give him that motivation. It remains to be seen whether he can live up to the pedestal he’s stood upon. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. The crowning may have come across a little unceremonious on TV screens, but it did happen after all.