What a wild week it was during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. From media availability to the on-field testing, and then to the late nights in Indianapolis, there was a lot of information to digest. That week is also tremendous from an intel perspective for the 2025 NFL Draft class. It is a bit of lying season, so you can only believe about 17 percent of what you hear in Indy.

There is, however, a lot of truth that does come out. You need to know the people to talk to, verify the sources, and be able to put the puzzle all together. Here is the intel to know coming out of a chaotic, but enlightening week of information. 

Truth about QB Cameron Ward

There has been a heavy debate between Cameron Ward (Miami) and Shedeur Sanders (Colorado), and most have viewed it as a neck-to-neck race to be the top quarterback for some time. After speaking, and listening to a lot of people in Indianapolis, I’m not sold that debate is nearly as close as some people say. Ward was the name I heard most often, and by a good margin.

That isn’t to say that every team is low on Sanders. I believe there are a couple of organizations that like him quite a bit, but it just wasn’t as prevalent as the hype around Ward. As for the first quarterback debate, I think it’s Ward over Sanders. The difference in tools is one thing that is talked about consistently. From what I’m told, Ward also interviewed well both as a person and from a football IQ perspective compared to what some expected.

Questions continue for 1st round favorites

Coming into the Combine, there were some players with noted character concerns who had a lot to gain, and potentially lose in Indianapolis. Leaving the event, there were some positive and negative feelings concerning several players. Some answered questions, while others stagnated, or even created more uncertainty.

The most obvious example is Marshall EDGE Mike Green, who was asked about previous allegations, one in high school and the other while at Virginia (Google it). We got access to the media side and his answers from the availability.

Behind the scenes, Green was also asked by teams. It’s unclear how the majority of interviews went, but there were a couple of teams that weren’t comfortable with those answers during formal meetings.

In the end, it will only take one team to take a chance on Green if they are comfortable with his past mistakes and future outlook. There are, however, already multiple teams who have taken Green off their board entirely.

There was a lot of chatter during the week concerning Tennessee pass rusher James Pearce Jr., and it wasn’t all positive. He weighed in at 245 pounds and ran 4.47 seconds in the forty-yard dash, which was very impressive. The character stuff is what is going to either make or break his evaluation.

There's nothing criminal with Pearce. The concerns center around work ethic, personality, qualities as a teammate, and whether Pearce truly wants to be great. He’s extremely talented but without the latter, he could have a self-created ceiling.

Coming into the week, the most negative character concern I’ve come across was Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen. Again, it’s nothing criminal to my knowledge but several teams had already removed him from their board before even getting to Indianapolis. The good news is the chatter was pretty quiet around Nolen this week. That leads me to believe that he interviewed well enough for some teams to take a chance pretty early on.

Tennessee Titans draft strategy

At this point, there are two things I believe the Tennessee Titans will do. One, they want to trade out. This is the option I believe most about this organization. We have heard they want a blue chip player, but continue to do a lot of homework in a very small amount of time on both Ward and Sanders at quarterback. They are also exploring trade options. Tennessee is clearly trying to drive up interest and create a ton of leverage in the trade market.

If they don’t trade, then I believe the pick will be Cam Ward. From everything I have heard, they prefer Ward to Sanders. I also don’t think the Titans will be comfortable sticking at No. 1 and pass on a quarterback as talented as Ward.

Hesitation about Tetairoa McMillan

It feels like most, at least on the media side, have Arizona pass catcher Tetairoa McMillan listed as the top wide receiver in the 2025 class. From people I spoke to around the league, I do not believe that to be anything close to a consensus. Some teams like him, but others have athleticism concerns. McMillan had a couple of months to train for the event, but still opted not to test.

Is it a coincidence that a wide receiver with speed and change of direction concerns chose not to test in the forty-yard dash or short area drills? Actions speak a lot louder than words.

Mocking a quarterback to the Steelers

I will keep this one pretty simple, stop mocking a quarterback to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round. From everything I have heard, that just isn’t going to happen. The veteran quarterback market is the main priority for the Steelers, and it could focus on the retention of talent in that room from last week. That should be the immediate focus.

One quarterback in the draft that the Steelers do like is Ohio State signal caller Will Howard. He has been projected to go somewhere in the third to fourth round range. It wouldn't be overly shocking to see the Steelers bring Howard back home to Pennsylvania when April comes around. 

Jihaad Campbell is going very, very high

My good friend Cory Kinnan beat me to the punch on Campbell. My fellow A to Z Sports analyst also confirmed the interest in the Alabama linebacker. At this point, there isn't any debate about which linebacker is going to come off of the board first. Campbell is the only answer to that question, and it is by a steep margin as well. The only question remaining is how high Campbell will go.

From the sounds of it, the answer to that question is very high. There are several teams near the top of the draft that value Campbell's ability to play multiple linebacker spots and even rush the quarterback on obvious passing situations. Campbell going off the board isn't out of the question, and top 15 seems extremely likely. I can't imagine a world where Campbell makes it past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 19 overall. 

Tyler Booker could be first OL off the board

This one might shock some, especially those that think Combine testing is the only thing NFL evaluators care about. There are several teams around the NFL that have Booker rated as their top overall offensive lineman in the class. It’s typical for tackles to rise and guards to fall up the board, so it’s possible that ends up hurting Booker in terms of being the top offensive linemen selected.

If he is, however, I would not be shocked at all. Booker is physical, dominant, and has been extremely productive for three seasons now. The 6-4.5, 321-pound force also has some of the best character in the entire class. This is an A+ person, and a very good football player.

Day Two sleeper offensive lineman

One name that had some substantial buzz behind the scenes was Kansas offensive tackle Logan Brown. He began his career as a five-star recruit with the Wisconsin Badgers. Injuries ruined his career in Madison, but Brown resurfaced with Kansas in 2024 and played the best football of his career. Possessing a long and clean frame, Brown is one of the better athletes at the position in the entire draft. There is a lot to like about the talented pass protector.

Coming into the week, there were several third and fourth round grades on Brown around the league. If he has a solid rest of his process, he could rise higher up the Day Two (rounds 2-3) conversation. That’s assuming him being a one-year wonder, and the reasons behind his dismissal from Wisconsin, don’t leave too many questions.