The story of the draft was Shedeur Sanders.
A fifth-round pick got more attention than the No. 1 overall selection. So did “Mr. Irrelevant,” according to Kyle Brandt. While the NFL Network analyst couldn’t have predicted the New England Patriots would dive headfirst into a social media controversy — using Kobe Minor’s pick to reference a Kendrick Lamar lyric accusing Drake of being a pedophile — he did see Cam Ward’s moment being overlooked.
And it was. It wasn’t just Brandt, either. Viewers widely panned ESPN’s coverage of the top pick for barely acknowledging the moment.
Brandt didn’t call out the Worldwide Leader, who now employs his good friend and former colleague Peter Schrager, but he did take issue with the attention and hype – or the lack thereof — that Cam Ward received throughout the weekend in Green Bay.
“I think Kobe Minor, the last person taken in the draft, got more attention and hype than Cam Ward — the first person taken in the draft,” Brandt said on Monday’s Good Morning Football. “I want to talk about ‘Mr. Relevant, which is the No. 1 overall pick. Guys, this is history. I’ve never, ever seen less focus, less buzz, less anything on the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. I remember when the No. 1 overall pick was an offensive lineman from Central Michigan named Eric Fisher, and he might as well have been Payton Manning, compared to Cam Ward.
“Cam Ward is sitting there at No. 1, and it’s like he has a two-syllable name, and we’re halfway through the first syllable, and it’s already like, ‘Well, let’s talk Shedeur.’ Shedeur was very interesting, very compelling. Let’s just take one second to be like, ‘Cam Ward — incredible journey. Zero-star recruit. Three different colleges. You’re the best player in the draft looking down at all these Ohio State and Georgia guys, and you went to Incarnate Word.”
Cam Ward’s problem, in Brandt’s eyes, is that there is no problem.
“Cam Ward’s coolest thing is that there is nothing to talk about, because he doesn’t give anything to talk about,” Brandt continues. “Because he is that solid as a person, that solid as a player. I’m not familiar with who Cam Ward’s father is. I don’t know much about him. I don’t know anything about what he does on social media. I know he’s a hell of a football player and deserves credit for that.
“And you know what? Tennessee Titans fans, if you want a little bit of sizzle, and you want some conversation, you damn well deserve it. Because you better believe if that No. 1 overall pick was to the New York Giants or the Dallas Cowboys or the Chicago Bears, there’d be way more Cam Ward talk. But, it’s the fact that he’s going to the Titans, and maybe the Titans logo doesn’t jump off the marquee, that you’re not getting it.”
So, Titans fans, don’t worry; Kyle Brant has you covered.
Cam Ward might not have the flashiest name, the loudest story, or the biggest brand behind him. But none of that changes the fact that he’s the No. 1 overall pick — and by the time the games start, that’s the only thing that will matter. The Titans didn’t draft a headline. They drafted a quarterback.
But you wouldn’t have known it if you tuned in to just about any network’s coverage.